Startups to Watch: We Are Marcus

Editor’s note: This is one of our Startups to Watch of 2022. See the rest here.

Christopher King said his mentor changed his life. So he set out to make that possible for scores of other kids.

That was in 2016, when he launched We Are Marcus, an online character development program for middle and high school students. Now the District startup plans new offerings and a capital raise in 2022. We Are Marcus — its name a metaphor for the 24 million youth growing up without fathers — counts schools, after-school programs and youth enrichment institutions as its customers. Those organizations can then make the ed-tech platform available to kids to watch speaker videos and participate in discussions.

King is preparing to launch an upgrade he’s dubbed WAM Academy. Students listen to mentors’ personal stories in navigating public education, then develop writing skills as they respond. And the business provides social emotional learning analytics to schools and educators.

King declined to disclose revenue, but said it’s now hiring customer success leads and project managers while recruiting new mentors. It’s also aiming to engage 10 more schools or programs after establishing its presence in D.C., New York, Los Angeles and the Caribbean. We Are Marcus, which has raised $300,000 to date, plans to raise another $750,000 in 2022 even as it pursues donations for sister nonprofit WAM Impact Partners. That organization, which will make grants to social impact startups, is first focusing on funding We Are Marcus’ tech.

King grew up in a single-parent household and attributes his mentor with helping him navigate his own education. Before starting We Are Marcus, he was director of business development at New York’s Victory Education Partners and, at one point, a teacher in Brooklyn.

He’s since served as an Education Pioneers Impact fellow, a Score 3 Ventures fellow, a venture partner with NextGen Venture Partners and part-time business professor at Howard University. King, a managing principal with Theo Advisors, a consulting practice that provides resources to startups, has also helped promote anti-racism and equity.

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