Sumdog
Sumdog is an Edinburgh-based adaptive learning platform selling curriculum-aligned math and spelling games to primary schools, multi-academy trusts, local authorities, and families in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Sumdog does
Sumdog Ltd is an Edinburgh-headquartered educational technology company, founded in 2010 by Andrew Hall and now operating as a subsidiary of Sweden-listed eEducation Albert AB (publ). It sells a subscription-based adaptive learning platform for primary-school mathematics (ages 5-14) and spelling (ages 5-11), serving UK primary schools (2,700+ deployed as of 2025/2026), US elementary schools, multi-academy trusts, UK local authorities, families, and SENCOs across the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Distribution is dual-track: a sales-led motion for schools and MATs with quote-based annual licences, and a self-serve $8.99/month family subscription, supplemented by termly online math contests that drew over 48,000 classes and processed roughly 3.5 billion questions in a single year.
The product is built around a proprietary adaptive engine that automatically calibrates each question to a pupil's level in real time, without teacher configuration. The platform comprises 39 curriculum-aligned games, a customisable spelling word list of more than 17,000 words delivered through human-voice recordings, auto-marked diagnostic reporting, and curriculum alignment with White Rose Maths, Curriculum for Excellence, and Curriculum for Wales. The 2025 'Fluency Booster' relaunch concentrated the math adaptivity on mastery of foundational number skills, with all contest content now drawn from the Fluency curriculum. An independent ImpactEd efficacy study (14 English primary schools, 499 pupils) reported statistically significant attainment gains, with SEN pupils meeting the expected standard rising from 28% to 59% over three terms.
Monetisation rests on three pricing tiers: school math and spelling subscriptions sold on 12-month terms (math pricing starts at $265 for a 35-pupil class, with multi-year and whole-school discounts), a subject bundle offering up to 30% off when schools buy both, and a self-serve family subscription at $8.99/month covering up to three children. Payments are processed through Stripe and Braintree/PayPal; teacher provisioning uses Google SSO and Clever auto-rostering. The company has disclosed one institutional funding round of approximately $1.8M from Nesta Impact Investments and the Scottish Investment Bank in August 2017, holds Cyber Essentials certification (2023), and currently operates from offices in Edinburgh (headquarters, CodeBase) and New York (Sumdog Inc).
Sumdog firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sumdog
- Legal name
- Sumdog Ltd
- Website
- https://sumdog.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sumdog is an Edinburgh-based adaptive learning platform selling curriculum-aligned math and spelling games to primary schools, multi-academy trusts, local authorities, and families in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sumdog industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Adaptive K-8 Math and Spelling Learning Software
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Adaptive Learning & Personalized Instruction Software (EDAJAMAE)
Keywords
Where Sumdog is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sumdog business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- School Subscriptions: Annual subscription-based pricing for schools, priced per student or class. Schools receive unlimited teacher accounts, curriculum-aligned practice, contests, and reporting tools. Multi-year and multi-school discounts available.
- Family Subscriptions: Monthly family subscription at $8.99/month covering up to 3 children and 2 adults. Includes 39 educational math and spelling games, personalized practice, and detailed parent reports.
- Subject Bundles: Discount offered when purchasing both Math and Spelling subscriptions together. Schools can save up to 30% by purchasing both subjects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | School Math Subscription (12-month) |
| Subscription | Annual | School Spelling Subscription (12-month) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Family Monthly Subscription |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels13 records
Sumdog product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sumdog provides an adaptive, game-based online learning platform delivering curriculum-aligned math and spelling practice for primary school children aged 5–14. Its adaptive engine automatically adjusts question difficulty to each pupil's level in real time across 39 educational games, with auto-marked diagnostic reporting for teachers and parents. The platform is sold as annual subscriptions to schools, multi-academy trusts and local authorities, and as a $8.99/month family subscription to parents.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sumdog Math (School Subscription) Annual subscription-based adaptive math practice platform for primary/elementary schools, priced per student or class. Provides 39 curriculum-aligned games, Fluency Booster adaptivity, standards-aligned practice aligned to UK National Curriculum / White Rose Maths / Curriculum for Excellence / Curriculum for Wales and US Common Core, math contests, low-stakes tests, in-depth auto-marked diagnostic reporting, and unlimited teacher accounts. Targets primary schools, multi-academy trusts, and local authorities.
- Sumdog Spelling (School Subscription) Annual school subscription for adaptive spelling practice using real human voice read-aloud questions and a customisable word list tool with over 17,000 words, including spelling tests and auto-marked reports for students aged 5–11. Sold separately or bundled with Sumdog Math.
- Sumdog Family Monthly subscription product for families covering up to 3 children and 2 adults at $8.99/month. Includes 39 educational math and spelling games, questions tailored to each child's unique learning level, set work and progress monitoring, and detailed parent insights and reports. Sold via self-serve signup on the Sumdog website.
- Sumdog Math Contests Termly online math contests where students answer personalized math questions while playing games, with scores based on accuracy so every participant competes at their own level. Includes named events such as March Mathness and regional contests, with prizes and certificates rewarding participation. Functions as both a customer acquisition and retention mechanism for Sumdog Schools and Families.
Quantifiable outcome
- SEN pupils meeting expected standard doubled from 28% to 59% in three terms
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Sumdog
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Sumdog technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability5 records
Feature6 records
Sumdog partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ClevercoreClever integration enables auto-rostering for subscribed school accounts, allowing seamless student and teacher provisioning through school information systems. This reduces implementation friction for schools adopting Sumdog.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sumdog competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Prodigy Education: Prodigy operates a game-based adaptive math platform for grades 1–8 sold to schools and families; the freemium/RPG format and school subscription model closely mirror Sumdog's adaptive math offering.
- IXL Learning: IXL provides adaptive K–12 practice in math, English, science, and social studies via school and family subscriptions; Sumdog competes head-to-head with IXL's math and English (spelling/grammar) modules in primary school procurement.
- Mathletics (3P Learning): Mathletics is a game-based adaptive math platform sold to primary and secondary schools globally, including in the UK; it is a close competitor to Sumdog in school math fluency.
- SplashLearn: SplashLearn delivers game-based adaptive learning for K–5 math and reading with both school and parent subscription tiers; highly comparable business model and target customer to Sumdog.
- Times Tables Rock Stars: A UK-primary-focused game-based platform for multiplication and times-table fluency; competing directly with Sumdog's times-tables and fluency features in UK primary schools.
- Reading Eggs (Blake eLearning): Reading Eggs sells game-based adaptive literacy (reading, spelling, grammar) subscriptions to schools and families globally; parallels Sumdog's spelling product in mechanics, audience, and GTM.
- Freckle by Renaissance: Freckle (now part of Renaissance) provides adaptive K–12 math, ELA, science, and social studies practice for schools; competes with Sumdog in primary math adaptive practice at the school level.
Broad incumbents
- Khan Academy: Khan Academy offers free adaptive practice across K–14 subjects including math and grammar; it is the dominant free alternative to Sumdog and increasingly used in UK and US primary classrooms.
Regional players
- Nessy Learning: Nessy is a UK-based platform focused on reading, spelling, and dyslexia intervention for primary schools; overlaps with Sumdog Spelling's SEN-focused use cases in UK schools.
Others
- White Rose Maths: White Rose Maths is the dominant UK primary math curriculum framework and scheme; Sumdog explicitly aligns to White Rose, making it a partner/adapter rather than a competitor in UK primary math.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sumdog social profiles
Digital presenceSumdog financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sumdog leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Sumdog subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Sumdog funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sumdog 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 Sumdog
What does Sumdog do?
Sumdog provides an adaptive, game-based online learning platform delivering curriculum-aligned math and spelling practice for primary school children aged 5–14. Its adaptive engine automatically adjusts question difficulty to each pupil's level in real time across 39 educational games, with auto-marked diagnostic reporting for teachers and parents. The platform is sold as annual subscriptions to schools, multi-academy trusts and local authorities, and as a $8.99/month family subscription to parents.
Is Sumdog a public or private company?
Sumdog is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Sumdog founded?
Sumdog was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sumdog based?
Sumdog is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Sumdog make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. School Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are family Subscriptions and subject Bundles.
Who are Sumdog's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Prodigy Education, IXL Learning, Mathletics (3P Learning), SplashLearn, Times Tables Rock Stars, Reading Eggs (Blake eLearning) and Freckle by Renaissance. Khan Academy is listed as a broad incumbent. Nessy Learning is listed as a regional player. White Rose Maths is listed as an others.
Does Sumdog have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sumdog.
What industry is Sumdog in?
Sumdog's product category is Adaptive K-8 Math and Spelling Learning Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAMAE, Adaptive Learning & Personalized Instruction Software. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 7372.