2025

IMPACT REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LETTERS FROM OUR CEO & BOARD PRESIDENT
AT A GLANCE: MISSION & VISION
THE NEST GENERATION OF OUR IMPACT
2025: BY THE NUMBERS
THE POWER OF THE NEST NETWORK
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES
OUR BOARD
IN MEMORIAM: ROSE FELICETTI
A DONOR STORY: THE SOBRATOS
WAYS TO SUPPORT

Letter from the CEO

This year was a test of our resolve. Between rapid shifts in technology and a shifting political landscape, the stakes for our communities have never been higher. We moved fast and led with clarity in an uncertain world.

AI is vital for our mission. This year, we integrated AI in our programs and BizzNEST projects, and we were awarded an OpenAI People-First grant. Our youth belong at the forefront of innovation, not left behind.

In June, our brand new Stockton center burned down. However, the NEST community stayed strong. Thanks to partners like Huddle Cowork and Comcast, we adapted and kept our programs running. Our ability to adapt is our greatest strength.

In these pages, you’ll meet the NESTers raising their hands to lead. Thank you for believing in their potential and our mission.

The results speak for themselves. While California’s average job-finding rate is just 24%, 79% of our BizzNEST associates found paid work this year. Our "special sauce" isn’t just tech; it’s the confidence, agency and soft skills our members build here.

Letter from the Board President

Six years ago, I joined the Digital NEST board because I recognized an organization with rare momentum. My career has taught me how to identify ventures capable of scaling, and Digital NEST has all of the essential ingredients: strong leadership, clear impact, and community buy-in.

Expanding to five centers in just 11 years is extraordinary. Supporters, partners, and funders have joined this journey because they see a mission and programs that deliver real results for young people historically excluded from such opportunities.

I am confident in our direction because of this dedicated team and community. With your continued investment, we will ensure every young person can build a prosperous future.

At a Glance: Mission, Vision, Centers

Digital NEST (Nurturing Entrepreneurial Skills with Technology) empowers Latinx and all youth from underserved communities in California with the skills, resources, and network to build and launch successful careers.

• 5 NEST centers in 5 Communities (Watsonville, Salinas, Gilroy, Modesto & Stockton)
• 4,600+ young people served since 2014
• 63% of staff live in the communities they serve

We are proudly Latinx-led, community-driven, place-based, and culturally-informed.

The NEST Generation of Our Impact

• Confidence, power, and agency for members and future generations.
• Economic prosperity for alumni, families, and staff.
• A national standard for youth workforce development in underserved communities.
• A shift in the practices and culture of employers to hire and advance Latinx and other underrepresented professionals.

In 2025, our Board of Directors approved our 10-Year Strategic Plan (2025-2035), a bold vision with clear goals to deepen and sustain our impact. By 2035, we envision:

• A strong financial position to initiate investments in mission-aligned opportunities.

The next 3 years will focus on organizational and programmatic excellence, specifically:

• We will serve 2,280 new members across our five centers.
• At least 70% of BizzNEST associates will secure wealth-building jobs.
• We will ensure the majority of our staff reside in the communities we serve.
• We are securing our financial health with a $1M surplus goal to build the reserves necessary for a permanent future.

A New Generation of Tech Leaders

A Partnership with Adobe
BizzNEST, our youth-powered creative agency, teamed up with Adobe to create training videos that help nonprofits use Adobe tools in their daily work.

An AI-powered Museum Exhibit
For Ali, the project served as a professional launchpad for his career:

“I shared our progress on LinkedIn, and that post led to a full-time job as a product engineer at Paystand. Digital NEST wants to change lives, and I’m proof that it's happening!”

A New Brand by NEST Youth
This year, we redesigned our program model to align with real industry opportunities. Our new Tech Studios are hands-on, project-based opportunities to explore emerging tech fields like AI.

2025 By the Numbers

Active members grew by 10% in the 2024-2025 program year.
Since opening our doors in 2014, as of EOY 2025:

• 4,651 MEMBERS

Meeting Members' Needs

Heard about the NEST

• 29% through friends
• 16% through school events

From Opportunity to Income

Among active members, 79% of our ‘24-’25 BizzNEST Associates secured paid next opportunities. Compare that to people looking for work in California, approximately 24% of whom found a job.

The Power of Your Dollar

88% of all funding directly supports our programs.

Behind the Numbers

The NEST is committed to collecting data and using it to inform strategy and tell our impact story.

The Power of the NEST Network: Building Social Capital

At Digital NEST, we have a saying: “Once a NESTer, always a NESTer.” This year, we officially launched our Alumni Group to ensure that as our members enter the workforce, they stay connected to the community that launched them.

Research shows that "economic connectedness"—building ties across different professional networks—is one of the strongest predictors of upward mobility.

Alumni Impact in Action:

• “As an associate, I am in charge of filming, editing, and posting social media content. Digital NEST has provided me with the professionalism and project management experience to help me navigate the next step in my career journey.”
• “The biggest thing I learned at the NEST was networking. I got my job through a NESTer I met at an alumni event. I sent him my resume and got the position.”

Statement of Activities

In Memoriam: Rose Felicetti

On Monday, November 10, 2025, Digital NEST lost our mother. Rose Felicetti was with the NEST from the very beginning, believing in the mission before it even had a name.

Why We Invest: A Conversation with John M. and Andie Sobrato

“These young folks are brilliant! All they need is opportunity.” - John Matthew Sobrato, Director of Impact & Learning, Sobrato Philanthropies.

Digital NEST represents Silicon Valley at its best. Investing in Digital NEST is a way to widen opportunity for young people historically locked out of the tech economy.

Ways To Support

• DONATE
  Support Latinx and all youth from underserved communities in building agency and confidence to launch wealth-building careers.
• HIRE
  Hire BizzNEST, our internal creative agency, for your company’s needs.
• VOLUNTEER
  Join our mentorship program, and we will pair you with one of our BizzNEST associates so you can share your expertise.