Empowerly

Empowerly

Guides students through college admissions

About Empowerly

Simplify's Rating
Why Empowerly is rated
B-
Rated B on Competitive Edge
Rated B on Growth Potential
Rated C on Differentiation

Industries

Education

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Early VC

Total Funding

$26.6M

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2018

Overview

Empowerly provides college admissions counseling for high school students, offering one-on-one video coaching, test preparation, and programs to strengthen academic and extracurricular profiles for top colleges. It works by matching students with experienced counselors who guide them through a step-by-step admissions plan, covering essays, interviews, and overall strategy, with options via subscription packages or one-time services; it also runs specialized programs like Startup Internship, Research Scholar, and AI Scholar, and sells a handbook on admissions. The company differentiates itself through a high success rate and an experienced team, including co-founder Hanmei Wu and Harvard-educated Francisco. Its goal is to help students gain admission to elite colleges through personalized, comprehensive guidance and proven admissions strategies.

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Mobile app launch expands accessibility to tech-savvy Gen Z students beyond desktop counseling platform.
  • $30M total funding enables AI product development and recruitment of top admissions talent.
  • 98% college acceptance rate and 5,000+ students served create strong brand moat in competitive market.

What critics are saying

  • Supreme Court affirmative action ban eliminates holistic review focus, rendering extracurricular programs less valuable.
  • Free AI tools from Khan Academy and Duolingo commoditize essay editing and admissions prediction services.
  • Competitors like Crimson Education's 2,500+ tutors and AI matching outpace Empowerly's counselor recruitment pace.

What makes Empowerly unique

  • Proprietary Empowerly Score™ uses machine learning to evaluate extracurriculars, academics, and essays against predictive models.
  • Team of 100+ counselors with 700+ years combined experience, including former Ivy League admissions officers.
  • Exclusive programs like Startup Internships and Research Scholars connect students with real-world Bay Area opportunities.

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Funding

Total Funding

$26.6M

Above

Industry Average

Funded Over

2 Rounds

Early VC funding comparison data is currently unavailable. We're working to provide this information soon!
Early VC Funding Comparison
Coming Soon

Benefits

Remote Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

3%

1 year growth

1%

2 year growth

1%
FinSMEs
Feb 21st, 2024
Empowerly Raises $15M in Funding

Empowerly raises $15M in funding.

TechCrunch
Feb 21st, 2024
Empowerly secures $15M for its college counseling services

Empowerly has raised $30 million to date.

TechCrunch
Feb 21st, 2024
Empowerly Secures $15M For Its College Counseling Services

Empowerly, an edtech startup that specializes in college counseling and career guidance services, raised $15 million in a recent funding round led by Conductive Ventures, the company announced today. The new capital will go toward growing its services, building out its AI-powered products and developing its first mobile app, which is set to launch in the U.S. by the end of 2024. Empowerly has raised $30 million to date.“The past year has been challenging for the entire startup ecosystem, and some are saying this has been one of the worst funding environments in the past decade,” co-founder Changxiao Xie says. “This round is a testament to the platform and services we’ve created, from our recruitment of former Ivy League admissions officers to the ways we’ve leveraged data and machine learning to evaluate and improve students’ outcomes from high school to college and beyond. We’re working with more students and families than ever before and seeing fantastic outcomes year over year, and are excited to keep up the momentum.”The company’s funding comes at a time when admissions season is becoming more competitive than ever, and high school counselors aren’t always equipped to provide expert advice on college-related issues

From Day One
Nov 14th, 2023
College Admissions Counseling: An Employee Benefit That Can Boost Productivity

So Livingston, who is now the head of counselors, joined Empowerly.

GlobeNewswire
Apr 12th, 2023
MyKlovr named finalist in 3 categories of the 2023 EdTech

Earlier this year, myKlovr partnered with college counseling platform Empowerly to launch Pathways, an AI-enabled solution to support teen mental health and bring affordable college & career planning benefits to employers at scale.

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