The Mad Science Group Inc.

What The Mad Science Group Inc. does

The Mad Science Group Inc., founded in 1985 in Montreal by Ariel and Ron Shlien, operates the world's largest children's science enrichment franchise system, with over 150 franchise locations serving children across more than 20 countries and reaching over one million children annually. Its product portfolio centers on hands-on STEM programs delivered by trained instructors to children ages 3–12, organized into three customer-facing surfaces: parents (birthday parties, after-school programs, summer/holiday camps), schools (after-school enrichment, in-class workshops, large-format assemblies), and organizations including libraries, community centers, and corporate events. The curriculum comprises over 75 hours of content spanning engineering, physics, chemistry, and biology, developed through an 18-month process involving internal design, Kid Advisory Board testing, alpha testing at partner schools, and beta testing with franchisees.

Underlying the franchise platform is a curriculum-and-instructor operating system augmented by exclusive content partnerships—most notably a 2006 Space Act Agreement with NASA yielding the Academy of Future Space Explorers, a 2016 co-development with Crayola producing the Crayola Imagine Arts Academy franchise concept, a partnership with Unruly Splats for the Code in Motion block-coding program, and a TV series collaboration with TVO Kids (Burps, Butts & Bones). The business model derives revenue from three streams: (1) upfront franchise fees and ongoing royalties from franchisees operating under either Unit Investment Model (metropolitan) or Area Development Model (international) agreements; (2) program registration fees paid by parents and local customers through franchise locations; and (3) direct contracts from schools, organizations, and corporate CSR/ESG partners (notably NASA and ASML, which together reach hundreds of schools and millions of children under multi-year impact-reporting engagements). The company is privately held, with co-founders Ariel Shlien (CEO) and Ron Shlien (Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer) still active; Marco Holstvoogd was appointed President in October 2024 alongside senior executive shareholders. Mad Science Group Inc. operates under the 2inspire Brands parent for franchising purposes.

Name

The Mad Science Group Inc.

Legal name

Mad Science Group Inc.

Website

https://madscience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Mad Science Group Inc. is a Montreal-based franchisor of hands-on STEM enrichment programs for children ages 3–12, operating 150+ franchise locations in 20+ countries and delivering curriculum-aligned after-school programs, camps, birthday parties, and school workshops under exclusive partnerships with NASA and Crayola.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's STEM Education Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

akta.pro primary industry

Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

Keywords

• Children's STEM enrichment
• Science education programs
• After-school programs
• Franchise education services
• Hands-on science activities

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Franchise Investment and Royalty Fees: Mad Science generates revenue through franchise fees from its network of 150+ franchise locations. Franchisees pay for the right to use the Mad Science brand and receive training, support, curriculum, and operational guidance. The company operates Unit Investment Model for metropolitan areas and Area Development Model for international territories.
2. Program Registration Fees (Birthday Parties, Camps, After-School Programs): Revenue from parents and organizations paying for hands-on STEM programs including birthday parties (in-person and virtual), summer/holiday camps, and after-school enrichment programs. Programs serve children ages 3-12.
3. School and Organization Contracts: Schools and organizations (libraries, community centers, corporate events) pay for after-school programs, in-class workshops, special events, and assembly shows. Programs are curriculum-correlated and aligned with state/province standards.
4. CSR/ESG Partnership Programs: Corporate partners like ASML and NASA engage Mad Science for employee engagement, brand marketing, and social impact initiatives. These partnerships involve customized STEM enrichment programs and transparent reporting on outcomes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Mad Science is a franchise-based STEM enrichment provider that delivers hands-on, instructor-led science programs for children ages 3-12. The company offers birthday parties, after-school programs, summer and holiday camps, school workshops, and special events through a network of 150+ franchise locations in 20+ countries. Programs cover chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, and space science through interactive demonstrations, take-home educational toys, and curriculum-correlated content.

Product overview

Mad Science is a franchise-based STEM enrichment company operating over 150 locations in more than 20 countries, offering hands-on science education programs for children. The core product portfolio includes Birthday Parties (ages 3-12 with hands-on experiments and themed add-ons), After-School Programs (ages 5-12 covering STEM topics with take-home toys), and Summer/Holiday Camps (full-day, half-day, and virtual options). School offerings encompass Special Events (assemblies and booths for 50-300 kids), School After-School Programs (75+ hours of content), and Curriculum-Correlated Workshops for preschool and elementary levels. Featured programs include NASA Academy of Future Space Explorers (space-themed collaboration), STEM Odyssey (introductory STEM), Eureka! (engineering challenges), Secret Agent Lab (forensic science), BRIXOLOGIE (LEGO engineering), and Code in Motion (block-based coding with Unruly Splats). The company also operates Crayola Imagine Arts Academy (art education sub-brand founded 2016) and Burps, Butts & Bones (TV series with TVO Kids). Additional offerings include CSR/SPARK Partnership Programs for corporate engagement and franchise opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Crayola® Imagine Arts Academy™: Art enrichment programs for children combining foundational art techniques with real-world applications, founded in 2016 through a partnership between Mad Science Group Inc. and Crayola®.
• NASA Academy of Future Space Explorers
• 2inspire

Products and services

• Birthday Parties Science-themed birthday party experiences for children ages 3-12 featuring hands-on demonstrations, interactive experiments, and themed add-ons such as rocket launches, cotton candy, and hovercraft rides, available in-person or virtually.
• After-School Programs STEM after-school enrichment programs for children ages 5-12 covering engineering, physics, chemistry, and biology through hands-on activities, demonstrations, and educational science-themed take-home toys.
• Summer and Holiday Camps Full-day, half-day, and virtual STEM camp programs for children combining games, science discovery, and physical activity with new topics and activities daily.
• School After-School Programs Interactive after-school STEM programs for schools with over 75 hours of content covering engineering to biology, featuring kid-tested safe activities and educational take-home toys.
• School Special Events Large-scale STEM assemblies and science shows suitable for groups of 50 to 300 kids, featuring dynamic demonstrations and hands-on make-and-take booths for school events.
• School Workshops Curriculum-correlated STEM workshops for preschool (ages 3-4) and elementary levels designed by educators and scientists with teacher resource guides including pre-and-post activities.
• NASA Academy of Future Space Explorers NASA-collaborated after-school and camp program where children explore space through hands-on activities covering the sun, stars, space technology, rocket science, atmosphere, planets, and moons, including rocket launches.
• NASA Journey into Outer Space Camp program taking children from Earth's atmosphere to the outer solar system, exploring stars, planets, comets, living in space, gravity, and space phenomena with rocket launches.
• Eureka! Engineering Camp Engineering-focused camp program where children overcome challenges using basic materials, simple machines, and tips from famous inventors to create catapults, forts, light sticks, and circuits.
• Secret Agent Lab Camp Agent-themed camp program featuring forensic science, surveillance skills, and encrypted message decoding for kids to become super sleuths.
• BRIXOLOGIE LEGO-based engineering program where children explore mechanical, civil, aerospace, nautical, and biotechnological engineering through hands-on building projects.
• Code in Motion Block-based coding program partnered with Unruly Splats, combining programming with physical movement and game creation using interactive floor buttons.
• Crayola Imagine Arts Academy Franchise concept combining foundational art techniques with real-world applications for children, founded through a partnership between Mad Science Group Inc. and Crayola.
• CSR/SPARK Partnership Program Corporate Social Responsibility program offering STEM enrichment for employee engagement and ESG/CSR goals, with partnerships reaching over 130 communities globally.
• Franchise Opportunities Franchise investment opportunity with comprehensive training and support for entrepreneurs, operating under Unit Investment Model for metropolitan areas and Area Development Model for international territories.
• Organization Camps STEM camp programs for community organizations, libraries, and corporate events with online registration portal and co-branding options.
• Organization Special Events Corporate and community STEM events with shows and hands-on booths suitable for groups of 50 to 300, customizable to event needs.
• Organization Workshops Preschool and elementary STEM workshops for scouting troops, church groups, community centers, and corporate events with resource guides.
• Burps, Butts & Bones TV Series TV series partnership with TVO Kids featuring 11-minute episodes exploring body systems, organs, germs, and nutrition through hands-on experiments for grades 1-6.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2.2 million kids impacted through ASML partnership
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• CrayolacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Crayola Imagine Arts Academy was founded in 2016 through a partnership between Mad Science Group Inc. and Crayola. The goal was to take art education to another level combining teaching of foundational art techniques with real-world applications. This is a franchise concept under the Mad Science umbrella.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006NASA and Mad Science established a relationship through a Space Act Agreement (SAA) dating back to 2006. Mad Science, in collaboration with NASA, has developed space-related after-school programs and camps that teach about space technology. The Academy of Future Space Explorers Program touches the lives of over 100,000 students annually in 12 countries.
• Unruly SplatssupportingTechnology or IntegrationCode in Motion program brings STEM learning to life after school through block-based coding combined with movement-based play. Students use interactive floor buttons to create games and then play them through physical activity. 83% of students agreed that Splats make learning fun.
• TVO KidssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMad Science partnered with TVO Kids' Burps, Butts and Bones to support development of hands-on experiments and science content. Mad Science's R&D team co-developed experiments and reviewed scripts for the 11-minute episodes exploring topics like organs, body systems, germs, and nutrition for children in grades 1-6. Mad Science instructors appeared in three episodes.
• ASMLcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with ASML, a global leader in semiconductor technology, to spark love of STEM in kids while engaging ASML employees. Mad Science instructors and ASML Ambassadors bring hands-on enrichment programming to 271 elementary schools across the Netherlands and 60 schools in the US each year. Over 2.2 million kids impacted.
• 2inspirecoreOthers2inspire Brands is the parent company of Mad Science Group Inc. The parent company manages franchise opportunities and business development for the brand.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/madsciencegroup
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MadScienceGroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/madscience
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/madsciencegroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/madsciencegroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 The Mad Science Group Inc.