SuitUp
SuitUp is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that runs business competitions pairing underserved students with corporate volunteer mentors, partnering with schools, youth organizations, and companies to deliver career readiness programming in communities globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SuitUp does
SuitUp, legally SuitUp Incorporated, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2014 and headquartered at 25 Broadway, 12th Floor, New York, with a secondary mailing address in Paramus, NJ. The organization operates an experiential learning model that partners with schools, youth organizations, and corporations to develop, organize, and implement business competitions for students in underserved communities. These competitions pair student participants with corporate volunteers who serve as mentors and judges, with the explicit mission of building career readiness and entrepreneurial skills. SuitUp states it has reached 25,000+ students and operates in communities across the globe, delivering programs through both virtual and in-person events.
SuitUp's product portfolio is service-based rather than technology-based. Core offerings include Business Competition Programs, a Corporate Volunteer Program, a Mentorship Platform embedded in competition events, and Competition Management Services that handle end-to-end event organization. The organization reports a 95% corporate volunteer return rate, indicating high program satisfaction among its enterprise buyer base. Distribution is direct: schools and youth organizations sign up for free to host competitions, while companies directly book SuitUp to run competitions for their employees as volunteers.
The revenue model is hybrid and donation-driven. Primary revenue streams include individual and corporate charitable donations anchored at $29 per student, gala sponsorships (tiered from $7,000 Changemaker to $25,000 Social Impact Partner, plus $700 individual tickets), the annual SuitUp 100 executive membership at $200 per year, and corporate competition booking fees. Operating support comes from multiple foundations, and in-kind support is provided by Teach For America. The leadership team comprises Executive Director Benjamin Pah, Chief Partnerships Officer Kelsey Smith, Director of Impact Events Christina Castro, and co-founder/Chairman Zach Graumann, with a small 11-50 employee base.
SuitUp firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SuitUp
- Legal name
- SuitUp Incorporated
- Website
- https://volunteersuitup.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SuitUp is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that runs business competitions pairing underserved students with corporate volunteer mentors, partnering with schools, youth organizations, and companies to deliver career readiness programming in communities globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SuitUp industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Workforce Development Programs
- akta.pro primary industry
- STEM/Academic Competition & Enrichment Travel (THAKAGAG)
Keywords
Where SuitUp is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SuitUp business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: SuitUp generates revenue primarily through charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Donations directly fund student participation in business competitions. The $29 per student donation is a key contribution level.
- Gala Sponsorships and Table Sales: The organization holds an annual SuitUp Gala (e.g., 11th Annual in November 2026) with corporate sponsorship tiers (Social Impact Partner $25k, Trailblazer $10k, Changemaker $7K) and individual ticket sales ($700), generating revenue from the corporate community.
- SuitUp 100 Annual Membership: The SuitUp 100 brings together corporate executives who contribute an annual donation of $200, providing a recurring donor engagement mechanism.
- Corporate Competition Booking: Companies directly book SuitUp to run educational business competitions for students, creating a service-based revenue stream from corporate partners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Student participation sponsorship |
| Subscription | Annual | SuitUp 100 annual membership |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Gala sponsorship tiers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
SuitUp product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SuitUp is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that partners with schools, youth organizations, and businesses to organize and run educational business competitions for students in underserved communities. The organization designs, organizes, and implements experiential learning competitions where corporate volunteers serve as mentors and judges, while delivering programs through both virtual and in-person event formats across global communities.
Product overview
SuitUp operates as a unified non-profit educational platform offering business competition programs for students in underserved communities. The core offering consists of experiential learning competitions where students partner with corporate volunteers from businesses to develop career readiness skills through mentorship and real-world business challenges. The organization delivers its programs through both virtual events and in-person events, including an annual gala. The platform functions as a single unified service rather than a modular product architecture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Business Competition Programs End-to-end experiential learning business competitions designed for students in underserved communities. SuitUp partners with schools, youth organizations, and corporate volunteers to organize, facilitate, and implement competitions that teach career readiness and entrepreneurial skills through mentorship. Schools and students participate for free; corporate partners and donors fund the program.
- Corporate Competition Management Services Managed-service offering where SuitUp designs, organizes, and executes a business competition on behalf of a corporate partner, with the partner's employees serving as volunteer mentors and judges and underserved students as participants. Companies book directly through the Run A Competition page.
- Virtual Competition Events Online business competitions and educational events that allow remote participation from students, schools, and corporate volunteers across global communities, extending SuitUp's reach beyond geographic constraints.
- In-Person Competition Events Physical business competitions hosted in communities, allowing schools and organizations to sign up for in-person event participation with dedicated sign-up flows for partners and participants.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% of corporate volunteers request to participate in SuitUp again
Companies that use SuitUp
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SuitUp technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SuitUp partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered support and core.
- Miller CentersupportMiller Center is listed as a supporting partner on the SuitUp website, appearing in the partner logo section.
- GAVISsupportGAVIS is listed as a supporting partner on the SuitUp website, appearing in the partner logo section.
- SOCAPsupportSOCAP is listed as a supporting partner on the SuitUp website, appearing in the partner logo section.
- AlixPartnerscoreAlixPartners is shown in event photography participating in SuitUp competitions as a corporate volunteer partner for students.
- Pictet Asset ManagementcorePictet Asset Management appears in event photography as a corporate volunteer partner in SuitUp competitions.
- Teach For AmericasupportTeach For America provides in-kind support to SuitUp, listed alongside operating foundation partners.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
SuitUp competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DECA: International student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs through business competitions at the high school and collegiate level. Comparable to SuitUp's business competition model targeting students, though DECA is membership-based and broader in scope.
- Junior Achievement: Largest youth-focused nonprofit delivering work-readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy programs through school and corporate partnerships. Directly comparable to SuitUp in mission (career readiness for underserved students), delivery model (school + corporate volunteer partnerships), and revenue mix (donations + corporate sponsorships).
- Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): Nonprofit that activates the entrepreneurial mindset in young people from underserved communities through competition-based learning experiences. Closest direct competitor to SuitUp in combining entrepreneurship education, competitions, and corporate volunteer engagement for underserved youth.
- Build.org (BUILD): Nonprofit that inspires under-resourced youth to become business owners and leaders through entrepreneurship programs and a pitch competition. Comparable mission (career readiness via entrepreneurship for underserved students) and corporate partner structure.
- Enactus: International nonprofit that mobilizes university students to lead entrepreneurial projects with business and community partners. Comparable in using competition formats to engage students around business challenges, though Enactus operates at the collegiate rather than K-12 level.
- Citizen Schools: Nonprofit partnering with public middle schools to expand learning opportunities through corporate volunteer-led apprenticeships. Comparable in leveraging corporate volunteers to deliver career exposure to underserved students, though the delivery format is apprenticeships rather than competitions.
Emerging players
- EVERFI: Social impact education company delivering digital career readiness and life skills curricula to K-12 students, often funded by corporate partners. Comparable in addressing career readiness for underserved students through corporate-funded programming, though the format is digital curriculum rather than live competitions.
- iCouldBe: Nonprofit providing online mentoring to underserved youth to build career readiness and college access. Comparable in using virtual delivery and a volunteer mentor base, though the format is one-on-one mentoring rather than team-based competitions.
Broad incumbents
- Year Up: Large workforce development nonprofit connecting young adults from underserved communities to corporate career pathways. Comparable in addressing career readiness gaps for underserved populations and partnering with corporations, but operates a longer-form training model rather than competitions.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Large youth mentoring nonprofit pairing adult volunteer mentors with young people, including career-focused programming. Comparable in mobilizing volunteer engagement for youth development outcomes, though the model is individual mentoring rather than business competitions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SuitUp social profiles
Digital presenceSuitUp financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SuitUp leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
SuitUp funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SuitUp M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SuitUp
What does SuitUp do?
SuitUp is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that partners with schools, youth organizations, and businesses to organize and run educational business competitions for students in underserved communities. The organization designs, organizes, and implements experiential learning competitions where corporate volunteers serve as mentors and judges, while delivering programs through both virtual and in-person event formats across global communities.
Is SuitUp a public or private company?
SuitUp is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was SuitUp founded?
SuitUp was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SuitUp based?
SuitUp is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does SuitUp make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are gala Sponsorships and Table Sales, suitUp 100 Annual Membership and corporate Competition Booking.
Who are SuitUp's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DECA, Junior Achievement, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), Build.org (BUILD), Enactus and Citizen Schools. Emerging players are EVERFI and iCouldBe. Broad incumbents are Year Up and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
Does SuitUp have an API?
No public API is recorded for SuitUp.
What industry is SuitUp in?
SuitUp's product category is Youth Workforce Development Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAGAG, STEM/Academic Competition & Enrichment Travel.