MentorNet, a division of Great Minds in STEM

What MentorNet, a division of Great Minds in STEM does

MentorNet operates a technology-enabled virtual mentoring platform that connects STEM students at U.S. colleges and universities with working STEM professionals in one-to-one mentorship relationships. The platform, founded in 1997 and operated today as a division of the 501(c)(3) non-profit Great Minds in STEM, runs structured four-month mentorship cycles in which mentees complete structured profiles, are presented with a curated top-nine list of mentor matches, and receive weekly customized prompts tailored to their educational level. Mentee and mentor profiles are not publicly browseable; introductions are mediated exclusively through the platform's recommendation engine, and communication can occur on-platform via chat or through Skype, Google Hangouts, email, phone, or text.

The platform is delivered through three branded program tiers aimed at different buyer types: Corporate Programs (branded mentoring communities in which companies connect their employees as mentors with student mentees), College/University Programs (tailored programs connecting STEM students with alumni STEM professionals), and Professional Association Programs (one-to-one virtual mentorships connecting student members with professional members). MentorNet does not publish its pricing and instead quotes on a subscription basis for institutional buyers.

Commercially, MentorNet is a small operation with 1–10 employees, distributed across two Los Angeles addresses (a primary payment address in Los Angeles, CA 90040 and a mailing address in Los Angeles, CA 90019). Revenue is generated through subscription-style institutional contracts with corporations, universities, and professional associations, supplemented by tiered sponsorship programs (Affiliate, Partner, and Premier). Distribution is concentrated through the parent GMiS ecosystem — including the annual GMiS conference, HENAAC Awards, scholarships, and regional events — and through a self-serve onboarding portal at program.mentornet.org that supports Google OAuth sign-in.

Name

MentorNet, a division of Great Minds in STEM

Legal name

Great Minds in STEM

Website

https://mentornet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MentorNet is a U.S. non-profit virtual mentoring platform that runs four-month structured one-to-one mentorships between higher-education STEM students and STEM professionals, delivering its services through Corporate, College/University, and Professional Association program tiers as a division of Great Minds in STEM.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online STEM Mentoring Platform

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms (EDAFAMAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Alumni, Peer & Community Networking Programs (EDAMAKAM)

Keywords

• Virtual mentoring platform
• STEM mentorship programs
• Mentor matching software
• Online mentoring services
• Workforce mentoring networks

Headquarters

HQ city

Monterey Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorship Programs: Companies sponsor branded mentoring communities where their employees serve as mentors to STEM students. This helps corporations maintain ongoing relationships with potential future employees.
2. Educational Institution Programs: Colleges and universities pay for tailored mentorship programs that connect their STEM students with alumni STEM professionals as mentors.
3. Professional Association Programs: Professional associations pay to provide virtual mentoring programs that connect their student members with professional members.
4. Sponsorship Revenue: MentorNet mentions interest from sponsors who want to support the program, with specific investment details available for Affiliate, Partner, and Premier level programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MentorNet operates a scalable virtual mentoring platform that combines social-network technology with the social science of mentoring to connect STEM students in higher education with STEM professionals through profile-based one-to-one matching. The platform delivers structured four-month mentorship cycles with weekly customized prompts and is offered to organizations through three tiered programs: Corporate Programs, College/University Programs, and Professional Association Programs (Affiliate, Partner, and Premier levels).

Product overview

MentorNet is a virtual mentoring platform that provides STEM-focused mentorships between college/university students and STEM professionals. The core MentorNet Platform combines social network technology with the social science of mentoring to deliver evidence-based programs. The platform offers a four-month mentorship cycle with weekly prompts customized to the mentee's educational level. MentorNet operates three specialized program tiers built on the core platform: Corporate Programs (branded communities for companies to connect their employee-mentors with student-mentees), College/University Programs (connecting students with alumni mentors), and Professional Association Programs (connecting student members with professional members).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MentorNet Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• 32,000+ successful mentorships supported since 1997
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Great Minds in STEM (GMiS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2014MentorNet joined the Great Minds in STEM family of programs in December 2014. This partnership enables MentorNet to offer three levels of tailored mentorship programs (Corporate, College/University, and Professional Association) and leverages GMiS's broader ecosystem of STEM scholarships, awards (HENAAC Awards), annual conferences, and professional development resources.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• River: River is an employee mentoring and career development platform with structured programs and matching — competing for the same corporate-sponsored mentoring budgets MentorNet targets.
• ADPList: ADPList is a large global mentorship marketplace connecting mentees with mentors across disciplines including tech and STEM — a competing free/community-driven alternative for student-mentor matching.
• Mentorloop: Mentorloop is a mentoring platform used by enterprises and membership organizations to launch and manage mentoring programs at scale, with matching algorithms and program management analogous to MentorNet's offering.
• Chronus: Chronus provides mentoring, coaching, and advising software for higher education, corporations, and associations — the closest direct competitor to MentorNet in virtual mentoring platforms with matching and structured programs.
• PushFar: PushFar is a mentoring and career progression platform serving both individuals and organizations, with structured mentorship programs comparable to MentorNet's evidence-based cycles.
• Together Software: Together Software (Mentoring Complete) is a mentoring platform for higher education and workforce programs, with matching and reporting capabilities targeting the same institutional buyers as MentorNet.
• Ten Thousand Coffees: Ten Thousand Coffees connects students, alumni, and employees through virtual networking and mentorship, partnered with universities and employers — overlapping with MentorNet's university and corporate program tiers.
• Graduway: Graduway powers alumni mentoring and career networking communities for universities and corporations globally — directly comparable to MentorNet's College/University program tier.

Broad incumbents

• Handshake: Handshake is the dominant US career platform for college students, including STEM majors, with growing mentorship/community features — a broad incumbent that could pressure MentorNet's student-side value proposition.
• MENTOR (The National Mentoring Partnership): MENTOR is the umbrella US nonprofit for youth mentoring, convening programs, research, and advocacy — adjacent and broader than MentorNet but competing for the same philanthropic and institutional mentoring funding.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mentornet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 MentorNet, a division of Great Minds in STEM