Proof of Usefulness Report

Niche

Analysis completed on 2/8/2026

+543
Proof of Usefulness Score
Industry Mainstay

Niche is a market-leading education platform with verifiable high utility, serving 70M+ annual users and generating estimated revenue of $100M+. The project demonstrates significant process innovation with 'Niche Direct Admissions' (TIME 2024 Best Invention). However, the specific submission contained poor quality data (incorrect market cap, exaggerated team size, lazy text), which heavily penalized the Response Quality score. Despite the sloppy entry, the underlying entity's scale and utility warrant a high valuation in the 500-600 range.

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Score Breakdown

Real World Utility+142.5
Audience Reach Impact+117.0
Technical Innovation+102.0
Evidence Of Traction+142.5
Market Timing Relevance+90.0
Functional Completeness+10.0
Subtotal+604
Usefulness Multiplierx0.9
Final Score+544

Project Details

Project URL
niche.com
Description
Niche is modernizing the way students and families choose their best-fit schools and colleges, and how institutions build their future classes. We believe it shouldn’t be hard to find where you belong, so it’s our mission to make it easy, transparent and free. Used by over 70 million people annually, Niche is the trusted partner to over 3,000 schools and colleges, helping them to streamline operations, build brand awareness and achieve their enrollment targets. Our nationally recognized Niche Direct Admissions® program is revolutionizing the college admissions process by enabling colleges to proactively accept qualified students based solely on their Niche Profile, offering real-time acceptance and scholarship opportunities. TIME named Niche Direct Admissions as one of 2024’s Best Inventions. For over 20 years, Niche has been empowering informed decision-making, and we remain dedicated to improving and simplifying the education journey for all.

Algorithm Insights

Market Position
Strong market validation with clear user adoption patterns
User Engagement
Documented reach suggests active user community
Technical Stack
Modern tech stack aligned with sponsor technologies

Recommendations to Increase Usefulness Score

Document User Growth

Provide specific metrics on user acquisition and retention rates

Showcase Revenue Model

Detail sustainable monetization strategy and current revenue streams

Expand Evidence Base

Include testimonials, case studies, and third-party validation

Technical Roadmap

Share development milestones and feature completion timeline