American Slovenian Education Foundation

What American Slovenian Education Foundation does

The American Slovenian Education Foundation (ASEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation operating two entities — ASEF Foundation, headquartered at 354 Pine Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA, and the ASEF Institute for Education and Research, based at Tehnološki park 19, Ljubljana — to connect outstanding Slovenian students and members of the Slovenian diaspora with world-class mentors at leading global research institutions. The organization runs two core fellowship programs: the Global Fellowship (a two-year, 10-week research visit program placing Slovenian students with Slovenian-origin mentors at institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, and Princeton) and the Visit Slovenia Fellowship (a one-year program enabling diaspora students to conduct 10-week research or work placements in Slovenia), supported by an Oxford-style Tutoring Program launched in 2020.

ASEF does not develop proprietary technology products; its "platform" is a curated human network comprising over 300 alumni fellows and nearly 100 mentors distributed globally, layered with content distribution via the ASEF Podcast (Slovenian and English), social channels, and an annual cycle of events including the Scientific Symposium, Young Minds lecture series, Gala, and Weekend Getaways. Revenue mechanics are entirely philanthropic: fellowships are 100% funded through donations from individuals, corporations (notably Novartis/Lek/Sandoz and Incom Leone), and institutional partners, with the foundation also pursuing endowment programs to ensure sustainability. The organization is led by Director Dr. Rok Sekirnik and was co-founded in 2016 by Prof. Jure Leskovec (Stanford), Prof. Andrej Košmrlj (Princeton), and Prof. Marinka Žitnik (Harvard), with active hiring underway for Program Manager and Project Preparation roles indicating operational scaling.

Name

American Slovenian Education Foundation

Legal name

American Slovenian Education Foundation

Website

https://asef.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ASEF is a 501(c)(3) foundation that funds fully-paid research fellowships and tutoring, placing Slovenian students and diaspora scholars with elite mentors at Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, and other world-leading institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Fellowship Programs

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Degree-Level Scholarships (Undergrad/Masters/PhD/Postdoc) (EDAIAOAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB), Higher Education Capacity Building & Scholarships (BPADAKAG)

Keywords

• Student fellowship programs
• Academic research mentorship
• Educational nonprofit services
• International research exchange
• Scholarship funding programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Funding: ASEF operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization funded entirely through donations from individuals, corporations, and institutional partners. The fellowship programs are 100% funded, covering all expenses including airfare, housing, and living expenses for fellows during their research visits. The foundation maintains endowment programs to ensure sustainable funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ASEF delivers fully-funded (100%) multi-year fellowship programs for Slovenian students and individuals of Slovenian heritage, pairing them with elite Slovenian mentors at world-leading global universities for 10-week research visits, complemented by an Oxford-style tutoring program, scientific symposia, lecture series, podcasts, and a lifelong alumni community. The foundation bridges Slovenian talent with global academic excellence through the Global Fellowships (Research Abroad) and Visit Slovenia Fellowships programs, supported by donations, sponsorships, and endowment funding.

Product overview

ASEF operates as a dual-component educational fellowship organization offering two primary fellowship programs - Global Fellowships (Research Abroad) enabling Slovenian students to research with mentors at world-leading institutions, and Visit Slovenia Fellowships for Slovenian descendants to research in Slovenia. These core programs are supported by complementary offerings including the ASEF Tutoring Program (Oxford-style mentorship), ASEF Podcast (content platform), ASEF Scientific Symposium (annual knowledge-sharing event), ASEF Gala (annual celebration), ASEF Young Minds (lecture series), ASEF Weekend Getaway (community building), and ASEF Reads (publications). The organization functions as a lifelong gateway to a global community, connecting over 300 fellows with nearly 100 mentors worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Fellowships: A two-year program connecting Slovenian students with Slovenian mentors at world-leading institutions for 10-week research visits abroad.
• Visit Slovenia Fellowships
• ASEF Tutoring Program
• ASEF Podcast
• ASEF Young Minds
• ASEF ZGLED Award

Products and services

• Global Fellowships (Research Abroad)
• Visit Slovenia Fellowships
• ASEF Tutoring Program
• ASEF Scientific Symposium
• ASEF Gala
• ASEF Reads (Publications)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 Fellows have completed the program and remain interconnected across borders
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Partnerships

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

• Incom LeonecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Company providing practical industrial challenges for ASEF Tutoring program. Fellows in tutoring groups addressed challenges in biotechnology, AI agents, and health risk prediction provided by Incom Leone, linking academic research with real-world industrial applications.
• Government Office for Slovenians AbroadcoreOthers · 9 June 2026Government partner supporting ASEF fellowship programs and gala events, helping connect Slovenians worldwide.
• Ministry of Education, Science, and YouthcoreOthers · 9 June 2026Government ministry as event supporter. Minister Prof. Dr. Borut Rončević attended gala, highlighting importance of cooperation between science, economy, and state in developing innovation ecosystem.
• ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation AgencycoreOthers · 9 June 2026Government research agency supporter of ASEF events and programs, promoting Slovenian research and innovation.
• AmCham SloveniaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026American Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia co-organizing SEI (Education and Student Entrepreneurship & Internship) program. Charlotte Taft from AmCham regularly invites ASEF to participate in creating opportunities for young talents.
• NomagominorOthers · 9 June 2026Travel company that contributed travel voucher as raffle prize at gala event.
• Lek (Sandoz group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Lek, a Sandoz group company and member of Novartis, is a major supporter of ASEF. Prof. Dr. Zdenko Časar serves as Head of Early Development of Pharmaceutical Products at Lek. The company provides industrial challenges for tutoring and hosts fellow visits.
• NovartiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Major pharmaceutical partner supporting ASEF through strategic sponsorship. Novartis in Slovenia holds critically important global position, supporting about half of Novartis's priority innovative products for patients worldwide.
• UCEMA UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Hosted ASEF's First Scientific Symposium in South America in Buenos Aires. Dean Antonio Marin welcomed participants and emphasized importance of academic networking. Partnership for transatlantic scientific dialogue combining academic excellence with national identity.
• Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Buenos AirescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Partner in organizing the First ASEF Scientific Symposium in South America. Her Excellency Tina Vodnik, Ambassador, highlighted key role of scientific cooperation and preservation of ties with Slovenian diaspora.
• Slovenian-Argentine Chamber of Commerce (SLOAR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Partner in organizing South America symposium. Contributed to Slovenian-Argentine cooperation discussions featuring Argentine ASEF fellows and young professionals discussing technology transfer and business innovation.
• Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation (MVZI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Government ministry partner for South America symposium, supporting academic networking and scientific cooperation.
• Novartis SloveniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Strategic partnership with Novartis Slovenia involving sponsorship agreement for fellowship programs. Dr. Špela Jalen, Head of Biologics Development Mengeš at Novartis, emphasized innovation and strategic investment in young scientists. Collaboration aims to enable more success stories and international breakthroughs in science.
• U.S. Embassy in LjubljanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Co-organizer of SEI (Education and Student Entrepreneurship & Internship) program for 15 consecutive years with AmCham Slovenia. Program designed for Slovenian university students to gain practical experience in entrepreneurship, business, and economics.
• NLB Centre for Innovative EntrepreneurshipminorOthers · 1 January 2026Venue host for SEI 2026 event where ASEF participated.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American-Scandinavian Foundation: Provides fellowships, grants, and cultural programs connecting the US and Scandinavia. Operates a similar bilateral fellowship model with cultural exchange, training grants, and alumni networks, though with broader geographic scope than ASEF.
• American-Austrian Foundation: Non-profit foundation providing fellowships and cultural exchange between Americans and Austrians. Highly comparable structure to ASEF: country-specific bilateral educational foundation with fellowship programs and alumni networks.
• Trust for Mutual Understanding: Funds cultural and educational exchanges between the US and Central/Eastern European countries. Comparable as a US-based foundation facilitating cross-Atlantic academic and cultural exchange for smaller European nations.
• American-Swiss Foundation: Bilateral foundation fostering US-Swiss relations through young leader programs, fellowships, and cultural exchange. Closely mirrors ASEF's structure: small team, country-pair fellowship focus, alumni engagement events.

Broad incumbents

• Fulbright Program: The premier US government-sponsored international educational exchange. Competes for the same pool of talented Slovenian students and provides fully-funded research opportunities, though at vastly greater scale and brand recognition.
• Marshall Scholarships: UK government-funded scholarships for American graduates to study in the UK. Comparable as a fully-funded scholarship targeting high-achieving students with networking and career development components.
• DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service): Largest global academic exchange organization, offering scholarships for international students including those from Slovenia. Comparable in providing fully-funded research fellowships, though with broader geographic scope and far larger budget.
• Rhodes Trust: Funds postgraduate scholarships at Oxford for exceptional students globally. Comparable as a prestigious, highly selective international scholarship program with lifelong alumni networks, though operating at significantly larger scale.

Regional players

• Jožef Stefan Institute: Slovenia's leading scientific research institute, frequently hosting ASEF fellows and partnered through Slovenia's research ecosystem. Comparable as a Slovenia-based destination for talent in STEM research, though focused on research rather than scholarships.
• Slovenian Science Foundation: National Slovenian foundation supporting scientific research and researchers. Closely aligned mission of supporting Slovenian science and talent, but operates domestically in Slovenia rather than cross-Atlantic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/asefund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asef
• Instagraminstagram.com/asef.info
• Xx.com/InfoAsef

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Slovenian Education Foundation