Progress Playbook

What Progress Playbook does

Progress Playbook is a private, mission-driven business training and service platform headquartered in New York City, founded in 2015 by Lloyd Cambridge. The company designs customized entrepreneurship programs and workshops for aspiring and existing business owners, with a particular focus on under-resourced communities in NYC neighborhoods. Its core offerings include three branded programs—The Blueprint Project (transforming side hustles into legitimate businesses), The Renaissance Project (community-focused business development, sponsored by NYC Office of Neighborhood Safety for NYCHA residents), and The Empire Project (youth social entrepreneurship)—along with specialized initiatives such as Bodega 2.0 (serving NYC bodega owners), the Creative Entrepreneur Project (for performing artists, in partnership with The Actors Fund), and the Accelerate2030 NYC Ecosystem Tour (for international businesses scaling via technology). The company also publishes The Journal, a free content library, and is developing the Pioneers of New York workbook and online course.

The underlying technology is minimal: Progress Playbook operates on a Squarespace-based website with content marketing rather than a proprietary tech platform. The company's value lies in curriculum design, program management, coaching, and convening ecosystem partners. Business model comprises two revenue streams: (1) Organizational Partnerships (professional services) with corporate, public sector, and nonprofit clients for customized program delivery, and (2) Training Programs, many of which are free for participants because they are funded through grants and government partnerships with NYC agencies (ONS, SBS) and foundations (Ford Foundation, Citi Community Development, JPMorgan Chase). The company also operates a nonprofit affiliated entity, Progress for Good, which collaborates with community partners to deliver flagship programs. Direct-to-consumer monetization is nascent, with the Pioneers of New York workbook/course representing the first productized educational offering.

Name

Progress Playbook

Legal name

Progress Playbook

Website

https://progressplaybook.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Progress Playbook is a New York-based business training and service platform that designs customized entrepreneurship programs for under-resourced entrepreneurs, partnering with NYC government agencies, foundations, and nonprofits to deliver workshops, coaching, and community-focused programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Training and Business Development Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship training
• Business coaching services
• Small business development
• Customized curriculum design
• Community entrepreneurship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Organizational Partnerships: Progress Playbook generates revenue by working with corporate, public sector, and nonprofit organizations to deliver customized entrepreneurship programs. Services include curriculum design, program management, pitch competition curation, technical assistance, and business development workshops.
2. Training Programs: The company offers step-by-step training experiences through programs like Blueprint Project, Renaissance Project, and Empire Project. Some programs are free for participants (sponsored by government partners like NYC Office of Neighborhood Safety), while others may be funded through organizational partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Progress Playbook is a business training and service platform that designs customized entrepreneurship experiences. It delivers structured programs (Blueprint Project, Renaissance Project, Empire Project), specialized initiatives (Bodega 2.0, Creative Entrepreneur Project, Accelerate 2030), and customized services for organizations including curriculum design, program management, pitch competitions, technical assistance, and business coaching.

Product overview

Progress Playbook is a business training and service platform that designs customized experiences to help entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. The platform offers a portfolio of programs including The Blueprint Project (transforming side hustles into businesses), The Renaissance Project (community-focused business development), The Empire Project (youth social entrepreneurship), and The Journal (free educational content library). Specialized initiatives include the Bodega 2.0 Program (supporting NYC bodega owners), the Creative Entrepreneur Project (for performing artists), and the NYC Ecosystem Tour/Accelerate 2030 (tech scaling program). For organizational clients, Progress Playbook provides customized services including curriculum design, program management, pitch competitions, technical assistance, and business coaching.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Progress for Good: Nonprofit initiative that collaborates with community partners to offer flagship programs empowering entrepreneurs from under-resourced and low-income communities.
• The Blueprint Project
• The Renaissance Project
• The Empire Project

Products and services

• The Blueprint Project A program that helps entrepreneurs transform their side hustles or ideas into legitimate, profitable businesses that uplift their neighborhoods. Designed for aspiring entrepreneurs and side-hustle operators.
• The Renaissance Project A program helping entrepreneurs build businesses that uplift and strengthen their neighborhoods, with funding from the NYC Office of Neighborhood Safety. Free for eligible NYCHA/ONS residents, with up to $4,000 in startup funds and up to $10,000 in pitch competition prizes.
• The Empire Project A youth social entrepreneurship program designed to help young people change their communities through business. Delivered as a structured training experience for youth entrepreneurs.
• The Journal A free on-demand library of expert-curated articles, videos, guides, and resources for entrepreneurs accessible anytime, anywhere. Functions as a content resource supporting the company's training programs.
• Bodega 2.0 Program A transformative initiative that guides bodega owners through assessments and matches them with food retail experts to make strategic upgrades in inventory management, operational efficiencies, and in-store experiences. 40 NYC bodega owners have completed the program.
• Creative Entrepreneur Project A program that equips performing artists and entertainment professionals with skills and resources needed to successfully navigate entrepreneurship, increase income, and achieve independence. 100 performing artists enrolled, with 40+ starting businesses.
• NYC Ecosystem Tour / Accelerate 2030 A program that provides technology ecosystem tours for international businesses to learn how to leverage tech and business principles to scale globally. Includes partnerships with major tech companies and 10 international businesses participated.
• Customized Services for Organizations Customized learning experiences and business services for corporate, public sector, and nonprofit organizations, including curriculum design, program management, pitch competitions, technical assistance, grant distribution, business coaching, and back-office support.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• NYC Department of Small Business ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgress Playbook partnered with NYC Department of Small Business Services, Citi Community Development, and City Harvest to develop the Bodega 2.0 program, helping NYC bodega owners create healthier, more profitable, and sustainable stores.
• Citi Community DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCiti Community Development co-funded and supported the Bodega 2.0 program alongside Progress Playbook and NYC SBS, providing financial support and expertise for the initiative serving NYC bodega owners.
• City HarvestsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Harvest partnered on the Bodega 2.0 program to support bodega owners in providing healthier food options and improving food security in NYC neighborhoods.
• NYC Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerONS is the sponsor for The Renaissance Project, providing funding that makes the program free for participants. ONS combines efforts from the Mayor's Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety, Office to Prevent Gun Violence, and Atlas to empower New Yorkers with community-driven solutions.
• The Actors FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgress Playbook teamed up with The Actors Fund to design the Creative Entrepreneur Project, equipping performing artists with business skills. The program includes three 4-week intensive courses, 10 professional development workshops, monthly support groups, and individual coaching.
• Next StreetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNext Street partnered with Common Future, Progress Playbook, and CGR Consulting to conduct the NYC Small Business Ecosystem Assessment, examining the state of NYC's small business communities with focus on businesses owned by people of color.
• Common FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Future partnered on the Accelerate2030 research initiative, studying NYC's small business communities and COVID-19 recovery with focus on racial equity. The research spanned nine cities across the U.S. in 2020-2021.
• CGR ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCGR Consulting led a coalition of over 45 local stakeholders with Progress Playbook to inform strategies addressing historical inequities for small businesses owned by people of color.
• AmazonsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmazon participated in the Accelerate2030 NYC ecosystem tour, sharing best practices with 10 international businesses on how to leverage technology and business principles to scale globally.
• MicrosoftsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicrosoft participated in the Accelerate2030 NYC ecosystem tour, sharing best practices with international businesses on leveraging technology to scale globally.
• eBaysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnereBay participated in the Accelerate2030 NYC ecosystem tour, contributing expertise on e-commerce and global scaling strategies for participating businesses.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Bunker Labs: Bunker Labs is a nonprofit supporting military veterans in entrepreneurship through cohort programs and community. It shares Progress Playbook's community-led, cohort-driven, equity-focused approach but for a specific demographic (veterans).
• Common Future: Common Future is a nonprofit that partners with place-based leaders to close the racial wealth gap, including equity-focused small business initiatives. It is both a documented partner of Progress Playbook and a thematic peer working in the same racial-equity, SMB-support space.

Direct peers

• BUILD: BUILD is a youth entrepreneurship nonprofit that equips underserved high school students with business skills. It mirrors Progress Playbook's Empire Project (youth social entrepreneurship) and its mission orientation toward underserved communities, with comparable cohort-based program delivery.
• SCORE: SCORE is a U.S.-wide nonprofit network providing mentorship, workshops, and training for small business owners. Like Progress Playbook, it delivers curriculum-led entrepreneurship support, but at much larger national scale and with a volunteer mentor model rather than Progress Playbook's community-led, sponsor-funded cohort approach.
• Village Capital: Village Capital runs peer-selected entrepreneurship programs and investment-readiness training. It overlaps with Progress Playbook's cohort-based, peer-accountability model and mission to back underestimated founders, though it sits further upstream toward investment readiness.
• Halcyon: Halcyon incubates and accelerates social impact entrepreneurs in the U.S. and Latin America. It is comparable to Progress Playbook's entrepreneur support programs but operates at a higher-tech, higher-capital intensity and focuses on scalable social ventures rather than neighborhood-rooted SMBs.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): NFTE provides entrepreneurship education programs for young people, particularly in under-resourced communities. It parallels Progress Playbook's youth-facing offerings (Empire Project) and shares the same curriculum-plus-mentorship pedagogy targeted at equity outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement USA: Junior Achievement is a large, established education nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work readiness curricula in K–12 settings. It shares Progress Playbook's entrepreneurship training focus but operates as a much broader, school-system-embedded incumbent.
• Coursera: Coursera offers massive online entrepreneurship and management courses from universities and firms. While not community-led, it competes for any entrepreneur seeking scalable, low-cost business training — directly adjacent to The Journal's free content library.

Others

• NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS): NYC SBS runs city-funded programs such as NYC Small Business Resource Network and COMPASS for entrepreneurs, and is also a documented partner of Progress Playbook. It is comparable as a free or low-cost training/services provider for NYC entrepreneurs and a potential collaborator-or-competitor in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ProgressPB
• Facebookfacebook.com/progressplaybook
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/progressplaybook

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Progress Playbook