Upstream

What Upstream does

Upstream Education is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 by Tessa Zimmerman that develops and distributes an evidence-based Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Tier 1 mental health curriculum for middle and high school students (grades 6-12). The core product is a digital curriculum platform containing 120 bite-sized lessons across four levels, each designed to take 10 minutes or less and delivered through scripted lesson plans with matching Google Slides presentations. Content is aligned to the five CASEL competencies, includes Spanish translations, and incorporates mindfulness, positive psychology, and positive self-talk. The company also offers complementary products: Tessa's Toolbox (stress-reduction tools such as Grounding 5-4-3-2-1 and Finger Breathing), the Mental Health Changemakers Fellowship (year-long educator fellowship with $500 stipend and lifetime curriculum access), the Student Task Force (paid summer program with $900 stipend), the Wellness Series (virtual sessions with external practitioners), Professional Development and Parent Training add-ons, and a Free Sample Pack.

The organization operates a B2B subscription partnership model, selling annual or multi-year licenses directly to schools and districts in three tiers: Curriculum Only at $2,750/year, Curriculum + Coaching + Professional Development at $5,500/academic year, and a Comprehensive 3-Year Package at $12,000 with parent training and posters. Distribution is conducted via direct enterprise field sales with dedicated account managers handling onboarding, monthly check-ins, and weekly reminders. Revenue is supplemented by foundation grants (Colorado Health Foundation), corporate contributions ($100,000 from Morgan Stanley in March 2024), and donations via GiveButter. Upstream reports reaching 40,000+ students per week and nearly 60,000 students cumulatively across nine U.S. states (Colorado, California, New York, Texas, Connecticut, South Carolina, Arizona, Ohio, Illinois). The organization operates with a lean 1-10 person team led by founder Tessa Zimmerman and fractional COO Chris Sanborn.

Name

Upstream

Legal name

Upstream Education

Website

https://upstreamedu.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Upstream Education is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers an evidence-based, bite-sized Social Emotional Learning curriculum of 120 lessons to middle and high schools via subscription partnerships, reaching 40,000+ students weekly across nine U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Social Emotional Learning Platform

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Educational Services (61), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Wellbeing Digital Curriculum (EDAFACAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

School-Based SEL Curriculum & Instructional Programs (EDAKAMAA), Staff Training, Coaching & Professional Development (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAL)

Keywords

• Social emotional learning
• Mental health curriculum
• Student wellness platform
• K-12 SEL programs
• Educator professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

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, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. School Partnership Licenses: Schools and districts pay annual or multi-year licensing fees to access Upstream's digital curriculum platform, lesson plans, Google Slides, Spanish translations, and support services. Pricing tiers range from curriculum-only to comprehensive implementation packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Upstream Education provides a digital, evidence-based Tier 1 Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and mental health curriculum for middle and high schools (grades 6-12). Its core offering consists of 120 bite-sized lessons across 4 levels, delivered through an online platform with scripted lesson plans, matching Google Slides presentations, and Spanish translations. The company also offers supplementary educator fellowships, a student task force program, wellness sessions, and professional development/parent training packages sold to schools and districts via annual or multi-year subscription licenses.

Product overview

Upstream Education is a nonprofit SEL (Social Emotional Learning) platform offering a suite of mental health tools for K–12 schools, centered on its Core Curriculum of 120 bite-sized, CASEL-aligned lessons (Levels 1–4) for grades 6–12. The curriculum is delivered via an online platform providing lesson plans and Google Slides, supplemented by Tessa's Toolbox (individual stress-reduction tools like Grounding 5-4-3-2-1 and Finger Breathing), the Mental Health Changemakers Fellowship (a year-long educator professional development program), the Student Task Force (a paid summer student advisory program), the Wellness Series (virtual wellness sessions with external practitioners), and Professional Development/Parent Training add-ons. The three partnership tiers (Curriculum Only at $2,750; Curriculum + Coaching + PD at $5,500; and full Curriculum + Coaching + PD + Parent Training + Posters at $12,000) govern access to these modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core Curriculum (Levels 1-4, 120 Lessons) The primary Tier 1 Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and mental health curriculum for grades 6-12, consisting of 120 bite-sized lessons across four levels. Each lesson includes scripted lesson plans and matching Google Slides presentations. The curriculum is aligned to the five CASEL competencies and rooted in mindfulness, positive psychology, and positive self-talk practices. Sold to schools and districts via subscription licenses.
• Tessa's Toolbox A collection of stand-alone stress-reducing tools for students and educators, including guided practices such as Grounding 5-4-3-2-1, Finger Breathing, and Gratitude Flip, each taking under 2 minutes to practice. Designed for use in classrooms or staff meetings.
• Student Task Force A paid summer program in which high school students from Upstream partner schools collaborate to edit lessons, build new tools, provide feedback on teacher training, and learn from wellness practitioners. Members receive a $900 stipend for participation.
• Mental Health Changemakers Fellowship A year-long educator fellowship that equips teachers, counselors, social workers, and administrators with Tier 1 Mental Health and SEL tools. Fellows receive a $500 stipend, lifetime curriculum access, monthly coaching calls with subject matter experts, a certificate with 12 professional development hours, and the opportunity to scale the program school-wide at no cost.
• Wellness Series

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of students report Upstream reducing their stress in school
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• George RamsaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreathwork practitioner and wellness expert who leads optional wellness sessions for Upstream's Educator Fellowship. Provides professional development content and supports the Wellness Series for educators, students, and families. Featured in Tools 4 Tough Times campaign.
• Kate SheehancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLCSW and mental health expert who provides monthly coaching calls for Mental Health Changemaker Fellows. Contributes professional development expertise to the fellowship program.
• Kevin CourtneyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWellness practitioner partner for Upstream's Wellness Series, offering free virtual wellness sessions for educators, students, families, and community members.
• The ClassminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWellness organization partnered with Upstream for the Wellness Series providing yoga and meditation content. Founder Tessa Zimmerman enjoys taking The Class in her spare time.
• Natalie KuhnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWellness practitioner who contributed to Student Task Force programming, teaching student leaders wellness practices during the summer program.
• Dr. Brooke Stafford-BrizardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVice President of Research Practice at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative who provides monthly coaching calls for Mental Health Changemaker Fellows, offering expertise in research practice and educational innovation.
• Brittany Simone AndersonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram Advisory Board member and wellness practitioner who provides yoga and meditation sessions for Educator Fellowship participants.
• Dr. Lee BynumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsultant and strategist on Upstream's Program Advisory Board who provides monthly professional development calls for fellowship participants. Expert in inclusion and equity in education.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 7 Mindsets: SEL and school culture program for K-12 with scripted lessons and professional development; comparable in school-district sales motion and curriculum-based SEL delivery.
• CharacterStrong: K-12 SEL curriculum and character education program sold to schools and districts; comparable in offering scripted, ready-to-deliver SEL lessons for classroom use.
• Move This World: Video-based SEL curriculum for K-12 with scripted lessons and educator support; directly comparable to Upstream in bite-sized, scripted SEL delivery to schools and districts.
• BASE Education: Online SEL curriculum for middle and high schools with lessons, educator tools, and outcome reporting; competes in the same Tier 1 SEL segment Upstream targets.
• Second Step (Committee for Children): Committee for Children's flagship SEL curriculum for K-8 schools; one of the most widely adopted SEL programs in U.S. schools and the closest direct competitor to Upstream in classroom-based, scripted SEL lessons.
• Panorama Education: K-12 SEL and climate platform offering surveys plus curriculum and intervention tools; comparable as a school-based SEL platform with a similar district sales motion, though broader in scope.
• Aperture Education: SEL assessment and curriculum platform for K-12 with educator-facing lessons and outcome measurement; comparable in combining SEL measurement with classroom curriculum for schools.

Broad incumbents

• ClassDojo: Massively adopted K-12 classroom engagement and SEL/character education platform; broad incumbent that overlaps with Upstream's social-emotional learning use cases at scale.
• Nearpod: K-12 digital lesson and SEL delivery platform with a large content library; broader instructional platform that overlaps with Upstream's classroom-delivery model.
• EVERFI: Large K-12 digital curriculum provider covering SEL, mental wellness, financial literacy, and more; broader portfolio and significantly larger scale than Upstream, but directly competes for SEL and mental health budgets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/upstreameducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upstream-edu
• Instagraminstagram.com/upstream_education
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Upstream