Male Mogul Initiative

What Male Mogul Initiative does

Male Mogul Initiative is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded in 2016 that delivers a structured five-phase entrepreneurial mentorship and leadership development program for Black and Brown youth on Chicago's South and West sides. Its core offering, organized as Phase I (Learn, 12-week social-emotional foundations), Phase II (Develop, 12-week entrepreneurial training with micro-loans), Phase III (Apply, summer venture operations), Phase IV (Transform / Gap Innovation Program, delivered with City Colleges of Chicago), and Phase V (Invest & Build, a community wealth-building ecosystem), is built around four pillars: Character Development, Academic Achievement, Workforce Enhancement, and Community Development. The organization operates two sub-brands — Co-LLAB, a small business incubator in the Englewood neighborhood that opened in April 2024, and the Gap Innovation Program.

Revenue mechanics blend individual donations (via pledge.to/mmi2024 and SMS-to-donate), corporate and foundation grants from partners including Boeing, Wintrust Bank, KeHE, the City of Chicago, and others, fee-for-service school implementation contracts priced at $5,000–$10,000 per school, and a recurring Co-LLAB membership at $20/month. Programs are provided free of charge to youth participants; the go-to-market relies on community-based outreach through social media, word-of-mouth referrals, and institutional channel partnerships with Chicago Public Schools, After School Matters, and City Colleges of Chicago.

Name

Male Mogul Initiative

Legal name

Male Mogul Initiative

Website

https://malemogulinitiative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Male Mogul Initiative is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded in 2016 that runs a five-phase entrepreneurial mentorship and leadership development program for Black and Brown youth on the city's South and West sides, funded by donations, corporate grants, school contracts, and the Co-LLAB incubator membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development and Mentoring Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG)

Keywords

• Youth mentorship programs
• Entrepreneurial training services
• Leadership development programs
• Social-emotional learning
• Workforce development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute through the website (pledge.to/mmi2024) or text-to-donate (text MMI2024 to 707070). Programs are funded by generosity from individuals.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Corporate partnerships and foundation funding from organizations like Boeing, Wintrust Bank, and other corporate partners featured on the website.
3. School Partnership Programs: Fee-for-service school programs running $5,000 - $10,000 for Chicago schools to implement Male Mogul programming.
4. Co-LLAB Membership: Business incubator Co-LLAB charges $20/month for membership to young entrepreneurs of color.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Male Mogul Initiative is a nonprofit organization that delivers a five-phase youth mentorship and entrepreneurial training program (Learn, Develop, Apply, Transform/Gap Innovation, Invest & Build) for Black and Brown young men in Chicago's South and West sides. The organization also operates Co-LLAB, a small business incubator in Englewood offering physical workspace, supplies, and a $20/month membership for young entrepreneurs of color. Schools and organizations can license the curriculum through the Male Mogul Enterprise program at $5,000–$10,000 per implementation.

Product overview

Male Mogul Initiative is a nonprofit organization offering a structured five-phase mentorship and entrepreneurial training program for Black and Brown youth in Chicago. The core offering consists of Phases I through V: Learn (12-week foundational skills program), Develop (entrepreneurial training with micro-loans), Apply (summer venture operations), Transform/Gap Innovation (advanced support with City Colleges of Chicago partnership), and Invest & Build (wealth-building ecosystem). Additionally, the Co-LLAB Business Incubator provides a physical space for young entrepreneurs. All programs are free for participants and focus on building leaders within underserved communities through character development, academic achievement, workforce enhancement, and community development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Co-LLAB: A small business incubator in Englewood where young entrepreneurs of color can congregate to share ideas, build their businesses, and utilize creative and merchandising supplies and support
• Gap Innovation Program

Products and services

• Male Mogul Five-Phase Youth Mentorship Program A free, five-phase structured program for Black and Brown young men in Chicago covering social-emotional development (Phase I: Learn, 12 weeks), entrepreneurial training and micro-loans (Phase II: Develop, 12 weeks), summer venture operation (Phase III: Apply), advanced leadership development and business certifications via City Colleges of Chicago partnership (Phase IV: Transform/Gap Innovation), and community wealth-building ecosystem (Phase V: Invest & Build).
• Co-LLAB Business Incubator A physical business incubator in Englewood where young entrepreneurs of color can congregate, share ideas, build their businesses, and utilize creative and merchandising supplies and support. Membership is priced at $20 per month.
• Male Mogul Enterprise Enterprise-level program licensing and implementation services for organizations such as schools and educational institutions. School implementation programs are priced at $5,000–$10,000 depending on scope and duration.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• After School MatterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for providing mentorship and entrepreneurial programs to youth. After School Matters has provided positive endorsement of Male Mogul programs and serves as a program delivery partner.
• City Colleges of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Gap Innovation Program providing leadership development, career planning, mental health support, and business certifications through the organization's comprehensive curriculum.
• Chicago Public Schools (CPS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSchool district partner that implements Male Mogul programming in schools. Programs range from $5,000-$10,000 per school implementation.
• City of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner supporting programs for Chicago youth in underserved communities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Braven: National nonprofit focused on developing leadership and career-readiness skills for underrepresented college students. Comparable in combining leadership development, career planning, and outcomes-oriented programming for underserved youth.
• Genesys Works: Nonprofit providing skills training, professional work experience, and career support to high school students from underserved communities. Comparable target demographic and outcomes-oriented approach combining education with workforce readiness.
• Year Up: Large national workforce-development nonprofit serving young adults from underserved communities with training, mentorship, and corporate internships. Comparable in serving the same demographic, providing multi-phase skill development, and partnering with employers and educational institutions.
• BUILD: National nonprofit that uses entrepreneurship education to ignite the potential of youth from under-resourced communities. Highly comparable to Male Mogul Initiative in target audience (underserved youth), pedagogy (real-world business creation), and program structure.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): National nonprofit providing entrepreneurship education programs to young people from low-income communities. Directly comparable mission of equipping underserved youth with entrepreneurial mindset, business skills, and pathways to opportunity.
• The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!): National nonprofit that teaches middle and high school students how to start and run their own businesses through structured curriculum and mentorship. Directly comparable in youth entrepreneurship education and business-plan development focus.

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement (JA): Large, established global nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy programs to K-12 students. Operates in overlapping space with Male Mogul Initiative but at much larger scale, broader curriculum, and more general audience.

Regional players

• Youth Guidance: Chicago-based nonprofit providing counseling, mentoring, and youth-development programs in underserved schools and communities. Comparable in Chicago-only footprint and in delivering in-school youth programming to similar demographics.
• Chicago Urban League: Chicago-based affiliate of the National Urban League focused on economic and educational empowerment of African Americans. Comparable in Chicago footprint, mission around Black community wealth-building, and youth-focused programming.
• i.c.stars: Chicago-based nonprofit technology and leadership training program for young adults from under-resourced backgrounds. Comparable in Chicago-only footprint and in combining intensive skill development with workforce outcomes for underserved youth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/male-mogul-initiative
• Instagraminstagram.com/Malemogulinitiative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Male Mogul Initiative