Local Business Spotlight: Kaleidoscope

Article by Becky Fillinger

Greg DehnBased in the North Loop, Kaleidoscope is an innovative company that pairs students with scholarships in a way never done before. We talked to CEO and Founder, Greg Dehn, about how the program works and ways you, your company or organization, may assist.

Q:  Why is the company named Kaleidoscope?

 A:  Every person has a dream for their lives, for what they want to accomplish, for their career. And, there are organizations that want to help them achieve this. When I think about a Kaleidoscope, I imagine that for each of us, when we look into the scope and we see light fracturing in a unique way only we can see, we are seeing a future that is unique to ourselves. It is this diversity, and the connection of two equal partners – sponsor and scholar - on our platform, aligned by a future goal, that inspired the name Kaleidoscope.

Q:  I grew up in Appalachia where access to grants and scholarships was limited. Let me rephrase that - my knowledge of available grants and scholarships was limited. Kaleidoscope would have been a dream. Do you serve all geographies?

A:  We have award programs on our marketplace sponsored by organizations in all 50 states and D.C., serving applicants nationally and internationally. Today, our focus is on the US market, and don’t turn away customers looking to launch programs internationally.

Award Builder

Q:  What are the company's priorities for the rest of the year?

A:  For the remainder of this year, our team will be focused on launching 6000+ programs, and supporting one of our most exciting product innovations since 2020, the launch of our Award Builder. Award Builder provides the ability for any individual or any organization to launch an education-related award program on our platform, for free on their own. They can now self-register and begin using the best tools in the industry to build, launch and manage their program. We are confident others feel the same as we do, and, by offering a free tier on our platform, we will further mobilize private wealth toward eliminating the financial barriers to education. And, we will do so in a big way.

Q:  You received grants to cover most of the cost of your undergraduate studies. You started Kaleidoscope as a way to return the favor. Give us some details - how many students have you helped?

A:  Today, more than 1 million people have built profiles on the Kaleidoscope platform. We have disbursed well over $150M in funding to students, thanks to our 300 partners and more than 6000+ active awards programs.

Q:  How do you acquire new sponsors?

A:  We have been very fortunate to have many sponsors find us by word of mouth or referrals. A significant benefit of our platform is that the sponsor can fully customize their program with unique branding and configuration options. This unlocks a vast array of possibilities for the types of niche, targeted awards that sponsors can create on our platform, allowing applicant individuality and diversity to live at the heart of the process.

Q:  How may our Mill City Times readers help Kaleidoscope?

A:  The more programs that go live on the platform, the more of a difference we are able to make. Starting a program is easy with Kaleidoscope, and if you are interested in hosting a scholarship, grant, or other award program, we are here to help! Please reach out to hello@mykaleidoscope.com or visit mykaleidoscope.com to learn more. Also, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter!