What Knack does

Knack Technologies, Inc. is a U.S. higher-education technology company that operates a peer-to-peer tutoring platform connecting students at partner institutions with qualified peer tutors who have already succeeded in the same courses. The platform is delivered as a React web application and React Native iOS/Android mobile apps, backed by a Laravel/GraphQL backend deployed on AWS (ECS, EC2, S3, Redshift) managed via Terraform, with an integrated Online Classroom built on Amazon Chime SDK (audio, video, whiteboard, screen sharing) and a Salesforce AppExchange managed package that nightly syncs Tutoring Session data into partner Salesforce/EDA instances. Knack handles end-to-end tutor recruitment, training, and independent-contractor payroll, and charges partner institutions through subscription contracts (with one disclosed $540K expanded deal at the University of Florida and 50+ institutional customers including Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Northeastern, Fordham, and Miami Dade College). The company serves 4-year and 2-year higher-education institutions as its core market and has extended adjacent offerings to K-12 organizations and employers, with secondary distribution through the Salesforce AppExchange and self-serve student/tutor sign-up via joinknack.com. Knack is privately held, closed a Series B led by New Markets Venture Partners in October 2025, and is led by CEO Megan Dusenbery with founder Samyr Qureshi serving as Executive Chairman; Dr. Mark P. Becker (former Georgia State University President) joined the board in January 2026.

Name

Knack

Legal name

Knack Technologies, Inc.

Website

https://joinknack.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Knack operates a peer-to-peer tutoring platform for U.S. colleges and universities, recruiting, training, and paying student tutors as independent contractors via a web and React Native mobile app integrated with Amazon Chime and Salesforce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Peer Tutoring Software

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Tutoring & Homework Help Marketplaces (On-Demand) (EDAFAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Integrated Tutoring + Learning Content Platforms (Curriculum + Tutors) (EDANAGAL)

Keywords

• Peer tutoring platform
• Higher education software
• Student success technology
• Peer learning platform
• Academic support software

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Institutional Subscriptions / Partnership Fees: Recurring revenue from higher education institutions (4-year, 2-year, community colleges) that contract with Knack to deploy the peer tutoring platform on their campus. Knack handles tutor recruitment, training, and payment (tutors are onboarded as independent contractors), and charges the institution. A $540K expanded deal with University of Florida was reported, suggesting contract sizes in the hundreds of thousands per institution.
2. Tutor Gig Economy Payments (Re-couped from Institutions): Knack recruits, trains, and pays qualified student tutors as independent contractors with flexible scheduling (described as similar to Uber/DoorDash couriers). Tutor labor costs are funded via the institutional partnership, creating a managed marketplace-style service bundled within the institutional subscription.
3. Adjacent Segments (K-12 and Employers): Secondary revenue lines into K-12 organizations and employers, using the same peer-tutoring platform extended for different learner populations.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Knack is a peer tutoring platform that recruits, trains, and pays qualified students as independent contractors to tutor peers at their institutions. It combines in-person tutoring at campus-approved locations with an integrated Online Classroom supporting real-time whiteboard, audio, video, and screen sharing. The platform includes one-click SAML SSO, web and mobile apps, flexible scheduling, and an AppExchange package that nightly syncs tutoring data into partner institutions' Salesforce orgs.

Product overview

Knack is offered as a single integrated peer tutoring platform spanning web and mobile (iOS/Android) applications, with the Online Classroom built in as a core sub-module for real-time audio, video, whiteboard, and screen-sharing tutoring sessions. The same underlying engine is positioned for multiple institutional segments — 4-Year Institutions, 2-Year Institutions, K-12 Organizations, Employers, and Organizational Partnerships — each with a dedicated landing page. The mobile experience is delivered through Knack's React Native iOS and Android apps, which consume the company's internal Laravel-based GraphQL API. The portfolio is extended with add-on integrations such as the Knack Salesforce AppExchange package (which nightly syncs tutoring session data into partner Salesforce instances) and a Knack-branded merchandise store, with supporting customer-facing touch points including a Trust Center, Help Center, and System Status page.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Knack (peer tutoring platform): Modernized peer-to-peer tutoring platform for higher education students, pairing learners with peer tutors who have succeeded in the same courses.

Products and services

• Knack Peer Tutoring Platform Modernized peer tutoring platform for higher education institutions that recruits, trains, and pays qualified students as independent contractors to tutor peers who are taking courses they have already passed. Combines in-person tutoring at campus-approved locations with an integrated Online Classroom for online sessions, one-click SAML SSO, web and mobile apps, and flexible scheduling. Reports a 500% average increase in partner tutor networks.
• Knack Mobile App (iOS and Android) Native React Native (Hermes/Fabric) iOS and Android applications that deliver the Knack peer tutoring flows on mobile, deployed via fastlane with self-hosted M1/M2 Mac Mini GitHub Runners and built on a shared monorepo with platform-aware resolvers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of students reported higher grades after receiving tutoring on Knack
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Dr. Mark P. BeckerminorOthers · 29 January 2026Former President of Georgia State University and former president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, appointed to Knack's Board of Directors to strengthen leadership as the company expands its peer-driven academic support model.
• SalesforcecoreTechnology or IntegrationKnack built and distributes a Salesforce AppExchange package that includes custom objects (Tutoring Session, Student Tutoring Session), custom tabs, and a Connected app for OAuth-secured nightly sync of tutoring session data into partner institutions' Salesforce instances. Requires the Education Data Architecture (EDA) extension.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationAWS has been Knack's primary cloud provider since 2015. Knack uses ECS, EC2, S3, VPC, IAM, Service Discovery, Elastic Load Balancing, ECR, and Redshift, all managed via Terraform. AWS Lambda/API Gateway/CloudWatch power Knack's custom Chime A/V observability dashboard. Knack also uses the Amazon Chime SDK for audio/video in its Online Classroom.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Upswing: Upswing is a peer-tutoring platform purpose-built for community colleges and four-year institutions, directly competing with Knack on the same higher-ed GTM, tutor-matching model, and institutional subscription.
• Brainfuse: Brainfuse provides online tutoring, writing assistance, and study resources sold directly into higher-ed libraries and student-success programs, competing with Knack on institutional procurement and online-classroom functionality.
• TutorMe: TutorMe (now part of Braintrust) is an online tutoring marketplace sold into higher-ed institutions with a virtual classroom, overlapping with Knack's peer-tutoring platform in target buyer, delivery model, and online-classroom feature set.
• Paper: Paper offers on-demand tutoring and academic support primarily to K-12 districts with growing higher-ed exposure, competing with Knack on institutional contracts and unlimited-tutoring subscription models.

Broad incumbents

• Tutor.com (Anthology): Tutor.com, now part of Anthology, is the incumbent online tutoring provider serving thousands of U.S. colleges, universities, and libraries; it competes with Knack for institutional contracts but offers broader subject coverage and a professional-tutor (vs. peer-tutor) model.
• Varsity Tutors: Varsity Tutors (a Nerdy brand) provides one-to-one and group tutoring across K-12, college, and professional segments, competing with Knack in the broader online tutoring category with a larger, more diversified offering.
• EAB: EAB is a higher-ed consultancy and technology provider serving student success, enrollment, and retention functions; it overlaps with Knack at the institutional buyer level (student success) and competes for the same student-success budget line items.

Emerging players

• Course Hero: Course Hero is a study-resources and tutoring platform for college students, serving the same higher-ed learner base as Knack with adjacent (rather than directly competing) peer-matching and tutor content.
• StudyPool: StudyPool is an on-demand homework help and tutoring marketplace serving college students, comparable to Knack's marketplace dynamics but operating on a consumer-direct rather than institutional subscription model.

Others

• Wiley Education Services: Wiley Education Services provides higher-ed program management and learning services to colleges and universities, sharing Knack's institutional buyer profile while operating in adjacent (rather than overlapping) tutoring and content services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/joinknack
• GitHubgithub.com/KnackTech
• Facebookfacebook.com/joinknack
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joinknack

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Knack