Mission Statement:
Ignite the power of youth in under-resourced communities to build Career success, Entrepreneurial mindsets, and Opportunity.
We help students become the CEO of their own lives!
BUILD Media Kit.
BUILD Media Kit.
Discover key facts, team information, media coverage, and creative assets about BUILD.org here.
Got questions? Please contact Shefali Billon at 415-706-4397.
The Organization Overview
The Organization Overview
1
High School Students Reached
through our digital programming
1
High School Students Reached
through our in-school program
1
Teachers Reached
1
Cities Reached
1
Students Served
1
Teachers Trained
1
Mentors And Volunteers
1
School And CBO Partners
Impact data is from FY23.
BUILD.org is an entrepreneurship program for underserved high school students that teaches them how to build their own business while becoming the CEO of their own lives. BUILD was founded in 1999 in East Palo Alto, CA, by Suzanne McKechnie Klahr. Suzanne was teaching free adult entrepreneurship classes in this highly under-resourced community when, one evening, four high school students walked in. They wanted to drop out of high school and start a t-shirt company. Suzanne offered to help, but only if the four youth agreed to stay in school.
With Suzanne’s guidance, these four young men graduated high school on time, earned bachelor’s degrees, and embarked on successful careers. This chance encounter changed the trajectory of their lives, and from there, BUILD was born. Since then, BUILD has equipped over 10,000 high school students across the United States to launch more than 2,000 real businesses. Furthermore, BUILD has over 70 staff members across regional and national sites.
Our Regions
Our Regions
Bill Taylor, CEO
Bill Taylor joins BUILD after a 22-year journey at NAF, a national educational nonprofit focused on providing experiential learning for students from high-need communities. As CEO, Taylor will lead an effort to bring entrepreneurship education to more underserved communities across the United States. Taylor is deeply aligned with BUILD’s mission, drawing also on his background as a high school educator in New York City. He graduated with a sociology degree from State University of New York, Geneseo.
Thais Rezende, President
Thais Rezende joins BUILD from BizWorld, having formerly spent the last eight years as BizWorld’s CEO. Rezende holds an unwavering commitment to making economic opportunities and entrepreneurship education accessible to all students, particularly those from traditionally underserved and underrepresented backgrounds. For eight years, she has led the growth of innovative programming and the organizational expansion at Women’s Initiative for Self Employment. Thais resides with her husband and three daughters in Seattle.
BUILD's Awards And Recognitions
- NABSE’s 2021 Hall of Fame Award
- BBJ 2021 Top Corporate-Nonprofit Partnerships
- Jack Dorsey’s 2020 #StartSmall Donation
- Comcast NBCUniversal Recognition of BUILD.org Partner on Digital Curriculum for Under-Resourced Students
News Coverage
- CO- U.S Chamber of Commerce: The 9 Business Resources for Young Entrepreneurs
- Comcast: Comcast NBCUniversal and BUILD.org Release Free Digital Curriculum Designed to Spark Community Solutions
- K-12 Dive: BUILD, Comcast and DonorsChoose Come Together to Offer Innovative Entrepreneurship Education and Classroom Funding for Educators
- PR Newswire: BUILD Launches the Pittsburgh Entrepreneurial Education Council For Youth
- BizJournals: BUILD.org partners with RK Mellon Foundation to help develop region’s next generation of entrepreneurs
