Pulse of Perseverance

What Pulse of Perseverance does

Pulse of Perseverance (P3) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit career accelerator founded in 2018 by three physicians (Dr. Max Madhere, Dr. Pierre Johnson, Dr. Joseph Semien) who met as premedical students at Xavier University of Louisiana in 1998. The organization operates a free mobile application on iOS and Android that uses an AI-powered matching engine to connect underrepresented high school and college students with industry mentors, supplemented by monthly scholarships and structured career pathway exploration tools. The platform has logged 18,999 AI matches and reports 99.3% retention at 90 days for AI-matched pairs, with 1,247 milestones completed in Q3 2025 (up 108% versus Q2) and a 4.9 App Store rating.

P3 monetizes through a hybrid nonprofit model combining donations (one-time, monthly 'P3 Power Circle' recurring, named scholarships, matching gifts, philanthropic partnerships) with newly introduced institutional B2B subscriptions (Essential at $10,000/year and Premium at $25,000/year) sold to universities, colleges, and school districts. The Premium tier adds longitudinal data, predictive analytics, and custom dashboards via the P3 Analytics Dashboard, alongside an ROI calculator for institutional decision-makers. Distribution is mobile-first for students (free app) and direct sales with 'Request a Demo' CTAs for institutional buyers; the partner network includes 16+ named institutions spanning HBCUs (Southern, Xavier, Dillard, Chicago State), state systems (LSU, Tulane, Northwestern State), private universities (DePaul, NYU), community colleges (Baton Rouge, Kennedy-King, Olive-Harvey), and Chicago Public Schools for K-12 reach.

The technical stack layers a proprietary AI Smart Match engine on third-party generative AI services (Anthropic PBC for Pulse Assistant, resume review, and career-pathway discovery; Cloudflare for application delivery), with no disclosed in-house model training or research pipeline. Adjacent revenue modules include sales of the founders' book 'Pulse of Perseverance: Three Black Doctors on Their Journey to Success,' fee-based speaking engagements, and the monthly scholarship program. The organization operates primarily in the US Midwest and Southeast with national ambition, runs on a 1-10 person core team, and has not disclosed external venture or philanthropic funding rounds.

Name

Pulse of Perseverance

Legal name

Pulse of Perseverance Project

Website

https://pulseofp3.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pulse of Perseverance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a free AI-powered mobile app connecting underrepresented high school and college students with industry mentors, monthly scholarships, and career pathways, supplemented by institutional subscription analytics for partner universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

EdTech Mentorship Platform

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Peer-to-Peer & Student Mentor Tutoring Platforms (EDANAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms (BPAMAJAL)

Keywords

• Student mentorship platform
• Scholarship matching service
• Career pathway software
• AI mentor matching
• Nonprofit education technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Subscriptions: P3 generates revenue through two institutional subscription tiers: Essential ($10,000/year) providing core matching and analytics, and Premium ($25,000/year) providing full operating system access with longitudinal data. These are targeted at universities, colleges, and school districts.
2. Donations and Philanthropy: As a nonprofit organization, P3 relies on donations including one-time contributions, monthly 'P3 Power Circle' recurring donations, named scholarships, matching gifts, and structured philanthropic partnerships including endowments. Donations support monthly scholarships for students and platform operations.
3. Book Sales: Revenue from sales of the 'Pulse of Perseverance: Three Black Doctors on Their Journey to Success' book, published by the founders and available on Amazon.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

P3 operates an AI-powered mobile and web platform that connects underrepresented high-school and college students with vetted industry mentors, while disbursing monthly scholarships and surfacing career-pathway exploration tools. Institutions (HBCUs, community colleges, K-12 districts) purchase annual subscriptions (Essential $10K, Premium $25K) that unlock an analytics dashboard, branded instances, and ROI reporting. The consumer app is free for students; revenue from subscriptions, donations, book sales, and paid speaking engagements funds operations.

Product overview

Pulse of Perseverance (P3) is an EdTech nonprofit career accelerator operating as a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core product is the P3 Mobile App — a free iOS/Android mentorship OS powered by AI Smart Match that connects underserved students with industry mentors, monthly scholarships, and career pathways. Adjacent modules include the P3 Mentor Portal (for professionals to offer structured mentorship), the P3 Analytics Dashboard (institutional intelligence layer for partner universities), the P3 Monthly Scholarship Program, the P3 ROI Calculator, the Pulse of Perseverance Book (Amazon-published memoir), and P3 Event Speaking Engagements. AI-assisted features (Pulse Assistant, Resume Review, Career Pathway Discovery) are built on third-party AI services (Anthropic PBC, Cloudflare). The platform targets high school and college students, professional mentors, and institutional partners (universities and schools).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• P3 Platform: The career-focused EdTech platform connecting students with mentors, scholarships, and professional networks.

Products and services

• P3 Mobile App (iOS/Android)
• P3 Mentor Portal
• P3 Institutional Analytics Dashboard
• P3 AI-Assisted Features (Smart Match + Pulse Assistant)
• P3 Monthly Scholarship Program
• Pulse of Perseverance Book
• P3 ROI Calculator
• P3 Speaking Engagements

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.3% retention at 90 days for AI-matched mentee pairs
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Southern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHBCU partner institution in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Southern University students have access to P3 mentorship, scholarships, and career guidance through the platform. One of 16+ institutional partners driving student adoption.
• Louisiana State University (LSU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor state university with multiple campuses (including LSU Shreveport) partnering with P3. LSU students access the mentorship platform for career development and industry connections.
• Xavier University of LouisianaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHBCU of significant importance as the alma mater where all three P3 founders met as premedical students in 1998. Serves as a foundational partner in the organization's origin story.
• Tulane UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution in New Orleans providing P3 platform access to students seeking mentorship and career guidance.
• Chicago State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHBCU partner in Chicago leveraging P3 analytics dashboard for institutional intelligence on student outcomes.
• Chicago Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor K-12 school district partnership extending P3 mentorship reach to high school students in the Chicago area.
• DePaul UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest private university in Chicago partnering with P3 to provide mentorship access to its student body.
• Dillard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHBCU partner institution in New Orleans collaborating with P3 for student mentorship programs.
• NYUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew York University partnership providing mentorship connections for students.
• GoogleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured partner logo appearing on P3 website, indicating collaborative relationship or mutual support.
• My Brother's Keeper (MBK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerObama Foundation initiative partner focused on male youth mentoring. P3 founder Vondale Singleton founded CHAMPS and serves as VP at Gary Comer HS, connecting P3 to MBK network.
• Project HOODminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago-based youth organization partner collaborating with P3 on community outreach.
• CHAMPS Male Youth MentoringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by P3 board member Vondale Singleton, CHAMPS provides youth mentoring services in Chicago. P3 board member serves as VP of Gary Comer HS, creating institutional alignment.
• 100 Black Men of Metro Baton RougecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member Dr. Max Madhere is a member of this organization whose mentors and mentees were instrumental in beta testing the P3 app.
• Anthropic, PBCcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party AI service provider used for AI-assisted features including career-pathway discovery, resume review, and Pulse assistant. Processes user data under commercial terms that do not use data for model training.
• Cloudflare, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationInfrastructure partner providing application delivery and secure request relay for the P3 platform.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Handshake: Largest career-services platform for college students, connecting students with employers and jobs. Comparable end-user audience (college students) and institutional sales motion, but focused on job placement rather than mentorship.
• Year Up: Major workforce development nonprofit providing career accelerators for low-income young adults. Comparable in serving underserved youth and tracking job outcomes, but offers a more intensive in-person program model.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: The largest youth mentoring nonprofit in the US, pairing volunteer mentors with youth. Comparable mission and target population, but uses traditional in-person matching rather than an AI-powered platform.

Emerging players

• Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO): Nonprofit providing educational and career programs for underserved students, including mentoring and career placements. Comparable in target population and outcome delivery, with longer institutional track record.
• Mentorloop: Mentorship platform software for enterprises and institutions. Comparable B2B mentorship platform technology, but targets corporate L&D rather than student/equity-focused outcomes.
• Thrive Scholars: Nonprofit providing high-achieving underserved students with academic support, mentorship, and career development. Comparable mission and outcome tracking, with a more selective, high-achieving student profile.

Direct peers

• ADPList: Global online mentorship platform connecting learners with professional mentors. Comparable platform architecture and target audience, but operates as a for-profit with a broader, less equity-focused model.
• iMentor: Nonprofit that pairs students from underserved communities with volunteer mentors for college and career readiness. Directly comparable mission (mentorship for underrepresented youth), institutional partnership model, and outcome-tracking focus.
• CareerVillage.org: Online crowdsourced mentorship platform connecting underserved students with working professionals for career advice. Highly comparable model: free, AI/web-based, and targets underserved students with measurable career outcomes.
• Braven: Nonprofit career accelerator for underrepresented college students, combining mentorship with career skills and employer connections. Directly comparable model targeting similar student demographics and institutional partners.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pulseofp3
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PulseofPerseveranceProject
• Facebookfacebook.com/theofficialpulseofp3
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pulseofperserverance
• Instagraminstagram.com/pulseofp3

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 Pulse of Perseverance