Boston-based Mentor Collective, the technology platform that powers mentorship programs for colleges and universities, has raised $3 million in a funding round led by Lumina Foundation, an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all.
The round also saw participation from IU Ventures, Strada Education Network, 10x Impact, EduLab Capital Partners, and Emerge Education.
Founded in 2014 by James Lu Morrissey and Jackson Boyar, Mentor Collective aims to make life-changing relationships a feature of every student’s college experience. To realize this, the startup partners with institutions that are committed to equity, inclusion, and relationship-centered education. Based on research that mentorship is essential to successful student outcomes, the company helps universities activate intentional relationships between their students, alumni, and employer communities.
Mentor Collective’s proven process and technology platform have catalyzed more than 30,000 mentoring relationships and are being used by more than 60 colleges across the nation.
Speaking about the importance of mentorship and its association with university partners, Jackson Boyar, Co-Founder and CEO of Mentor Collective, said,
“At a time when mentorship has been proven to be essential to both increased graduation rates and the ongoing professional success of college graduates, we are pleased to work with so many forward-thinking university partners to help them better activate their students and alumni communities.”
James Lu Morrissey, Co-Founder and COO of the company, supplemented saying “Our programs have been proven to drive measurable results for university partners and their students. With the support of our mission-driven investors, we will continue to help learners and institutions engage previously untapped networks of social capital.”
Lauding the works of Mentor Collective and its interest of investing in the company, Jamie Merisotis, President and CEO of Lumina Foundation, also commented saying,
“By helping universities connect every student with a mentor, Mentor Collective is paving the way for greater student success in college and beyond.”
“Mentor Collective aligns with our mission of investing in entrepreneurs who are helping to improve student outcomes in education after high school. We are excited to join the Mentor Collective team as they enter this next phase of growth.”
Mentor Collective provides mentorship throughout the student lifecycle. It designs mentorship programs for such as First-year experience, Career Development, Adult & Online Learners, and Alumni network. The company has the mission and set the goal to create 100,000 mentorships by 2020.
