Startups
Defy Ventures' mission is to shift mindsets to give people with criminal histories their best shot at a second chance through career readiness, personal development, and entrepreneurship training programs offered in prisons and in the community. With a vision to cut recidivism rates in half by leveraging entrepreneurship to increase economic opportunity and transform lives, Defy currently works in seven states and sixteen prisons nationwide.
Overview
Location
United States, New York
Employees
51-200
Founded date
2010
Mentions in press and media 24
| Date | Title | Description |
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| Feb 13, 2026 | Michelle Cirocco: An untapped talent pipeline is hiding behind prison walls | |
| Mar 27, 2025 | Hakimo secures $10.5M in new funding and launches autonomous AI security agent Your vote of support is important to us and it helps us keep the content FREE. One click below supports our mission to provide free, deep, and relevant content. Join our community on YouTube Join the community that in ... | Physical security company Hakimo Inc. announced today that it has raised $10.5 million in new funding and launched AI Operator, an autonomous security agent that monitors existing security hardware, detects threats in real time, and execute... |
| Jul 22, 2024 | Stocksy welcomes new CEO Trace Cohen to lead visual media transformation | Artist-owned cooperative realigns to offer evolved visual media partnerships to brands through stock visuals, custom curations and progressive representation. VICTORIA, BC, July 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Stocksy – the artist-owned visual medi... |
| Jan 27, 2023 | Transformation Yoga Project Transitions to Launch PA Chapter of Defy Ventures’ Prison-Based Entrepreneurship Program | Defy Ventures participants, called Entrepreneurs in Training, celebrate during a prison-based pitch competition and graduation event following Defy's eight-month "CEO of Your New Life" program for incarcerated people. Incarce... |
| Jan 24, 2023 | Keep On Truckin’: The Inmate-Turned-CEO Changing Lives While Keeping America Moving | When Jason Wang was a teenager, he seemed destined for a prison cell, not the boardroom. Yet as ... [+] founding CEO of FreeWorld, he is breaking the cycle of poverty and recidivism.Jason Wang booking photo |
| Jul 29, 2022 | Exclusive: Inside Amazon’s plan to “neutralize” powerful unions by hiring ex-inmates and “vulnerable students” | In June 2021, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the most powerful unions in the world, published a “special resolution” about Amazon, labeling the tech giant “an existential threat” and vowing that “building worker power at... |
| Mar 18, 2021 | Defy Ventures and the Drucker School of Management Partner to Help Current and Former Incarcerated Students With New Entrepreneurship Program | The new entrepreneurship program between Defy and the Drucker School will enhance Defy's existing educational efforts in California's prison system. We see our partnership with the Drucker School as a powerful validation of Defy’s... |
| Mar 8, 2021 | Formerly Incarcerated Minorities Will Get New Chance at Success Through Defy Ventures’ Entrepreneurship Program | LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) March 08, 2021 The U.S. Department of Commerce has given Defy Ventures a two-year grant which the national nonprofit will use to support the creation of new businesses run by individuals who have served time in prison. “... |
| Nov 29, 2020 | More Entrepreneurship, Less Recidivism Among The Formerly Incarcerated | Recidivism is a big problem in the U.S. Research shows that, within three years of their release, two out of three formerly incarcerated people are rearrested and more than 50% are incarcerated again. In New York, 53% of formerly incarcerat... |
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FAQ about Defy Ventures
When was Defy Ventures founded?
Defy Ventures was founded in 2010.
What has the press written about Defy Ventures?
Parsers VC has collected 24 articles mentioning Defy Ventures, among them “Michelle Cirocco: An untapped talent pipeline is hiding behind prison walls” (Feb 13, 2026) and “Hakimo secures $10.5M in new funding and launches autonomous AI security agent Your vote of support is important to us and it helps us keep the content FREE....” (Mar 27, 2025).
Is Defy Ventures still active?
Yes, Defy Ventures is active; its latest activity on Parsers VC dates from Jul 31, 2026.