What SDI Innovations does

SDI Innovations, Inc. is a privately held holding company headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana, founded in 1985 by Sharon Powers as School Datebooks. The company operates a family of brands serving K-12 education, school athletics, agribusiness, and corporate customers across all 50 U.S. states and 23 countries. Its core brands are School Datebooks (custom printed student planners, kindergarten through college, serving more than 16,000 customers), Eventlink® (SaaS event management software for athletic departments covering scheduling, digital ticketing, e-contracts, and facility management), STEM Education Works (standards-aligned STEM curriculum with hands-on robotics, coding, and sustainable energy kits for grades 6-12), and Ag Printers (compliance-driven marketing and printing for seed companies and agribusiness). The company also offers custom vinyl graphics and wall mural installation for schools through a dedicated service line.

SDI Innovations generates revenue through a mix of one-time custom printing transactions (student planners, ag marketing materials, graphics installation), recurring SaaS subscriptions (Eventlink®), consumer e-commerce (datebookstore.com, SDB.plus, and Amazon marketplace for Action Publishing), and licensing of STEM curriculum kits. Go-to-market is sales-led, with a field sales force and inside sales team that engage directly with school districts, athletic departments, and enterprise clients for custom and volume orders, supplemented by e-commerce storefronts and third-party retail channels. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company maintains operations in Lafayette (HQ), Denver, and Bellingham (acquired via Premier Agendas), with approximately 90 full-time employees at Lafayette/Denver plus 27 at Premier Agendas in Bellingham, supplemented by ~60 seasonal hires drawn largely from Purdue University programs. Leadership is concentrated in the founding Powers family; Tim Powers (Sharon Powers' son) serves as President and CEO, having joined the business in 1993.

The business has grown through a combination of organic brand launches and acquisitions, including the 2012 Denver publishing acquisition and two 2019 acquisitions (Premier Agendas and Action Agendas) that combined to create the largest player in the student planning calendar market with over 25,000 combined customers. The 2016 formation of SDI Innovations as an umbrella entity consolidated multiple brands under one corporate structure, and subsequent product launches in 2017 (Eventlink®) and 2018 (STEM Education Works) introduced subscription and vertical-diversification revenue streams.

Name

SDI Innovations

Legal name

SDI Innovations, Inc.

Website

https://sdiinnovations.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SDI Innovations is a Lafayette, Indiana-based holding company operating a family of brands (School Datebooks, Eventlink®, STEM Education Works, Ag Printers) that provide custom student planners, athletic event management SaaS, STEM curriculum kits, and agribusiness printing to over 25,000 K-12 schools, athletic departments, and businesses across all 50 U.S. states and 23 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Educational Products

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (541850), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Activity & Workbook Publishing (MPAJAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

3D Printing, CAD & Digital Fabrication Programs (EDAMADAH), STEM & Educational Toys Distribution (CRAOAMAF), STEM (Math, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering) (EDAGABAA)

Keywords

• Custom student planners
• STEM curriculum solutions
• School event management
• Agricultural printing services
• Educational publishing products

Headquarters

HQ city

Lafayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Student Planners: Sale of customizable printed student planners and academic planning tools. Products include student planners from kindergarten through college, with customization based on school calendars, grading periods, and instructional goals.
2. Eventlink® Software Subscriptions: SaaS platform for school athletic departments providing scheduling, ticketing, communication, and facility management capabilities.
3. STEM Education Solutions: Sale of STEM curriculum materials, hands-on kits including robotics, and teacher-designed educational resources for grades 6-12.
4. Ag Printing Services: Professional marketing materials and printing services for agribusiness including seed tags, bulk box signage, and compliance-driven materials.
5. Custom Graphics Installation: Custom vinyl graphics and wall mural design, production, and installation services for schools and organizations.
6. Action Publishing Products: Time management, journal keeping, and sketching products sold through Amazon marketplace and direct channels.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SDI Innovations is a privately held family of brands headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana, producing custom-printed student planners, STEM curriculum and technology kits, school event management software, agricultural marketing and printing materials, custom vinyl graphics, and consumer time-management products. Its flagship School Datebooks brand manufactures over 3 million customized planners annually for K-12 and college customers, complemented by Eventlink® software, STEM Education Works, Ag Printers, and the acquired Action Publishing brand. The company serves schools, athletic departments, agribusinesses, and corporate clients across all 50 U.S. states and 23 countries.

Product overview

SDI Innovations is a family of brands offering simple, worry-free solutions for education and business. The company operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture with School Datebooks as the flagship brand (custom student planners), complemented by STEM Education Works (STEM curriculum and technology), Eventlink® (school event management software), and Ag Printers (agricultural marketing/printing). Additional offerings include digital tools (SDB.plus), the acquired Action Publishing brand, and custom graphics installation services. The brands work together to serve schools, educators, businesses, and agricultural organizations across all 50 states and 23 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Datebooks Custom-printed student planners designed around each school's calendar, grading periods, and instructional goals, serving students from kindergarten through college.
• STEM Education Works Standards-aligned STEM curriculum and hands-on technology kits using the 5E instructional model and Engineering Design Process, covering robotics, coding, and sustainable energy for middle and high school programs.
• Eventlink® School event management software that provides athletic departments with one centralized platform for game and practice schedules, e-contracts, facility management, digital ticketing, athletic websites, and communication.
• Ag Printers Professional printing and marketing materials for agribusiness including compliance-driven seed tags, bulk box signage, and promotional printing tailored to seed companies and agricultural businesses.
• Action Publishing Time management, journal keeping, and sketching consumer products sold through Amazon.com and other third-party retail channels.
• Custom Graphics (Interior & Entrance) Custom-designed, produced, and installed vinyl graphics, wall murals, window graphics, and entrance graphics for schools and organizations, with full measurement, design, and installation services included.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products used by 1 in 25 Americans
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Character Counts!minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020School Datebooks partnership with Character Counts! to support leadership and character-building initiatives in education, promoting responsibility, respect, and fairness.
• Lifetouch Portrait StudiominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2006Partnership formed in 2006 to enhance School Datebooks offerings through Lifetouch portrait services.
• Greater Lafayette CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership focused on engaging in community fundraising and support initiatives in the Greater Lafayette area.
• Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana, Greater LafayetteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting financial literacy and entrepreneurial education for students through JA programs.
• United Way of Greater LafayetteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership strengthening local programs through collective impact and support initiatives.
• United Way Whatcom CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity support partnership extending to Whatcom County area.
• Leadership LafayetteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership developing civic-minded leaders through connection, education, and service programs.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater LafayetteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership building one-to-one mentoring relationships that nurture potential in youth.
• Purdue University IN-MaCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEM Education Works partnered with Purdue IN-MaC to bring multigenerational makers together for hands-on learning activities. Also involved in graphics installation for Purdue IN-MaC facility.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• VEX Robotics: Sells educational robotics kits, curriculum, and competition platforms for K-12 schools — a direct competitor to STEM Education Works' robotics and coding offerings.
• rSchoolToday: Provides athletic department scheduling, facility management, and communication software for schools — a direct competitor to SDI's Eventlink platform in school event management.
• ArbiterSports: Dominant provider of athletic scheduling, officials' assignment, and payment software for school and youth athletics — directly comparable to Eventlink's core functionality.
• Pitsco Education: Sells STEM curriculum, hands-on kits, and maker education products to K-12 schools, overlapping directly with SDI's STEM Education Works brand in content and target buyer.
• FamilyID: Online registration and payment platform for schools, camps, and athletic programs — partial overlap with Eventlink's event registration and ticketing capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• LEGO Education: Global STEM and maker-education brand offering robotics and STEAM kits to K-12; competes with STEM Education Works but at vastly larger scale and with stronger brand recognition.
• School Specialty: Broad-line distributor of educational supplies, furniture, and curriculum to K-12 schools, offering overlapping products including planners via Success By Design — operates at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Sphero: STEM-focused company selling programmable robots and coding kits for K-12 education — an emerging player in the same category as STEM Education Works with comparable target buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sdiinnovations
• Facebookfacebook.com/sdiinnovations
• Instagraminstagram.com/sdiinnovations
• TikToktiktok.com/@sdiinnovations
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sdi-innovations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SDI Innovations