COSI

Name

COSI

Legal name

Center of Science and Industry

Website

https://cosi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. General Admission Tickets: Admission fees for individuals and families visiting the museum. Tiered pricing by age category (adult, youth, senior, military) with online discount vs in-person pricing.
2. Venue Rental & Events: Rental of museum spaces including galleries, atrium, theaters, meeting rooms, and outdoor areas for corporate events, weddings, and social gatherings. Catering provided by Service Systems Associates Inc.
3. Museum Memberships: Annual membership programs providing free admission, exclusive benefits, and discounts. Digital cards accessible through mobile app.
4. Retail & Merchandise: Science experiment kits (Science2GO!), gift shop merchandise, e-gift cards sold through online store.
5. COSI After Dark Events: Adult-only evening events with themed experiences, food, beverages, and entertainment. Tickets priced at $20/person advance or $30/person at door.
6. Traveling Exhibits: Additional fees for special traveling exhibitions like The Science Behind Pixar and Mythic Creatures bundled with general admission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

COSI operates a hands-on science museum in downtown Columbus, Ohio, selling general admission to interactive STEM exhibits, traveling exhibitions, and signature immersive experiences such as the Immersive Voyager VR Simulator and Verse COSI augmented reality theater. It complements on-site experiences with annual memberships, school field trip programs, corporate and social event venue rentals, the COSI After Dark adult event series, the COSI Connects online learning platform, and the Boeing-funded HIVE workforce development initiative. Revenue is rounded out by retail merchandise (Science2GO!), grants, and consulting/evaluation services through the Center for Research and Evaluation (CRE).

Product overview

COSI (Center of Science and Industry) is a science museum in Columbus, Ohio, operating a single unified physical location with multiple interactive exhibits and educational programs. The core offering is general museum admission featuring hands-on exhibits across science, technology, and industry topics. The portfolio includes traveling exhibitions (The Science Behind Pixar, Mythic Creatures), core exhibits (Immersive Voyager VR Simulator, Project: Ripple Effect, little kidspace®, Planetarium), and special experiences like Verse COSI (augmented reality). Digital products include the COSI App (mobile ticketing and membership), COSI Connects (online learning platform), and educational video series Dr. B in 3 and QED with Dr. B. Additional offerings include COSI After Dark (adult evening events), The HIVE workforce development program, The Color of Science™ educational program, COSI Science Festival, and comprehensive event venue rental services for weddings and corporate events. COSI also operates a consulting arm, the Center for Research and Evaluation (CRE), offering social science research and evaluation services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• COSI Connects: COSI's online educational platform providing virtual learning experiences
• COSI After Dark
• The Color of Science
• The HIVE
• The Platform
• COSI Science Festival
• COSI's Center for Research and Evaluation (CRE)
• Verse COSI
• Science2GO!

Products and services

• COSI Museum General Admission COSI's primary science museum experience offering hands-on exhibits and interactive displays for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education across all age groups.
• The Science Behind Pixar Traveling exhibition exploring the science and technology behind Pixar animated films and characters, extended through September 7, 2026 and included with general admission.
• Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids Exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History tracing the natural and cultural roots of mythical creatures through cultural objects, models, and prehistoric animal fossils.
• Immersive Voyager: VR Simulator Virtual reality experience combining breathtaking virtual worlds with motion-powered seats for a fully immersive, multi-sensory adventure.
• Verse COSI Immersive augmented reality theater using AR eyeglasses featuring holographic worlds including 'Everworld: The Unreal Garden' and 'Star Walk.'
• Project: Ripple Effect Interactive exhibit exploring Ohio's water story and how everyday choices impact water quality and wildlife, created in partnership with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
• little kidspace® Dedicated interactive exhibit space designed for young children to explore science through hands-on play.
• COSI Planetarium Ohio's largest planetarium featuring shows about astronomy, space exploration, and celestial phenomena.
• COSI After Dark Evening event series for adults ages 21+ occurring on the second Thursday of each month, featuring themed entertainment, activities, food, craft beer, and cocktails.
• COSI Connects Digital educational platform offering online STEM content, virtual exhibits, and remote learning opportunities.
• Dr. B in 3 Original video series unpacking challenging science concepts over hip-hop soundscapes, spanning four seasons on topics from AI to genetics.
• QED with Dr. B Science education series exploring various scientific topics and concepts.
• The Color of Science™ Program highlighting women and persons of color making extraordinary contributions to STEM fields.
• COSI Science Festival Annual science festival celebrating STEM education and engagement for families and students.
• The HIVE Workforce development initiative helping students explore career pathways in aerospace, advanced manufacturing, engineering, and emerging technologies, with investment from Boeing.
• COSI App Mobile application providing quick access to tickets, showtimes, COSI map, cafe menus, and digital membership cards.
• COSI Events & Hospitality Event hosting services including weddings, corporate events, social gatherings, and specialty packages with catering options.
• Science2GO! Kits Science experiment kits and gift shop merchandise sold through COSI's retail online store and on-site gift shop.
• Center for Research and Evaluation (CRE) Social science consulting team providing evaluation, research, and planning services for learning and experiences, including the Informal STEM Education Evaluation (ISEE) system.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 million+ people engaged annually through onsite, offsite, and online experiences
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• The Ohio State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeep institutional partnership classified as 'an example of what a 21st century science center should look like.' OSU researchers, faculty, and students engage daily with 600,000+ on-site guests. Includes Labs in Life@COSI research laboratories, Portal to Public science communication training, and COSI Connects Live medical programs.
• OSU Wexner Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative program creating In Depth: Kidney Replacement where students learn about kidney transplant by viewing taped donor and recipient surgery footage narrated by OSU Comprehensive Transplant Team.
• American Museum of Natural HistorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids traveling exhibition organized by AMNH, featuring cultural objects, models, and cast fossils tracing natural and cultural roots of mythical creatures.
• Ohio Department of Natural ResourcessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject: Ripple Effect interactive exhibit created in partnership, exploring Ohio's water story and how everyday choices impact water quality, wildlife, and the environment.
• Verse ImmersivesecondaryTechnology or IntegrationLocation-based AR storytelling company that developed Verse COSI augmented reality experience featuring holographic worlds including 'Everworld: The Unreal Garden' and 'Star Walk' as a one-year pilot program.
• Franklin Park ConservatoryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent partner for COSI After Dark Rhythm & Brews event, providing collaborative programming and cross-promotion.
• Land Grant Brewing CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent partner for COSI After Dark Rhythm & Brews, providing beer samples and specialty beer offerings.
• Service Systems Associates Inc.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExclusive onsite caterer at COSI for all events, providing full food service operations including catering for weddings, corporate events, and COSI After Dark.
• Hell City Tattoo FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Halloween Tattoo Carnival event at COSI After Dark, bringing tattoo artists and carnival entertainment.
• NASAsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for National STEM Festival featuring NASA's STELLA satellite instrument and interactive demonstrations.
• BattellesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership to engage, inspire and transform lives through science programming.
• Columbus Zoo and AquariumsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerColumbus Member Advantage program offering $4 off general admission for members of participating Columbus institutions.
• EXPLRsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerOrganizer of National STEM Festival where COSI is a programming partner featuring design activities and the mobile synthetic-biology lab.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Museum of Science and Industry: Chicago-based science museum that directly inspired COSI's founding in 1957. Comparably large footprint, exhibits-based revenue model, and STEM education mission make it the closest historical and operational peer to COSI.
• Franklin Institute: Philadelphia science museum with comparable mission, hands-on exhibits, planetarium, IMAX-style theater, and STEM programming. Similar urban single-location model with mixed admissions, membership, and venue rental revenue.
• Exploratorium: San Francisco science museum emphasizing interactive learning, exhibits innovation, and adult evening programming (After Dark). Comparable R&D approach to exhibits and similar mission to make science accessible.
• California Science Center: Los Angeles science museum with large physical footprint, IMAX theater, and partnership-driven programming. Similar nonprofit operating model and blockbuster traveling exhibition strategy.
• Museum of Science (Boston): Boston-based science museum with planetarium, IMAX, and broad STEM programming. Comparable scale, single-urban-location model, and adult/family audience focus.
• Carnegie Science Center: Pittsburgh science center with planetarium, Buhl Planetarium, and STEM workforce development programs. Directly comparable in scale and Midwestern urban nonprofit operating model.
• Pacific Science Center: Seattle-based science center with IMAX theaters, planetarium, and university partnerships. Comparable programming model including HIVE-like workforce and STEM career pathway initiatives.
• Liberty Science Center: New Jersey science center with hands-on STEM exhibits, partner programming with universities and corporates, and similar urban nonprofit model with diversified revenue.
• Discovery Place: Charlotte-based science and technology center with hands-on exhibits, planetarium, IMAX-style theater, and STEM education programming. Comparable scale and Southeast-to-Midwest nonprofit science center model.

Others

• American Museum of Natural History: New York-based museum that supplies COSI's Mythic Creatures traveling exhibition. Acts as a content partner and indirect benchmark for exhibit IP development that COSI licenses rather than creates internally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/COSIScience
• Xx.com/COSI

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 COSI