grad pad

What grad pad does

Grad Pad Corp, founded in 2023 and headquartered in Los Angeles, operates an alumni networking platform for educational institutions, professional organizations, and community groups. The platform combines member profile management, event coordination with RSVP and payment processing, mentorship pairing, donation and scholarship campaigns, secure channels for elite members, and behavioral analytics within a single SaaS product. A mobile application for iOS and Android is announced for 2026 launch, and the company distributes primarily through a self-serve web portal with supplementary direct enterprise sales.

The company operates on a freemium model, offering six months of full feature access at no cost, with the intent of converting users to paid subscriptions. In 2024, revenue was primarily generated through event management services; in 2025, the company is shifting toward a recurring paid subscription model. Grad Pad is privately held by founder Rondale Davis, has 1-10 employees, and has been accepted into the Plug In Ventures Accelerator. Its named customers include UCLA Anderson School of Management, UMass Amherst, Boston Latin School, United Way of Massachusetts Bay, and Ehrlich Scholars (its first paid subscriber), with active negotiations underway with the National Society of Black Engineers Professional Los Angeles Chapter and an initial enterprise customer.

Grad Pad competes in the alumni and community management software space against established event platforms and CRM systems, positioning itself as a purpose-built vertical solution that consolidates networking, events, mentorship, and fundraising in one product. The company's technical architecture is a web-based SaaS platform with planned mobile extensions; the platform emphasizes usability and integration of community functions rather than disclosed AI capabilities.

Name

grad pad

Legal name

Grad Pad Corp

Website

https://gradpad.online

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grad Pad is a Los Angeles-based SaaS platform that provides alumni networking, event management, mentorship pairing, and fundraising tools to educational institutions, professional organizations, and community groups on a freemium-to-subscription model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alumni Network Management Software

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Student & Alumni Communities (BPAMABAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Alumni Benefits, Membership & Affinity Programs (EDALAOAM)

Keywords

• Alumni network management
• Community engagement software
• Event management platform
• Mentorship matching platform
• Alumni reunion software

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event Management Services: Primary revenue stream in 2024. The platform charges organizers for event management tools including registration, RSVP, and payment processing for alumni events, reunions, and conferences.
2. Paid Subscriptions: New revenue stream launching in 2025. Premium subscription model providing users access to exclusive features and premium community opportunities. First paid subscriber acquired in 2024 (Ehrlich Scholars).
3. Freemium/Trial Model: Platform offers 6 months of full feature access for free to acquire users, with the goal of converting them to paid subscribers. Cancel anytime during trial period.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Grad Pad operates a SaaS alumni and community network management platform that combines member profile management, event coordination (RSVP, live updates, payment processing), intelligent mentorship pairing, donation and scholarship campaign tools, secure channels for elite members, and behavioral analytics in one product. The platform is sold primarily to educational institutions, alumni associations, professional organizations, and nonprofits to help them maintain year-round engagement with their communities. A mobile app and free trial version are scheduled for 2026 launch.

Product overview

Grad Pad is a unified alumni community platform that combines web and mobile access. The platform consists of a core product combining Alumni Network Management, Mentorship Pairing, and Event Management tools (covering School Reunions, Networking Events, Conferences, and Welcome Orientations), all unified in a single platform with a mobile app launching in 2026. The platform also supports donation and scholarship campaigns, exclusive secure channels for elite members, and analytical insights on user behavior.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alumni Network Management Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully facilitated connections at UCLA Anderson Palooza event - enabled attendees to connect before the event and facilitated in-person meetups
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Plug In Ventures AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Grad Pad was accepted into the Plug In Ventures Accelerator, gaining access to mentorship and resources to accelerate growth and impact. This exclusive opportunity is described as a major breakthrough for the company, equipping them with guidance to take their vision to the next level.
• UCLA Anderson School of ManagementflagshipOthersTop-tier MBA program using Grad Pad for alumni network management. The platform is used to build bridges and break down silos, which is key to their success. Featured prominently in customer testimonials and logo placement.
• UMass AmherstcoreOthersUniversity alumni community actively using Grad Pad for events and engagement. Notable success with Reunion Remix events described as 'phenomenal' by Snowflake Director Robert Desrosiers.
• Boston Latin SchoolcoreOthersHistoric Boston secondary school featured on investor relations page as a partner organization. Successfully hosted Reunion Remix alternative to traditional high school reunions.
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)flagshipOthersNSBE Professional Los Angeles Chapter in final stages of negotiation to become a customer. Featured on investor relations page logo section. Represents significant enterprise customer opportunity.
• Ehrlich ScholarsflagshipOthersFirst paid subscriber achieved through an MBA consultant who became an investor and is now Grad Pad's first official client. The Norma J. Ehrlich Alumni Scholarship supports young women exemplifying community commitment and academic excellence.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hivebrite: All-in-one community management and alumni engagement platform with networking, events, mentorship, and fundraising features — directly competitive with Grad Pad across higher education, nonprofits, and professional associations.
• Graduway: Alumni networking and mentoring platform purpose-built for educational institutions; competes head-to-head with Grad Pad for university alumni engagement budgets and event workflows.
• Alumnify: Mobile-first alumni engagement platform for schools and universities offering networking, mentorship, and event tools — overlapping Grad Pad's core alumni use cases with a more mature mobile experience.
• PeopleGrove: Alumni and student mentorship/networking platform serving higher education institutions; directly comparable to Grad Pad's mentorship pairing and alumni network management modules.
• Enterprise Alumni: Corporate and university alumni platform focused on enterprise-grade alumni programs; comparable to Grad Pad's enterprise GTM motion targeting NSBE and large institutional clients.

Broad incumbents

• Mighty Networks: Established community platform serving creators, professional groups, and brands with networking and events; broader than Grad Pad but competes for the same 'community-led' use cases among professional organizations.
• Blackbaud: Incumbent education and nonprofit software suite with alumni/CRM, fundraising, and donor management modules; competes with Grad Pad for institution-wide alumni and development budgets.
• Anthology (Campus Management): Enterprise SIS and student success platform acquired by Anthology; represents the institutional incumbent Grad Pad must displace for deeper alumni and engagement integrations within universities.

Emerging players

• Bevy: Community-led growth platform with strong event-management capabilities serving tech and enterprise customers; overlaps with Grad Pad's event RSVP, payment processing, and community engagement features.
• Hubilo: Events and virtual community platform with networking features; partial overlap with Grad Pad's event management and live-update capabilities, especially for conferences and professional gatherings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Grad_pad
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grad-pad

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 grad pad