Catalyst Education

What Catalyst Education does

Catalyst Education is a private Austin, Texas-based education technology company that builds Labflow, a cloud-based learning management platform purpose-built for undergraduate STEM lab courses. The platform delivers customizable online lab reports, auto-grading, randomized question pools, multimodal assignments with Turnitin-integrated plagiarism and AI-content detection, and a unique token-economy gamification system that gives students flexibility in exchange for academic engagement. The product line also includes Spark, a companion platform for chemistry lecture coursework, and Labflow Complete, a bundled offering that combines the platform subscription with printed custom lab manuals and personal protective equipment distributed by the department. Catalyst describes itself as the largest publisher of open-access lab manuals, with 300+ versions of 150 experiments across chemistry, biology, and psychology, developed in partnership with OpenStax and LibreTexts.

The platform is delivered as web-based SaaS with LTI 1EdTech-certified integration into the four major higher-ed LMS systems (Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace/D2L, Moodle), supporting single sign-on and grade sync. AI-assisted grading for open-ended conceptual questions and diagram analysis was introduced in 2024 under human TA/instructor oversight. Catalyst serves 150+ partner institutions across the US and Canada, reaching more than 200,000 students per year across 500+ courses, with named flagship deployments at institutions such as the University of Texas at Austin, Penn State, University of North Texas, Texas A&M, and McGill University.

The company generates revenue primarily through annual subscription contracts sold via a direct enterprise sales motion with regional sales managers, account executives, and dedicated Faculty Success Managers handling onboarding and renewals. Supplementary revenue streams include custom lab manual publishing services, content royalty payments to professors who contribute content, and physical lab manual / PPE bundles within Labflow Complete. The company is privately held, appears to be bootstrapped (no disclosed venture funding beyond a 2019 MassChallenge Texas finalist selection), and holds certifications including WCAG 2.1 AA (bi-annually audited by Ablr), Title II ADA, TX-RAMP Level 1, 1EdTech, and SOC 2.

Name

Catalyst Education

Legal name

Catalyst Education, Inc.

Website

https://catalystedu.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Catalyst Education is an Austin-based edtech company whose Labflow platform delivers customizable online STEM lab coursework, auto-grading, and LMS integration to 150+ universities and colleges across the US and Canada, reaching more than 200,000 students annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Lab Learning Platform

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Open Lab Manuals & Practical Guides (STEM/CTE) (EDAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Stem lab learning
• Online lab platform
• Lms integration
• Higher education software
• Courseware publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

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, Supply Chain, Operations

Revenue model

1. Labflow Platform Subscription: Subscription-based access to the Labflow learning platform for course delivery, grading, and student engagement. Sold to educational institutions for their faculty and students.
2. Labflow Complete Package: All-in-one solution combining Labflow platform subscription with printed lab manuals and PPE (personal protective equipment) distributed by the department. Materials bundled with platform subscription.
3. Content Royalty Program: Professors have the opportunity to earn royalties from the custom content they create and contribute to the platform.
4. Custom Lab Manual Publishing: Custom lab manual publishing services for departments wanting to create proprietary or hybrid print/digital content, with scientist-led editorial support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Catalyst Education sells Labflow, a cloud-based SaaS learning platform that delivers customizable STEM lab courseware with auto-grading, AI-assisted grading, randomized question pools, anti-cheating measures, and seamless LTI integration with major LMS systems. The Labflow Complete bundle adds printed lab manuals and PPE, and the company also offers Custom Lab Manual Publishing and a Data Insights analytics dashboard to higher education institutions.

Product overview

Catalyst Education offers a platform-based portfolio centered around two core products: Labflow (the primary online learning platform for STEM lab courses) and Spark (for lecture coursework). These platforms integrate via LTI with major LMS systems and provide AI-assisted grading, auto-grading, and comprehensive course management. The portfolio includes bundled solutions (Labflow Complete combining the platform with printed manuals and PPE), custom lab manual publishing services, Data Insights analytics, and the Token Economy motivation system. All offerings are supported by scientist-led Faculty Success Managers and are designed for higher education institutions seeking to modernize STEM instruction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Labflow: A powerful learning platform for STEM lab courses that provides customizable courseware, grading tools, and student engagement features including a token economy system.
• Spark

Products and services

• Labflow Primary online learning platform for STEM lab courses, offering customizable coursework, auto-grading, AI-assisted grading tools, randomized question pools, and seamless LMS integration via LTI for single sign-on and grade synchronization. Sold to higher education institutions for their faculty and students.
• Spark A platform for chemistry lecture coursework that works in conjunction with Labflow to provide comprehensive STEM education coverage, covering both lab and lecture components.
• Labflow Complete All-in-one bundled solution combining the Labflow platform, printed custom lab manuals, and personal protective equipment (PPE) distributed by departments during student onboarding, providing significant cost savings and operational efficiency for science departments.
• Custom Lab Manual Publishing A custom publishing program run by Ph.D. chemistry educators that allows departments to create digital-only or hybrid print/digital content tailored to their specific curriculum needs, with scientist-led editorial support.
• Data Insights Analytics and reporting dashboard providing course health metrics, grading throughput data, item analysis, and data-driven course redesign capabilities for lab coordinators and instructors managing large enrollments.
• AI-Assisted Grading AI-assisted grading capability for open-ended, high-order conceptual questions including scientific reasoning and diagram analysis, with human TA and instructor oversight throughout the process to ensure consistency across sections and remove language barriers.

Quantifiable outcome

• TA grading time reduced by 80%
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• One Tree PlantedminorOthers · 17 April 2024Environmental initiative partnership where Catalyst plants trees as part of sustainability efforts, promoting environmental consciousness in education.
• TurnitincoreTechnology or Integration · 4 February 2024Partnership for academic integrity in STEM and lab courses. Turnitin is deeply integrated within the Labflow grading workflow for plagiarism and AI detection, helping uphold academic honesty.
• OpenStaxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to advance affordability in lab learning. Catalyst is partnered with OpenStax to provide affordable open educational resources for lab courses, complementing OpenStax's open textbook offerings.
• AblrcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year partnership with expert user-testing team at Ablr for accessibility verification. Ablr audits Catalyst's software and content bi-annually to ensure WCAG 2.1 AA and upcoming 2.2 AA standards compliance. Ablr also provides documentation for DOJ ADA Title II compliance.
• 1EdTech ConsortiumcoreTechnology or IntegrationCertified member ensuring secure, high-quality LMS integrations through the 1EdTech standard for educational technology interoperability.
• ACC Bioscience IncubatorminorOthersSelected member of Austin Community College's bioscience incubator program supporting innovation and growth in the Austin ecosystem.
• LibreTextscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in open educational resources, building on LibreTexts platform for affordable lab learning content alongside OpenStax partnership.
• Canvas (Instructure)coreTechnology or IntegrationLMS integration via LTI standard enabling seamless single sign-on and grade sync for institutions using Canvas.
• BlackboardcoreTechnology or IntegrationLMS integration via LTI standard enabling seamless single sign-on and grade sync for institutions using Blackboard.
• Brightspace (D2L)coreTechnology or IntegrationLMS integration via LTI standard enabling seamless single sign-on and grade sync for institutions using Brightspace.
• MoodlecoreTechnology or IntegrationLMS integration via LTI standard enabling seamless single sign-on and grade sync for institutions using Moodle.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Macmillan Learning: Higher education publisher and the acquirer of Sapling Learning (Catalyst CEO James Caras's previous company). Macmillan Learning offers competing STEM courseware platforms including Sapling and Achieve, with broader portfolio reach and larger institutional sales force.
• Cengage: Higher-education courseware provider with the OWLv2 chemistry learning platform and MindTap course delivery system. Competes with Catalyst on chemistry lab instruction and LMS-integrated grading workflows.
• Top Hat: Active learning and assessment platform used across higher-ed STEM and other disciplines. Competes with Catalyst on interactive courseware, in-class engagement, and LMS-integrated grading for college instructors.
• Gradescope (Turnitin): AI-assisted grading platform owned by Turnitin (a Catalyst partner). Competes with Catalyst on automated and AI-assisted grading for STEM assessments and lab reports, and represents both a partner and a competitive threat for grading-driven value propositions.
• McGraw-Hill Education: Major higher-ed STEM courseware provider offering Connect, ALEKS, and chemistry/biology lab platforms. Competes directly with Catalyst on large-enrollment science course delivery and adaptive learning, with significantly larger scale and distribution.
• Labster: Virtual science lab simulation platform serving higher-ed institutions for chemistry, biology, and physics labs. Adjacent to Catalyst's lab instruction focus, with overlap on department-level lab modernization budgets.

Broad incumbents

• Pearson: Global education and assessment company whose Mastering Chemistry and MyLab platforms dominate STEM higher-ed courseware. Pearson competes in lab and lecture course delivery with broader assessment, credentialing, and international reach than Catalyst.

Emerging players

• Visible Body: 3D biology and anatomy visualization platform serving higher-ed life science courses. Overlaps with Catalyst's biology expansion strategy on visual and interactive learning content for life sciences departments.

Others

• LibreTexts: Open-access textbook and learning resource platform and a Catalyst partner for affordable STEM content. Operates as an OER ecosystem enabler rather than a direct commercial competitor to Labflow.
• OpenStax: Open educational resources publisher at Rice University and a Catalyst partner for affordable lab content. Complementary rather than directly competitive — OpenStax provides open textbooks while Catalyst provides the Labflow platform and custom lab manuals that integrate with those OER ecosystems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/catalystedu_atx
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCatalystEducation
• Facebookfacebook.com/catalystedu.atx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catalystedu

Compliance5 records

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 Catalyst Education