Forte is a New York-based social enterprise that finances reskilling and workforce development at no cost to individuals or governments and without relying on philanthropy. Founded by Dr Nat Ware on an idea he developed during his economics PhD at Oxford, Forte (Financing Of Return To Employment) sits between funders of education and training and the providers who deliver it, so funders 'never fund failure' - they only pay when people are trained and placed into better jobs. Repayment is tied to the future income-tax uplift generated by newly employed workers. Forte has run programs across Australia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, the United States and Peru, and its model has been endorsed by the World Economic Forum.
Clasp is a Boston-based workforce and fintech company that ties student-loan repayment to employment, helping healthcare systems recruit and retain clinicians. Using a model it likens to military ROTC, employers commit to students before graduation and repay their loans over time in exchange for a multi-year work commitment. Founded in 2018 as Stride Funding and rebranded as Clasp in 2024, the company links education and employment to attack two problems at once: crushing student debt and chronic clinical staffing shortages.