InsideTrack Joins Salesforce Accelerator to Develop AI Tools for Student Success

Student success nonprofit InsideTrack has partnered with Salesforce Accelerator – Agents for Impact, an initiative that provides nonprofits with technology, funding, and expertise to build AI-powered solutions. Over the next two years, InsideTrack will receive $333,000 in funding and in-kind technology services to create an AI-driven tool designed to enhance the work of student success coaches.

Student success coaches are professionals who provide support and guidance to students, helping them navigate academic and personal challenges to achieve their goals. They offer a more holistic approach than academic advisors, focusing on areas like time management, study skills, and goal setting, while also addressing non-academic barriers to success.

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

Academic Support: Success coaches help students develop effective study strategies, improve time management, and enhance communication with professors.
Personal Support: They assist students in adjusting to college life, setting goals, and managing stress.
Referral Services: Coaches connect students with relevant campus resources, such as tutoring, counseling, or financial aid.
Retention: By building strong relationships with students, they can identify those at risk and implement interventions to prevent them from dropping out.
Goal Setting and Action Planning: Success coaches work with students to identify their goals and create action plans to achieve them.
Holistic Approach: They consider all aspects of a student’s life, including personal, social, and career goals, when providing support.

Distinction from Academic Advisors:

While academic advisors focus on course selection and degree requirements, success coaches take a broader view, addressing the multifaceted needs of students. They help students develop the skills and strategies to succeed in all areas of their lives, not just academics.

Benefits of Success Coaching:

Increased Student Retention: By providing support and addressing potential barriers, success coaches can significantly improve student retention rates.
Improved Academic Performance: Students who utilize success coaching often see improvements in their grades and overall academic performance.
Enhanced Student Well-being: Success coaches can help students manage stress, improve their time management skills, and build stronger relationships, leading to a more positive college experience.
Career Development: Success coaches can also help students explore career options and develop the skills necessary for future success.

Where to Find Student Success Coaches:

University/College Websites: Many institutions have dedicated pages or departments that offer success coaching services.
Academic Advising Centers: Success coaches may be part of or work closely with academic advising departments.
Student Success Centers: These centers often provide a range of support services, including success coaching.
First-Year Experience Programs: Success coaching is often a key component of programs designed to support first-year students.

This new solution will help coaches analyze unstructured data—such as session notes—to identify trends, generate summaries, and recommend next steps, enabling them to support more students effectively. InsideTrack, which assists over 200,000 learners annually through 2.2 million coaching interactions, aims to use AI to streamline reporting and provide deeper insights while preserving the human connections vital to student success.

“AI adoption must support—not erode—the relationships that drive student success,” said Ruth Bauer, President of InsideTrack. “By centering this work on the experiences of students and coaches, we’re developing human-centered tools that expand capacity and help learners achieve their goals.”

Ron Smith, Salesforce’s VP of Philanthropy, emphasized that “AI should enhance human connection, not replace it,” ensuring ethical and responsible integration in higher education.

Dr. Tim Renick of Georgia State University, an InsideTrack advisor, added: “We need tools that empower frontline staff to act quickly on insights and provide meaningful support—because knowing who needs help is only the first step.”

The initiative reflects a growing effort to leverage AI for scalable, equitable student support while maintaining the personal engagement that drives long-term success.