Cedar Labs
Cedar Labs is a small Minneapolis-based, privately held open-source software company founded in 2012 that builds software for the education services sector, operating with a team of 1-10 employees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Cedar Labs does
Cedar Labs is a small, privately held, for-profit open-source software company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 2012 by Tim Heckel (identified as Founder and Programmer), the company operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees and is positioned within the education services sector. Per the available firmographic record, Cedar Labs develops open-source software intended for use by education-services customers; the company's web presence is associated with the cedarlabs.com domain.
No specific product names, technical architecture, feature set, technology stack, customer segments, pricing model, distribution channels, or revenue mechanics are documented in the supplied source material for Cedar Labs. The input also contains a substantial body of data describing "Level Data" — a materially larger K-12 education data analytics platform reportedly founded in 2006 and serving 1,800+ school districts, 20 state agencies, and 7M+ students with named products (ROI, Brolly, Grow, Validation, RealTime Reports). That profile is inconsistent with Cedar Labs' firmographic attributes (founding year 2012 vs. 2006, 1-10 employees vs. district-scale customer base, generic open-source positioning vs. named analytics product suite) and is therefore treated as data pertaining to a separate entity rather than Cedar Labs. All claims about Cedar Labs in this analysis are drawn solely from the firmographic record.
Cedar Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cedar Labs
- Legal name
- Level Data
- Website
- https://cedarlabs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Cedar Labs is a small Minneapolis-based, privately held open-source software company founded in 2012 that builds software for the education services sector, operating with a team of 1-10 employees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cedar Labs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Education Data Analytics Software
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Open Lesson Plans & Teaching Units (K–12) (EDAGAJAI), Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led) (EDAJAFAB)
Keywords
Where Cedar Labs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Cedar Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- SaaS Platform Subscription: Subscription-based access to K-12 education analytics platform including ROI analytics, IEP tracking, coaching management, and data validation tools
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Cedar Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cedar Labs provides open-source software for education services, operating an AI-powered K-12 education data analytics platform that helps school districts and state agencies measure the return on instructional investments, track IEP compliance, manage teacher coaching, validate data quality, and integrate disparate K-12 systems. Its core portfolio consists of Return on Instruction (ROI), Brolly IEP tracking, Grow coaching, Validation, RealTime Reports, Statewide Data Management, and Talent Management solutions sold via subscription.
Product overview
Level Data offers a platform-plus-modules architecture consisting of eight integrated products designed for K-12 education data management and analytics. The core portfolio includes: Return on Instruction (ROI) for measuring educational return on investment; Brolly for IEP and special education management; Grow for teacher coaching and professional development; Validation for data quality assurance; RealTime Reports for live student data access; Integrations for connecting district systems; Statewide Data Management for state-level data ecosystems; and Talent Management for educator workforce licensing and development. These products work both independently and together to provide insights for measuring progress, aligning stakeholders, and maximizing budgets across 1,800+ school districts and 20 state agencies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Return on Instruction (ROI): K-12 ROI analytics platform that connects instructional investments to student outcomes
- Brolly
- Grow
- Validation
- RealTime Reports
- Talent Management
Products and services
- Return on Instruction (ROI) K-12 ROI analytics platform that connects instructional investments across digital tools, core curriculum, and non-digital programs to identify what drives student outcomes; includes AI-powered strategic insights, districtwide eROI monitoring, and academic impact reporting. Built for K-12 school districts and state education agencies.
- Brolly IEP (Individualized Education Program) software that streamlines IEP service tracking, progress monitoring, and compliance reporting for special education programs in K-12 districts.
- Grow Online teacher coaching platform that brings structure and visibility to teacher observations and coaching across schools, connecting educator professional development to student outcomes.
- Validation Data quality management tool that helps catch and correct data errors at the source, ensuring data is accurate, audit-ready, and aligned to funding requirements.
- RealTime Reports Live student data reporting solution that provides real-time data access so the district office through to the classroom has insight into student information.
- Statewide Data Management State-level data ecosystem solution that builds a secure statewide data infrastructure for K-12 education agencies, providing cross-district insight.
- Talent Management State educator workforce management solution that unifies statewide data and talent systems to streamline educator licensure, staffing, and professional development.
Quantifiable outcome
- Validation reduces overall data errors by more than 70%
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Cedar Labs
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cedar Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Cedar Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves1 record
Cedar Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Google Classroom: Free, widely-adopted classroom management and assignment tool from Google. Comparable as K–12 instructional software, free to districts and dominant in adoption.
- Canvas by Instructure: Commercial LMS serving K–12 and higher education at scale. Comparable as K–12 instructional delivery platform, but proprietary and substantially larger.
- PowerSchool: Dominant K–12 student information and ed-tech platform serving the majority of US districts. Comparable as K–12 software vendor, but proprietary and far larger in scale.
- Blackboard: Long-established LMS and education platform serving K–12 and higher ed. Comparable as K–12 instructional software provider with broad institutional footprint.
- Schoology: K–12-focused LMS acquired by PowerSchool. Comparable as K–12 instructional delivery platform, though proprietary and now part of a larger suite.
Emerging players
- Clever: K–12 identity and rostering platform integrated across ed-tech apps. Comparable as K–12 infrastructure-layer software, though proprietary and now part of Kahoot.
Direct peers
- Moodle: Open-source learning management system widely used in K–12 and higher education. Direct comparable on open-source distribution model, education focus, and community-driven development approach.
- Open edX: Open-source education platform originally developed by MIT and Harvard for online courses. Comparable as open-source education infrastructure serving institutional learners and educators.
- Sakai: Open-source learning management system built by and for higher education and K–12 institutions. Direct comparable on open-source licensing and education-sector focus.
- Chamilo: Open-source learning management system used in schools and training organizations globally. Direct comparable on open-source model and K–12/training focus.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat1 record
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Cedar Labs social profiles
Digital presenceCedar Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cedar Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Cedar Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cedar Labs 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 Cedar Labs
What does Cedar Labs do?
Cedar Labs provides open-source software for education services, operating an AI-powered K-12 education data analytics platform that helps school districts and state agencies measure the return on instructional investments, track IEP compliance, manage teacher coaching, validate data quality, and integrate disparate K-12 systems. Its core portfolio consists of Return on Instruction (ROI), Brolly IEP tracking, Grow coaching, Validation, RealTime Reports, Statewide Data Management, and Talent Management solutions sold via subscription.
Is Cedar Labs a public or private company?
Cedar Labs is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cedar Labs founded?
Cedar Labs was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Cedar Labs based?
Cedar Labs is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cedar Labs make money?
One revenue line is on record: saaS Platform Subscription.
Who are Cedar Labs's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Google Classroom, Canvas by Instructure, PowerSchool, Blackboard and Schoology. Clever is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Moodle, Open edX, Sakai and Chamilo.
Does Cedar Labs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cedar Labs.
What industry is Cedar Labs in?
Cedar Labs's product category is K-12 Education Data Analytics Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAMAD, Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAGAJAI, Open Lesson Plans & Teaching Units (K–12). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 7370.