PeopleGrove

PeopleGrove is a provider of career development and alumni engagement solutions for higher education institutions. The company offers a Career Access Platform that aims to support students and alumni throughout their professional journeys. PeopleGrove's technology facilitates career exploration, mentorship connections, and access to social capital networks. The platform enables personalized career guidance, helping students relate classroom learning to potential career paths. It also provides students and alumni with direct access to industry professionals and alumni networks, which are crucial for building relationships and social capital.

In April 2023, PeopleGrove acquired Student Opportunity Center (SOC), a provider of Experiential Learning (EL) and High-Impact Practices (HIPs) services. This acquisition expanded PeopleGrove's capabilities to include experiential learning opportunities, which are designed to help students gain real-world experience and skills. The combined offering aims to provide a comprehensive framework for career support, integrating experiential education with social capital access and career navigation tools.

PeopleGroove's platform has demonstrated impact on student outcomes. A survey of 1,638 student users revealed that one in three reported obtaining a job or internship through connections made on the platform. PeopleGrove served over 450 customers, including 60% of the top 100 US universities, with more than 20 million students and alumni having access to the platform. The company had facilitated over 1,000,000 mentorship connections since its founding.

Key customers and partnerships

PeopleGrove's customer base includes notable institutions such as Yale, Stanford, the University of Texas San Antonio, the University of Michigan, Georgetown, and the University of Maryland Global Campus. The company also works with Western Governors University, Virginia Tech, Villanova University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Toronto Metropolitan University, the University of San Diego, and Lafayette College.

PeopleGrove has partnered with these institutions to implement various initiatives. For instance, at Western Governors University, PeopleGrove collaborates with the Marketing and Innovation Program to align experiential learning projects with course skills. Virginia Tech uses PeopleGrove to strategically bring in undergraduate research opportunities and government opportunities. Villanova University utilized PeopleGrove's platform, called Nova Network, to support their fundraising campaign, which resulted in over 78,000 donors, with nearly half being first-time donors to the university.