Seneca Foundation

What Seneca Foundation does

Seneca Foundation is a Chicago, Illinois-based non-profit workforce development organization, founded in 2020, that operates the Tech Scholar Program, a 14-month paid training and internship pathway targeting recent Black and Latinx high school graduates from the Chicagoland area. The program is built on the proprietary T.E.C.H. framework (Training, Exposure, Coaching, Holistic Development), structured as nine months of classroom instruction in software development followed by a five-month corporate internship, and awards each scholar an annual scholarship of $3,000. The technical curriculum covers HTML, JavaScript, CSS, modern web frameworks, database design, DevOps, Agile principles, and secure coding fundamentals.

The Foundation is anchored by a core placement partnership with Vail Systems, with additional corporate partners iManage and Dell supporting the program. To date, five Tech Scholar graduates have been placed as entry-level software engineers at Vail Systems, and applications for the 2026-2027 academic year cohort are open. The organization is funded through donations and corporate sponsorships rather than tuition, operates with a small team of 1-10 employees, and is led by founder Jim Whiteley with program staff including Engineering Program Manager Wa-jiw Casey and Postsecondary Success Manager C. Nell Crittenden. Governance is provided by a board including Fidelis Umeh and Sanjuana Jaime. The Foundation explicitly positions itself against the documented underrepresentation of Black (5%) and Latino (6%) workers in the U.S. software developer population, drawing on a 25,000-graduate-per-year Chicagoland high school pipeline as its primary talent source.

Name

Seneca Foundation

Legal name

Seneca Foundation

Website

https://senecafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Seneca Foundation is a Chicago non-profit operating the Tech Scholar Program, a 14-month paid software development training and internship pathway for Black and Latinx recent high school graduates, anchored by partnerships with Vail Systems, iManage, and Dell.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tech Workforce Development Training

NAICS

Computer Training (61142), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction) (EDAKANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community College / Training Provider Workforce Pathways Programs (EDAAAOAO), Under-18 / High School-to-University Foundation Pathways (EDAIAJAI)

Keywords

• Software development training
• Tech workforce development
• Paid apprenticeship programs
• Tech diversity programs
• STEM education nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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: Individual and corporate donations fund the training program, scholar scholarships, and operational costs. Donations are described as directly impacting economic mobility and life trajectories of underrepresented young talent.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Tech company partners sponsor apprentices, providing financial support that enables quality education in technical training and professional development while providing necessary resources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Seneca Foundation runs a 14-month paid Tech Scholar Program for Black and Latinx recent high school graduates in the Chicagoland area, comprising 9 months of intensive full-stack software development training followed by a 5-month paid internship at a partner technology company. The program is delivered through the proprietary T.E.C.H. framework (Training, Exposure, Coaching, Holistic Development) and includes a $3,000-per-year Seneca Scholarship, NSBE or SHPE paid memberships, personal tech tutors, mentors, and college/career coaching throughout.

Product overview

Seneca Foundation operates a unified Tech Scholar Program as its core offering, designed to create early career on-ramps into the tech industry for Black and Latinx high school graduates. The program integrates three key components: (1) a 9-month paid technical training curriculum covering software development skills, (2) a 5-month paid internship at partner companies, and (3) comprehensive support services including the Seneca Scholarship ($3,000/year), professional organization memberships (NSBE/SHPE), and mentorship/coaching. The program is augmented by volunteer-based Mentor and Technical Tutoring sub-programs that provide ongoing guidance throughout the training and internship phases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tech Scholar Program A 14-month paid software development training program for Black and Latinx recent high school graduates in the Chicagoland area, comprising 9 months of intensive technical training (HTML, JavaScript, CSS, full-stack development, DevOps, Agile, secure coding) followed by a 5-month paid internship at a partner tech company. Includes college/career coaching, mentorship, $3,000/year Seneca Scholarship, and paid NSBE/SHPE memberships. Scholars are paid above minimum wage throughout the program.
• Mentor Program Volunteer mentorship program connecting Tech Scholars with experienced professionals who provide guidance through regularly scheduled meetings during training and as scholars enter the professional world.
• Technical Tutoring Program Volunteer technical tutoring program in which professional experts in coding, UX/UI, DevOps, and software development tutor Tech Scholars during their training to become software developers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 scholars now employed full-time as entry-level software engineers at Vail Systems
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vail SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA member of the Chicago tech community for 30 years, Vail Systems develops innovative technology to enhance communication. They are proud partners of Seneca Foundation, providing technical tutors, mentors, workshop leaders, and curriculum creators. Last year, combined efforts produced 5 Seneca Foundation Scholars now employed full-time as entry-level software engineers. Currently working with Seneca on ongoing projects.
• iManageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner company providing internship opportunities for Seneca Foundation Tech Scholars as part of workforce diversification efforts.
• DellminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner company providing internship opportunities for Seneca Foundation Tech Scholars as part of workforce diversification efforts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Per Scholas: Large national nonprofit providing tuition-free tech training and career support to adults from underserved communities. Comparable workforce development model at significantly larger scale.
• Year Up: Major workforce development nonprofit combining technical training with corporate internships for young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds. Highly comparable apprenticeship-to-employment pathway at much greater scale.
• Generation: Global nonprofit operating tech training programs that place graduates into careers at employer partners. Comparable employer-driven training and placement model at much larger scale.
• NPower: National nonprofit providing free tech training and job placement to young adults from underserved communities. Comparable training-to-career services model with broader geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Ada Developers Academy: Nonprofit coding school training women and gender-expansive adults for software engineering careers with paid internships at partner companies. Closely mirrors Seneca's training-plus-paid-internship structure.
• Code2040: Nonprofit focused on unlocking opportunity, access, and equity in tech for Black and Latinx talent through career pathways and fellowships. Directly comparable mission to Seneca's diversity-focused tech training and placement model.
• https://www.senecafoundation.org/dev/color: Nonprofit community of Black software engineers focused on career advancement and representation in tech. Comparable mission around increasing Black representation in software engineering.
• Resilient Coders: Nonprofit coding bootcamp preparing young adults from underrepresented backgrounds for careers as software engineers. Highly comparable training-for-jobs model with similar target demographic.
• Hackbright Academy: Coding bootcamp focused on training women and non-binary individuals for software engineering careers with job placement support. Comparable technical training and career outcomes model.

Others

• Kapor Center: Nonprofit focused on increasing diversity and inclusion in the tech ecosystem through research, advocacy, and programs. Thematically aligned as an ecosystem participant addressing tech workforce diversity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/senecafoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-seneca-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/senecafoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Seneca Foundation