Our Journey

Empowering the Next Generation of Innovators

At Learn Collaborate, we’re bridging the gap between education and the workforce by providing students with the skills and experiences they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Our Mission

The Vision

To bridge the gap between education and the workforce by empowering students with real-world, project-based learning experiences, personalized learning pathways, and mentorship. We are dedicated to ensuring that every learner, regardless of their background, is equipped to thrive.

Three young adults sitting on the floor of a modern building with large glass windows, talking and sharing a laptop and books.
A young woman with long brown curly hair wearing a pink button-up shirt, sitting at a table with open books, notebooks, and a pen, looking down thoughtfully at her work in a well-lit room with bookshelves and decorative items in the background.

What We Stand For

Our Core Values

  • Checkmark icon inside a teal circle.

    Real-World Readiness

    We prepare learners not just for the classroom, but for life and the workplace through hands-on projects, micro-internships, and industry connections.

  • A hand holding a pie chart with three segments, and upward arrows indicating growth or increase.

    Educational Equity

    We champion educational equity by providing inclusive and accessible opportunities to students from underserved and underrepresented communities.

  • Icon of three stylized human figures in blue, purple, and yellow representing a group or community.

    Collaboration & Community

    We foster collaboration between students, educators, and industry mentors to create a dynamic learning ecosystem where everyone grows together.

  • An icon of a person reading a book, with a yellow circle representing the head, and a stylized open book in teal and purple

    Personalized Learning

    Powered by AI, our platform adapts to each learner’s strengths and needs, ensuring personalized and meaningful skill development.

  • An illustration of a light bulb with atomic orbits and electrons around it, symbolizing innovation and scientific ideas.

    Innovation for Impact

    We use technology to push the boundaries of what learning can look like, always grounded in real-world outcomes and workforce alignment.

The Architects

  • Briana Bell

    PROJECT MANAGEMENT & GTM STRATEGY

    LinkedIn

  • Maria Ponder-Duncan

    BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & PARTNERSHIPS

    LinkedIn

  • Jeff Durst

    ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & MACHINE LEARNING

    Linkedin

  • Lisa Hagen

    PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

    LinkedIn

  • Aeri Kim

    LEARNING & USER EXPERIENCE

    LinkedIn

  • Chris Kincanon

    PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

    LinkedIn

  • Melisa Bueno-Vega

    ENGAGEMENT & OPERATIONS

    LinkedIn

Our Platform

Cultivating Talent

Learn Collaborate is an AI-powered platform designed to transform how students connect, collaborate, and prepare for the workforce. Born from the success of the B~STEM Project, our platform expands on the Collaborative Project-Based Learning (CPBL) model. It is backed by $1.4 million in National Science Foundation funding and features integrated tools for skill validation, project management, and team collaboration. Learn Collaborate empowers students, especially those in underserved communities, to gain, demonstrate, and own their skills. The platform also supports instructors and curriculum providers by making it easier to manage and track student workflow.

A hand placing a wooden block with an upward arrow on top of a staircase of wooden blocks with similar arrows, symbolizing growth or progress against a yellow background.

Our Founder

Driven By Purpose

Fueled by a deep commitment to educational equity, Tracie Dean Ponder founded the B~STEM Project in 2015. This national nonprofit delivered over 21,000 hours of free programming and mentorship to more than 10,300 students through partnerships with Google, Microsoft, and Samsung. Through this work, Tracie discovered that students needed a scalable way to assess and validate their skills, a realization that sparked the vision for Learn Collaborate.

As Founder and CEO of Learn Collaborate, Tracie is at the helm of an innovative AI-powered skills and workforce development platform. She led the company and her team through both the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Phase I and Phase II awards, securing over $1.3 million in grant funding. Her platform is built upon a unique learning matrix and is designed to link students in role-based teams with industry mentors, enabling them to build a portfolio of work while educators seamlessly manage student team projects. This approach cultivates students' hard and soft skills and validates their learning for career readiness.

Tracie’s personal commitment to transforming learning—shaped by her own experiences with systemic inequities on the south side of Chicago—informs a bold vision for an inclusive, future-ready education. A seasoned entrepreneur, she leads with clarity, empathy, and a mission to empower educators and inspire the next generation of innovators. She holds a BA from New York University, an MA from DePaul University, and certifications in AI for Business Leaders (AI LA) and Technology Leadership (Cornell University).

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