Letter From the Founder

CulturaGo was founded just over four years ago with an ambition to inspire and unify individuals across cultures as they pursue high-impact learning experiences on a global stage. Over time we realized that there was far more at stake. 

These experiences build highly sought-after, yet often unmeasured, career skills. We became deeply committed to strengthening global education by documenting its professional development outcomes and return on investment at scale. By clearly articulating the impact of their programs, institutions have the ability to strengthen the case for expanding access to these opportunities for everyone.

This need became the driving force behind a year of total transformation for CulturaGo.

We have refined our ability to support our partners in developing, assessing, and showcasing students’ career-critical skills. We believe global experiences are the most profound incubators for these abilities, and our platform now reflects that belief more fully than ever.

This year brought a wave of momentum: significant platform development, expansion of our team, exciting industry recognition, deeper collaboration with partners, and the formation of a trusted advisory board.

All of this work serves the growing number of students using CulturaGo to build their Power Skills. We see the impact compounding, and we look forward to highlighting these stories in new ways.

Thank you to our team, investors, partners, and students for being part of an amazing 2025. Here is to a successful and transformative 2026!

I welcome you to explore our Year in Review.

Regards,

Liam Kelly

Here are 10 updates that have defined our year

1. InnovateEA Pitch Competition

In March, CulturaGo participated in the Forum on Education Abroad’s InnovateEA Pitch Competition to showcase how innovation can expand study abroad's impact. We addressed a key challenge: only 2% of US students study abroad, and the field lacks the necessary investment to expand access to these experiences because career outcomes are not clearly demonstrated.

This led to the creation and release of The Global ROI Assessment this year, providing institutions with a new tool to prove the career-critical value of their programs.

We are grateful to The Forum and to our mentor, Kyle Rausch, for their support throughout the process.

2. The Power Skills Accelerator Was Launched

2025 marked a major milestone for CulturaGo with the launch of The Power Skills Accelerator. The result of four years of development and partner collaboration, our online career skill incubator brings together:

• CulturaSkills, our signature power skills training;
• The Global ROI Pre- and Post-Assessment, featuring simulated job interviews; and
• Personalized Power Skills Profiles to showcase students’ workplace readiness.

Student Benefits

The Power Skills Accelerator helps students cultivate, apply and communicate the most in-demand career skills. Key features include guided video reflection to practice skill articulation and a shareable Power Skills Profile that visually documents their development.

Partner Benefits

The Accelerator gives institutions a scalable way to measure student growth, demonstrate the ROI of their global programs, access to meaningful outcomes data and authentic student reflections to maximize recruitment and retention.

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3. Student Impact: Storytelling, Confidence & Career Readiness 

Have a look at how students are using CulturaGo to reflect on their global experiences, articulate their power skill growth, and prepare for their professional future - through their own words.

4. The CulturaGo Team Got Bigger

CulturaGo is fortunate to have an incredible team and a company culture we are deeply proud of. Many of our team members have been part of the organization since its founding, and their dedication continues to shape who we are today.

This year, we were pleased to welcome new colleagues who played a fundamental role in making 2025 such a success. These include Callen Byrnes (Director of Operations), Dr. Elsa Maxwell (Director of Academic Partnerships), Andries Bester (Chief Product Officer), and Richard Human (Fractional Chief Technology Officer). 

Each has brought exceptional expertise and leadership to CulturaGo, strengthening everything from partnership development and assessment validation to platform strategy, product development, and the technological foundation that powers our work.

5. Conference Season - Thank you AIEA, ForumEA & NAFSA

A heartfelt thank you to the teams behind AIEA, The Forum on Education Abroad, and NAFSA. The conferences you lead each year serve as a heartbeat for our field, creating essential spaces for connection, learning, and community.

For CulturaGo, 2025 was our most impactful conference season yet. From The Forum’s annual conference in Toronto to our first experience at the CIGL Career Conference in Costa Rica, each event helped us deepen our understanding of the field and build relationships that shaped our year. AIEA was especially meaningful, introducing us to leaders who later joined our advisory board and even connecting us with our Director of Academic Partnerships.

We were also grateful for the opportunity to contribute to panels and sessions throughout the season. A special thank you to our partners and co-presenters from the University of Michigan, NYU, Maureen Manning, and many others who made these moments possible.

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6. Expanding Our Network of Partners & Impact

We want to offer a heartfelt thank you to all of our partners, and especially to our early adopters who believed in CulturaGo from the beginning. Their trust, insight, and willingness to innovate alongside us have shaped our product and inspired our evolution. Institutions such as Michigan Engineering, George Mason University, NYU, Columbus State University, Neumann University and others played a pivotal role in helping us refine and continually improve our platform based on real student and faculty feedback.

In 2025, our network expanded significantly. We are proud to now work with institutions across the United States and beyond, spanning community colleges, state universities, private institutions, art and design schools, polytechnics, tribal colleges, and global higher education partners. 

Our partnerships also extend beyond traditional universities. We are grateful to be supporting internship and study abroad providers, educator and teacher placement organizations, and companies such as AXA Partners US and others who share our commitment to student growth and global readiness.

7. In-Person Meetups & University Visits Across the U.S.

What would a year be without cross-country road trips, and a few unexpected adventures along the way? In 2025, CulturaGo’s team hit the road many times, and each trip deepened our relationships across the field and reminded us how crucial in-person connections are.

We are grateful for the warm welcome and continued support from many partners this year. This includes Michigan Engineering and their chaperoning work across the University of Michigan, the leaders at NAFSA and the guidance of Dr. Fanta Aw, and FUNTA, who hosted valuable discussions on the ROI of global experiences.

This was also a year of firsts, including our first Ivy League visit at Dartmouth, and touring Central Ohio Technical College and the broader community at The Ohio State. We spent valuable time with partners like Neumann University in Pennsylvania, met the Global team at Florida Memorial University, and had memorable exchanges with Phil Simon and Ellen Stoddard in Cambridge. We were also delighted to connect with the 4G Global team at George Mason University.

Globally, we had meaningful conversations that continue to influence our work, including with Dr. Darla Deardorff and Troy Peterson in South Africa. These interactions reaffirmed that global education is, at its core, about people, and the shared commitment to helping students grow.

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8. Assessment Validation Study and Research Direction

2025 saw significant developments in the Research Department, from the development of The GROI Assessment and its validation process, and the strengthening of the academics underpinning of the Power Skills Accelerator. This critical initiative aims to ensure that our tools are reliable, meaningful, and aligned with educational and psychological measurement best practices. 

In particular, our collaboration with master’s students at The Ohio State University’s Translational Data Analytics Institute, supervised by Dr. Krishna Chaitanya Rao, explores how AI can support the reliable scoring of qualitative power skills reflections. The project represents an important step toward building global education’s first career development assessment that bridges qualitative and quantitative insight in support of greater investment for global learning through evidence-based storytelling.

This ongoing effort, led by Dr. Elsa Maxwell (Director of Academic Partnerships), Dr. Marcello Francioni (Head of Education), and a dedicated team of industry experts, will continue through 2026 and beyond.

9. Welcoming Our Board

A major milestone in 2025 was the formation of CulturaGo’s Advisory Board. This group brings together leaders across international education, higher ed, career development, AI, STEM, and industry, reflecting the full breadth of our field.

Their insight and support have already strengthened our strategy and product development through advisory sessions and one-on-one guidance. We are grateful for the expertise they bring and the role they play in helping shape CulturaGo’s next chapter.

10. What’s Next: Preparing for a Major 2026 Release

As we close out 2025, we are also looking ahead to an exciting year for CulturaGo. The months to come will bring meaningful developments that build on the progress, learning, and collaboration that shaped the past year.

Our work in 2026 will continue to focus on strengthening how students develop, articulate, and showcase career-critical skills, while supporting institutions in telling clearer, more compelling stories about the impact of their programs. Guided by partner insight and student experience, we are preparing for next steps that reflect where the field is headed and what it needs most.

As we look ahead, we want to express our sincere gratitude to our partners, students, advisors, and supporters. Your trust, feedback, and belief in our mission have shaped every milestone this year and continue to influence what comes next! 

2026, here we come!