Business
LegalZoom Renews Commitment to Defy Ventures to Support Entrepreneurship Programs for Currently and Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
Funding will strengthen reentry peer support, expand national programming, and broaden entrepreneurship opportunities MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS
About this update from Legalzoom.com, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\nFunding will strengthen reentry peer support, expand national programming, and broaden entrepreneurship opportunities\n\n MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nLegalZoom.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: LZ), a leading online platform for legal services, today announced the renewal of its partnership with Defy Ventures, a leading nonprofit empowering currently and formerly incarcerated individuals through entrepreneurship and personal development programs. This renewed commitment will fund the national expansion of Defy’s mental well-being and post-release entrepreneurship initiatives, building on a track record of success that has provided a pathway to economic opportunity for approximately 8,000 individuals.\n\nIn 2025, with LegalZoom’s funding, Defy Ventures significantly expanded its Real Talk support groups, a trauma-informed, therapeutic peer-support program designed to help Entrepreneurs in Training (EITs) navigate the challenges of reentry. Between January and September 2025, 137 EITs participated in the program across California and Illinois, surpassing Defy’s annual goal and providing critical support that improved job skills, strengthened emotional intelligence, and helped participants secure jobs, training, and essential resources.\n\nDefy also achieved a historic milestone in 2025, securing a $4.5 million, three-year state grant from the California Board of State and Community Corrections. This transformational funding—supporting and expanding programming that LegalZoom helped to cultivate—will allow Defy to hire additional well-being support staff and scale operations across California.\n\n“Our partnership with Defy Ventures is a core part of our commitment to fostering economic opportunity and second chances rooted in business entrepreneurship,” said Nicole Miller, Chief Legal Officer at LegalZoom and Board Member of Defy Ventures. “Witnessing the tangible impact of programs like Real Talk, and how our ongoing commitment has helped Defy secure significant additional funding, reaffirms our belief in this model. We believe in making legal resources accessible and giving people the tools to navigate the system with confidence and are proud to continue supporting their vital work to transform lives.”\n\nDefy Ventures has been able to maintain recidivism rates under 10% at the one-year mark and under 15% at three years—far belo...