bionic project

What bionic project does

The Bionic Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2018 by Will Borden, a below-the-knee amputee, and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The organization's core offering is a K-12 disability-inclusion education program delivered via assemblies, classroom workshops, and adaptive sports clinics led by adaptive athletes. Curriculum is tiered by grade band — K-4 ("We are more similar than we are different"), 5-8 ("We are all connected"), and 9-12 ("We can all help others, and we all need help") — covering inclusive behavior, Universal Design, Media Literacy, Disability Rights History, and assistive-technology engineering. The education program launched in fall 2023 with 34 schools and scaled to 54 schools across five states reaching 14,000 students in 2024-25.

Bionic operates a community-events platform that funnels awareness and fundraising back into the education mission. This includes the annual Cambridge Bionic5K (held in Harvard Square since 2018), the San Francisco Bionic5K & 1-Mile at Crissy Field (launched 2022; 5th annual in November 2026), a Boston Marathon charity team, and an annual Fall Benefit. An e-commerce store sells branded apparel and accessories (priced $12-$65) made on demand. The organization also accepts Cy Pres awards tied to disability-rights and ADA-related legal settlements. There is no proprietary technology platform; digital touchpoints are limited to a Squarespace website, givebutter donation infrastructure, and a UserWay-powered WCAG 2.1 accessibility widget.

The revenue model is a nonprofit mix of individual donations, foundation grants (notably a multi-year Cummings Foundation grant), event registration fees and peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate sponsorships (Challenged Athletes Foundation, adidas, Columbia), merchandise sales, and Cy Pres awards. Go-to-market is community-led: a school inquiry form drives program acquisition, while adaptive-athlete storytelling and earned media (CBS Boston, KTVU, Branson Magazine, Boston Marathon podcast) drive donor and volunteer engagement. The board and advisory roster includes credentialed figures from WHOOP, MIT Media Lab, Harvard, Wondros, and MWC Ventures, lending operational and reputational weight.

Name

bionic project

Legal name

The Bionic Project, Inc.

Website

https://bionicproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Bionic Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers K-12 disability-inclusion education programs to schools across the US through assemblies, workshops, and adaptive sports clinics led by adaptive athletes, supported by community road races and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Inclusion Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adaptive & Para-Sport Event Organizers (MPAKADAM), Adaptive & Para-Sport Training Programs (MPAKAJAK), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Faculty/Staff Training & Accessibility Awareness Programs (EDALAGAI)

Keywords

• Disability inclusion education
• Adaptive sports programs
• School inclusion curriculum
• Charity road races
• Community fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Bionic accepts donations through its website (givebutter platform) and benefits from fundraising events including road races, marathon team fundraising, and an annual Fall Benefit event.
2. Merchandise Sales: E-commerce sales of branded merchandise including hoodies, t-shirts, long sleeves, sweatshirts, vests, quarter zips, caps, beanies, and mugs. Products are priced between $12 and $65. Made on demand to reduce overproduction.
3. Cy Pres Awards: Bionic receives Cy Pres funds from legal settlements related to disability rights, ADA compliance, accessibility, and civil rights cases, aligned with their educational and inclusion mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bionic Project delivers K-12 disability inclusion education programs directly to schools through assemblies, classroom workshops, and adaptive sports clinics led by adaptive athletes. Programs are tiered by grade level (K-4, 5-8, 9-12) and cover inclusive behavior, Universal Design, media literacy, assistive technology, and disability rights history. The organization also operates community adaptive road races (Cambridge Bionic5K, San Francisco Bionic5K) and a Boston Marathon charity team, with merchandise sales and donations supporting program delivery.

Product overview

Bionic Project is a nonprofit organization that operates as a unified educational platform focused on disability inclusion. The core offerings consist of K-12 school programs that teach students about disability through adaptive sport, storytelling, and collaborative design challenges, alongside community road races (Bionic5K events in Cambridge, MA and San Francisco, CA) and a Boston Marathon charity team. An online merchandise store sells branded apparel and accessories. All offerings work together to advance the organization's mission of creating a more inclusive world through education, story, and sport.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Programs (K-12 Disability Inclusion Education) Tiered K-12 educational programs on disability inclusion delivered through assemblies, classroom workshops, and adaptive sports clinics led by adaptive athletes. Topics are segmented by grade band: K-4 covers inclusive behavior, accessible design, and assistive technology; 5-8 adds Universal Design, Media Literacy, and engineering; 9-12 adds Disability Rights History and advanced assistive technology. Targeted at K-12 schools and their educators and students.
• Cambridge Bionic5K Annual adaptive 5K road race held in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA celebrating technology, sport, and human spirit. Welcomes runners, walkers, rollers, and adaptive athletes. The 2026 event took place on May 17, 2026 with 821 participants including 78 adaptive athletes and raised over $65,000.
• San Francisco Bionic5K Annual adaptive 5K and 1-Mile road race held at Crissy Field in San Francisco, CA. The 5th annual event is scheduled for November 8, 2026, with participation having doubled in 2025.
• Boston Marathon Team Charity team program where runners train for and compete in the Boston Marathon while fundraising to power Bionic's education program. The 2026 team races on April 20, 2026.
• Merchandise Store E-commerce store offering branded apparel and accessories including hoodies, t-shirts, long sleeves, quarter-zip pullovers, fleece vests, sweatpants, trucker caps, beanies, and mugs, priced between $12 and $65. Made on demand to reduce overproduction.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,000 students reached in 2024-25 across 54 schools in five states
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Challenged Athletes FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of the San Francisco Bionic5K & 1Mile road race, providing support for adaptive athletic participation and event visibility.
• adidasminorGTM or Marketing Partneradidas supplies branded merchandise (sport polos, quarter zip pullovers) sold through Bionic's online store, with the adidas logo featured on products.
• Columbia SportswearminorGTM or Marketing PartnerColumbia supplies branded fleece vests sold through Bionic's online store, with the Columbia logo featured on products.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Learning for Justice (Southern Poverty Law Center): Provides free K-12 classroom resources on anti-bias, inclusion, and social justice topics, including disability. Adjacent competitor in the school disability-inclusion curriculum category, though delivered digitally rather than via in-person athlete visits.
• Understood.org: Nonprofit resource for families and educators of people with learning and thinking differences. Provides K-12 disability inclusion and Universal Design resources that overlap thematically with Bionic's curriculum content.

Broad incumbents

• Special Olympics: Largest global adaptive sports and inclusive education organization. Operates Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program, the closest direct competitor to Bionic's K-12 disability inclusion programming, with far greater national reach and budget.
• Move United: National adaptive sports umbrella (formerly Disabled Sports USA) operating community-based adaptive sports programming across member organizations. Comparable adaptive sports clinic model and community race portfolio.
• The Arc of the United States: Largest national disability advocacy and services organization, with chapters providing education and inclusion programming for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Comparable disability-services and education mission.

Regional players

• Spaulding Adaptive Sports Centers: Boston-area adaptive sports programs operated by Spaulding Rehabilitation Network. Geographic overlap with Bionic's Cambridge/Massachusetts base and shared adaptive sports clinic delivery model.
• Achieve Tahoe: Adaptive sports and recreation nonprofit serving the Lake Tahoe/Northern California region. Comparable athlete-delivered adaptive sports programming with a different geographic footprint than Bionic.
• Boston Center for Independent Living: Disability services and independent living support organization based in Boston. Geographic peer with overlapping disability inclusion and accessibility awareness programming.

Direct peers

• National Sports Center for the Disabled: Adaptive sports instruction organization offering year-round programs for people with disabilities. Direct comparable on adaptive sports clinics and athlete-led instruction.
• Challenged Athletes Foundation: Adaptive sports grantmaker and community organization that is already a Bionic partner (presenting sponsor of the San Francisco Bionic5K). Comparable mission of expanding access to sport for people with disabilities and shared athlete-led community events.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bionic-project-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 bionic project