Sutori
Sutori (operated by HSTRY LTD.) is a Boston-based, bootstrapped EdTech company that provides a cloud-based, vertical-scrolling timeline and collaborative presentation platform for K-12 teachers and students, with extensions into higher education, business and journalism. It serves 2.8M+ users globally through a freemium + per-seat subscription model, monetizing via Sutori Unlimited ($120/educator/year), school/district licenses, and Sutori Pro ($399/year for businesses).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Sutori does
Sutori is a Boston-based, privately held company (legally HSTRY LTD., incorporated in Delaware) that operates a cloud-based, vertical-scrolling timeline and collaborative presentation platform purpose-built for the K-12 history and social studies classroom and extended to English/language learning, STEM, arts, elementary and higher-education use cases. The product is a web-first (no install), browser-based application supporting real-time multi-user collaboration, in-app polls/quizzes for formative assessment, voice/video recording, one-click URL embeds of any external resource (YouTube, Google Docs, PDFs, Maps, Flipgrid, Padlet, Genially), and a public-domain media library via the Openverse API. It integrates with the major K-12 LMS and roster systems (Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, Moodle, Powerschool, Schoology, Clever, Edmodo) and is positioned as a Google for Education Partner, with infrastructure hosted on Heroku and AWS, fronted by Cloudflare CDN, payments via Stripe, and analytics via Amplitude and Google Analytics.
Sutori operates a hybrid go-to-market combining a self-serve product-led growth funnel (free signup via Google/Office 365/Clever/Edmodo/Facebook, 30-day full-feature trial, auto-downgrade to the free Sutori Essential plan) with an inside-sales motion run largely by the founders ([email protected]) for schools, departments, districts and colleges. Pricing is layered: a free Essential tier; Sutori Unlimited at $120/educator/year (students attached to a paying educator are upgraded at no additional cost, creating a land-and-expand dynamic); $500/year department bundles; $2,500/year school-wide site licences; custom multi-year district and college contracts including LTI integration, centralized admin and district-wide analytics; and a $399/year Sutori Pro plan for business, journalist and NGO users with unbranded stories and embed rights. Distribution is reinforced by 10+ LMS integrations, an ambassador program (Sutori Storytellers, offering 20% discounts for reviews), and social-impact partnerships with UNICEF Kid Power and BuildOn.
The company is founder-led by three co-founders — brothers Jonathan Ketchell and Thomas Ketchell plus Yoran Brondsema — and the team size is reported as 1–10 employees. It is bootstrapped/self-sufficient (the About page states all sales are reinvested), with only $300K disclosed in a 2016 funding round, and reports 2.8M+ teacher and student users across more than 50 trusted institutions (including Dulwich College, Johns Hopkins, Academy of the Holy Names, Michigan State, Artevelde, Waitakere College) and high-visibility business users (PBS, UNICEF, Greenpeace, United Nations, ICIJ, BYU, Walmart, Amnesty International, New York State Education Department). Compliance posture — COPPA, FERPA, SOPIPA, SOPPA, CCPA and GDPR — is a deliberate procurement gate for K-12 adoption.
Sutori firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sutori
- Legal name
- HSTRY LTD.
- Website
- https://sutori.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sutori (operated by HSTRY LTD.) is a Boston-based, bootstrapped EdTech company that provides a cloud-based, vertical-scrolling timeline and collaborative presentation platform for K-12 teachers and students, with extensions into higher education, business and journalism. It serves 2.8M+ users globally through a freemium + per-seat subscription model, monetizing via Sutori Unlimited ($120/educator/year), school/district licenses, and Sutori Pro ($399/year for businesses).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sutori industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Technology / K-12 Collaborative Learning Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms (BPAMAJAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Open Educational Resources (OER) & Curriculum Repositories (EDAFACAJ), Assessment & Test Prep Media (Video Lessons, Drills, Simulations) (EDAGALAD)
Keywords
Where Sutori is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sutori business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Sutori Essential (Freemium for educators and students): Free, ad-free plan for teachers and students with core story creation, sharing, collaboration, presentation mode, and basic student management. Users start with a 30-day full-feature trial and are auto-moved to Essential afterwards; users can upgrade at any time.
- Sutori Unlimited (per-educator subscription): $120 per year per educator, billed annually. Unlocks videos, quizzes, polls, audio, file uploads, bulk upload, headings, links, customization, feedback, class discussions, story analytics, templates, Google Drive and LMS integration. All students tied to the educator are upgraded at no extra cost (land-and-expand).
- Department and school-wide licences: Site-licence bundles: Sutori for Departments at $500/year for 6 educators, Sutori for Schools at $2,500 for a school-wide unlimited licence, and Sutori for Districts & Colleges as a custom quote that includes LTI integration, centralized admin, and district-wide stats.
- Sutori Pro (Business plan): $399/year business plan for organizations/marketers/journalists — unlimited unbranded stories, removal of Sutori branding, embed all web media, add video and comments, 50,000 embed views/month. Auto-renews annually and can be cancelled any time.
- Discount programs and non-profit pricing: 20% discount to non-profits across all plans and to teachers who join the Sutori Storytellers ambassador program, plus ad-hoc free Unlimited licences (e.g., ~4,400 during first Covid-19 wave valued at $44,000, and 5,400 in 2020-2021).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Sutori Essential – free, ad-free plan with core create/share/collaborate/presentation/embed and student management. |
| Per seat | Annual | Sutori Unlimited – $120/educator/year, full features, students auto-upgraded. |
| Per seat | Annual | Sutori for Departments – $500/year for 6 educator Unlimited subscriptions. |
| Subscription | Annual | Sutori for Schools – $2,500 school-wide unlimited licence. |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Sutori for Districts & Colleges – custom quote (includes LTI integration, centralized admin, district-wide stats). |
| Subscription | Annual | Sutori Pro – $399/year business plan with unbranded stories and up to 50,000 embed views/month. |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels11 records
Sutori product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sutori is a cloud-based, browser-based collaborative timeline and presentation platform built primarily for K-12 history, social studies and other classroom use cases. Teachers and students create vertical-scrolling "stories" that embed any web resource (YouTube, PDFs, Google Docs, Maps, Flipgrid, Padlet), include polls and quizzes, record voice/video, and collaborate in real time. The platform is sold via freemium to individual educators, per-seat and site licences to schools and districts, and a separate $399/year Sutori Pro plan for businesses, journalists and non-profits.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sutori (educational timeline platform) Cloud-based, browser-based collaborative timeline and presentation platform built for K-12 classrooms. Teachers and students create vertical-scrolling "stories" that embed any web resource (YouTube, PDFs, Google Docs, Maps), include polls/quizzes, record voice/video, and collaborate in real time. Sold via freemium to individual educators (Sutori Essential free, Sutori Unlimited $120/educator/year), department bundles ($500/yr for 6 educators), school-wide licences ($2,500/yr) and custom district/college plans with LTI integration, centralized admin and district-wide analytics.
- Sutori Pro (business timeline tier) Separate self-serve business tier of the Sutori platform priced at $399/year. Targets organizations, marketers, journalists, NGOs and corporate communications teams that need unbranded, embeddable visual storytelling for their own CMSs and websites. Includes unlimited unbranded stories, removal of Sutori branding, embedding of all web media and 50,000 embed views per month (higher volumes available on custom plan).
Quantifiable outcome
- 2,846,369+ teachers and students use Sutori (figure shown on the homepage)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Sutori
Customer profileNamed customers26 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Sutori technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration31 records
Feature8 records
Sutori partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
32 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Google for EducationflagshipSutori is a Google for Education Partner; the Google for Education Partner badge is displayed on the Sutori homepage and referenced on the schools page. The partnership is the cornerstone of Sutori's distribution into K-12, underpinning the deep Google Classroom, Google Drive and Google Workspace integration.
- Google ClassroomflagshipDeep Google Classroom integration — teachers can save teaching time by managing assignments and student work through Google Classroom, import class rosters in minutes, and the schools page highlights "LMS integration" as a core admin feature.
- Google Drive / Google WorkspaceflagshipSutori integrates with Google Drive and embeds Google Docs, Drawings, Forms, Sheets, Slides and Maps directly inside timelines; Google Drive integration is a listed Sutori Unlimited feature.
- Microsoft Teams / Microsoft 365flagshipSutori "seamlessly integrates with Google Classroom and Microsoft 365" per the homepage; Microsoft Teams is one of the listed LMS integrations on the schools page.
- BlackboardcoreListed among the LMS providers that Sutori integrates with on the schools page.
- CanvascoreListed among the LMS providers that Sutori integrates with on the schools page.
- D2L (Brightspace)coreListed among the LMS providers that Sutori integrates with on the schools page.
- MoodlecoreListed among the LMS providers that Sutori integrates with on the schools page.
- PowerschoolcoreListed among the LMS providers that Sutori integrates with on the schools page.
- SchoologycoreListed among the LMS providers that Sutori integrates with on the schools page.
- ClevercoreClever is one of the SSO/identity options on the Login and Signup pages, and listed in the privacy policy as a third-party registration/authentication service.
- EdmodocoreEdmodo is one of the SSO/identity options on the Login and Signup pages, and listed in the privacy policy as a third-party registration/authentication service.
- Openverse (Smithsonian, NASA, iNaturalist, etc.)coreOpenverse integration exposes millions of public-domain educational images from sources such as the Smithsonian, NASA and iNaturalist directly within Sutori's media uploader.
- StripecoreStripe is Sutori's payment processor, processing credit card and billing information for paid subscriptions (Sutori Unlimited, Pro, school and district plans).
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreAWS is used as a hosting and backend service for Sutori; AWS is also used to deliver transactional email via Amazon Simple Email Service.
- Heroku (Salesforce)coreHeroku is used as a hosting service for Sutori per the privacy policy's list of third-party service providers.
- CloudflarecoreCloudflare is used for traffic optimization and distribution and filters all traffic between Sutori and users' browsers.
- AmplitudecoreAmplitude is Sutori's product analytics service, providing site metrics and user-behaviour analytics.
- Google AnalyticscoreGoogle Analytics (Universal Analytics) is used for web analysis and reporting, with IP anonymization within the EU/EEA.
- YouTube / YouTube Data API / IFrame PlayercoreSutori embeds YouTube video widgets and uses the YouTube Data API and IFrame Player to let users search, watch, and manage YouTube content directly inside Sutori timelines.
- VimeocoreVimeo video widgets are integrated into Sutori, allowing users to embed Vimeo content in their timelines.
- SpotifycoreSpotify widgets are integrated, allowing users to embed audio content (e.g., music and podcasts) in their timelines.
- SoundCloudcoreSoundCloud widgets are integrated, allowing users to embed SoundCloud audio in their timelines.
- Unsplash
- InstagramcoreInstagram widget is integrated, allowing users to embed Instagram content in their timelines.
- HeadwaycoreHeadway widget is integrated to power the "What's new?" changelog linked from the Sutori footer.
- Google MapscoreGoogle Maps widgets are integrated, allowing users to embed interactive maps in their timelines.
- CrispcoreCrisp is the live-chat platform that powers Sutori's in-app user support.
- Uptime RobotcoreUptime Robot is used for infrastructure monitoring of the Sutori service.
- UNICEF Kid PowerflagshipSutori partnered with UNICEF Kid Power for World Children's Day, enabling teachers and students worldwide to help kids suffering from severe acute malnutrition — every completed presentation unlocked a lifesaving packet of therapeutic food delivered by UNICEF.
- BuildOncoreSutori partnered with BuildOn to fund the construction of a new school in Guatemala; the campaign is featured on the Sutori 💙 Cares page.
- Common Sense EducationcoreCommon Sense Education hosts teacher reviews of Sutori; ambassadors in the Sutori Storytellers program are asked to write reviews there, and Sutori is a "Common Sense Selection for Learning" 2021.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sutori competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pear Deck: Interactive presentation and formative-assessment tool for K-12 classrooms. Closest direct peer — both embed inside Google Slides/Classroom and offer in-deck polls/quizzes aimed at the same K-12 teacher buyer, with a similar freemium-to-school-pricing motion.
- Nearpod: K-12 interactive lesson/presentation platform with embedded quizzes, polls, and VR. Directly comparable as a teacher-led, LMS-integrated presentation tool targeting the same K-12 and school/district procurement motion as Sutori.
- Buncee: Visual creation/presentation tool for educators, with embedded media, drawing, and classroom-sharing workflows. Closely comparable to Sutori's "visual storytelling for the classroom" positioning and teacher self-serve go-to-market.
- Wakelet: Curated content collections and visual storytelling platform used heavily by K-12 and higher-ed educators. Comparable as an alternative presentation/portfolio format competing for the same teacher workflow and LMS-embedded use cases.
- Padlet: Collaborative visual boards for classrooms, used by teachers for assignments and discussion. Overlaps with Sutori's collaboration-and-embed functionality and is even referenced as a Sutori integration partner, indicating head-to-head competition for the same teacher.
- Book Creator: Browser-based multimedia book/presentation tool for K-12. Comparable as a teacher-led, embed-rich, LMS-integrated creation tool with a freemium-to-school pricing model similar to Sutori's.
Broad incumbents
- Canva for Education: Free Canva tier built for K-12 teachers and classrooms. A larger, well-funded incumbent offering general-purpose visual content creation — Sutori's narrative/timeline niche competes against its broader presentation portfolio.
- Prezi: Established non-linear presentation platform with an education tier. A broader incumbent competing for the same teacher/presentation wallet, especially for narrative and chronological content where Sutori is positioned.
Emerging players
- Timeline JS (Knight Lab): Open-source timeline tool widely used in journalism and education for chronological storytelling. A free, niche competitor for Sutori's timeline format in journalism/higher-ed contexts; differs in being free/open-source rather than a commercial SaaS.
- Piktochart: Visual storytelling tool used by educators, NGOs, and businesses for infographics/timelines. Directly comparable to Sutori Pro for the business/journalism/NGO segment, where the addressable overlap is the embed-on-website storytelling use case.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sutori social profiles
Digital presenceSutori financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sutori leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Sutori funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sutori M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sutori
What does Sutori do?
Sutori is a cloud-based, browser-based collaborative timeline and presentation platform built primarily for K-12 history, social studies and other classroom use cases. Teachers and students create vertical-scrolling "stories" that embed any web resource (YouTube, PDFs, Google Docs, Maps, Flipgrid, Padlet), include polls and quizzes, record voice/video, and collaborate in real time. The platform is sold via freemium to individual educators, per-seat and site licences to schools and districts, and a separate $399/year Sutori Pro plan for businesses, journalists and non-profits.
Is Sutori a public or private company?
Sutori is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sutori founded?
Sutori was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sutori based?
Sutori is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sutori make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Sutori Essential (Freemium for educators and students) is the primary driver. The others are sutori Unlimited (per-educator subscription), department and school-wide licences, sutori Pro (Business plan) and discount programs and non-profit pricing.
Who are Sutori's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pear Deck, Nearpod, Buncee, Wakelet, Padlet and Book Creator. Broad incumbents are Canva for Education and Prezi. Emerging players are Timeline JS (Knight Lab) and Piktochart.
Does Sutori have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sutori.
What industry is Sutori in?
Sutori's product category is Educational Technology / K-12 Collaborative Learning Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAJAL, Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAFACAJ, Open Educational Resources (OER) & Curriculum Repositories. Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7372.