NFTE and BUILD merge to reach 350,000 students a year on $18M budget
What's the deal? The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and BUILD.orgDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → are merging to form one of the largest US nonprofits focused on entrepreneurship education. The combined organization will serve more than 350,000 students annually on a budget of roughly $18 million. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval.
What's the endgame? BUILD becomes the first organization within NFTE's planned "family of brands," a model designed to grow through partnerships with mission-aligned nonprofits while preserving each group's distinct identity. NFTE intends to add more organizations that keep their specialised expertise while sharing infrastructure and scale.
What changes? The merger pairs NFTE's national and international reach, educator training, and research with BUILD's project-based, experiential learning model. Leadership plans to integrate NFTE's entrepreneurial mindset framework with BUILD's Spark Skills curriculum.
“By bringing together NFTE and BUILD, we are creating the foundation of a family of brands that can accelerate innovation and deepen impact across entrepreneurship education,” said Dr. J.D. LaRockDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, president and chief executive officer of NFTE.
Why now? Both organizations argue that skills like creativity, problem-solving, and adaptability are growing more important as artificial intelligence reshapes education and the workforce. BUILD president and interim chief executive officer Thais Rezende said the merger reflects a shared vision of making entrepreneurship education "a more integral part of student development" rather than an elective.
By the numbers: NFTE was founded in New York City in 1987 and has reached nearly two million learners worldwide. BUILD, established in Silicon Valley in 1999, has served more than 400,000 students across over 2,000 communities. Together they bring 67 years of combined experience.
The signal: Supporters say the family-of-brands approach could become a template for consolidation in the nonprofit education sector, letting organizations expand reach and cut costs without losing their specialist focus. If approved, the deal marks NFTE's first step toward assembling a broader ecosystem of entrepreneurship-education groups.
Read more: citybiz
Image credit: Kevin Krejci
