Shoelace Learning

What Shoelace Learning does

Shoelace Learning is a Halifax-based educational technology company founded in 2019 that builds Dreamscape, a game-based literacy platform targeting students in grades 3 through 8. The product frames reading practice as an interactive adventure game, using an adaptive engine that adjusts difficulty in real time via a "steeth assessment" methodology — measuring competency during gameplay rather than through separate tests. To date, the platform has reached more than 5 million children across 160 countries and has logged over 953 million learning moments, with roughly 700,000 learning moments delivered per week. Reported engagement metrics — 92% license activation versus a ~65% industry benchmark, 85% engagement sustained over eight weeks, and 50% accelerated growth within four weeks — are highlighted by the company as evidence of product-market fit.

The company operates a dual go-to-market motion. On the enterprise side, Shoelace sells district and school licenses (pricing not publicly disclosed) supported by field sales and platform integrations with Google for Education and Clever, as well as an efficacy partnership with Michigan Virtual. On the consumer side, parents can subscribe directly at $4.99 per month or $59.99 annually, and schools can participate in the Global Reading Tournament at $500 per school. Adjacent revenue and engagement surfaces include the Shoelace Summer Reading Program and the Shoelace Store merchandise line. The company has raised approximately $7 million across two seed rounds led by Sandpiper Ventures and co-led with BDC Capital's Thrive Venture Fund, plus a smaller ACOA grant, and was selected for the C100 Fellowship in 2023.

Underlying the product is a proprietary adaptive engine supported by a large proprietary dataset of granular reading behavior. The team is small (11-50 employees), and the company's competitive positioning rests on combining game design, adaptive personalization, and integration into K-12 district procurement flows rather than on any single cutting-edge AI technique.

Name

Shoelace Learning

Legal name

Shoelace Learning

Website

https://playdreamscape.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shoelace Learning is a Halifax-based edtech company that builds Dreamscape, a game-based adaptive literacy platform for students in grades 3-8, serving school districts, individual parents, and tournament participants across 160 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 EdTech / Adaptive Literacy Software

akta.pro primary industry

Adaptive Learning & Personalized Instruction Software (EDAJAMAE)

Keywords

• Adaptive learning platform
• K-12 literacy software
• Game-based learning
• Reading comprehension tool
• Educational assessment software

Headquarters

HQ city

Halifax

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. School/District Subscriptions: Schools and districts purchase licenses (per-seat or site-wide) to access the Shoelace platform for their students. Pricing is structured in packages, with outcomes-guaranteed partnerships and 4-week pilots leading to longer-term subscriptions.
2. Parent/Consumer Subscriptions: Individual parents purchase direct-to-consumer subscriptions for their children, with a yearly plan offered at $59.99/year (~$4.99/month). This is sold via the company's own e-commerce storefront.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Shoelace Learning develops Dreamscape, an adaptive game-based literacy platform for students in grades 3–8 that disguises rigorous reading comprehension practice as engaging gameplay. The platform combines a proprietary adaptive learning engine, stealth assessment (comprehension questions embedded in gameplay), real-time adaptive difficulty tuned to the Zone of Proximal Development, and game mechanics with rewards and characters to sustain voluntary engagement. It tracks approximately 700,000 Learning Moments Delivered per week across its user base.

Product overview

Shoelace Learning offers a single unified product — the Shoelace/Dreamscape platform — which is a game-based literacy solution for grades 3-8. The core platform combines adaptive learning technology with game mechanics to deliver stealth reading comprehension assessment. It is complemented by several add-on offerings including the Global Reading Tournament (competitive school program), the Summer Reading Program (seasonal enrichment), and the Shoelace Store (merchandise). The company also offers a direct-to-consumer parent subscription alongside its school/district partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dreamscape: Game-based literacy platform for Grades 3-8 that uses adaptive learning to disguise reading practice as engaging gameplay.

Products and services

• Shoelace (Dreamscape) Platform Adaptive game-based literacy platform for students in grades 3-8 that disguises rigorous reading comprehension practice as engaging gameplay, using stealth assessment, real-time adaptive difficulty, and game mechanics to drive 30 minutes of weekly voluntary reading practice. Sold primarily to K-12 schools and districts via subscription licenses.
• Parent Subscription (Yearly Plan)

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% of students show accelerated reading growth in as little as 4 weeks when fidelity is met
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Michigan VirtualcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichigan Virtual conducted a wide-scale efficacy study confirming dramatic reading growth among students using Shoelace's platform. This partnership provided the clinical validation data cited in marketing materials and on the website.
• C100 (Canadian Technology Accelerator)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShoelace was selected for the C100 Fellowship, gaining access to training and mentoring in Silicon Valley to support the company's growth strategy and international expansion.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lexia Learning (Lexia by Cambium): Direct competitor in adaptive K-12 literacy with structured reading programs (Lexia Core5, PowerUp). Targets the same grades 3-8 struggling reader segment with a more established district footprint.
• Imagine Learning: Major K-12 literacy provider with Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics and Twig Science; directly competes for district reading budgets with adaptive and standards-aligned content.
• Renaissance Learning: Owns myON, Accelerated Reader, and Star Assessments—directly overlapping with Shoelace on adaptive reading practice and assessment for grades 3-8 in the K-12 district channel.
• Newsela: Adaptive reading comprehension platform serving K-12 schools with leveled nonfiction content and assessment—directly competes for the same struggling-reader and engagement-driven use case.
• Reading Plus: Adaptive silent-reading fluency and comprehension platform for grades 3-12, sold primarily to districts and schools—competes head-to-head with Shoelace on the comprehension/stamina value proposition.
• DreamBox Learning: Adaptive K-8 learning platform (math-strong, with reading extensions) using real-time adjustment and engaging UX—comparable adaptive engine architecture and school sales motion.
• IXL Learning: K-12 personalized learning platform covering reading, math, and more with adaptive questions and teacher dashboards—competes broadly for supplemental practice licenses in the same district sales motion.

Broad incumbents

• Amplify: Large K-12 curriculum and assessment publisher (Amplify Reading, mCLASS) with established district relationships and substantially more capital—competes for the same literacy budgets at a larger scale.
• Khan Academy (Khan Academy Kids / Khanmigo): Free, high-credibility K-12 learning platform used widely in schools; competes indirectly as a free alternative and benchmarks adaptive practice expectations in the same segment.

Emerging players

• LightSail Education: Adaptive literacy platform for grades 3-8 with built-in assessment and ELL focus—similar school sales motion and grades 3-8 struggling-reader value proposition, but smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DreamscapeEDU
• Facebookfacebook.com/DreamscapeEDU

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors10 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 Shoelace Learning