Brain Parade

What Brain Parade does

Brain Parade is a privately held, for-profit company founded in 2010 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. It operates in the special-needs education technology segment, developing mobile technology solutions that support the learning of children with autism and other developmental disabilities. The firm is small (1-10 employees) and has operated with modest disclosed capital: across three funding rounds from 2013-2014, it raised approximately $840,000, including a $700,000 round in November 2013 backed by Arc Capital Development.

The company's principal product is the ARIS platform, a structured autism and early-learning curriculum that maps a sequential learning path from foundational skills (Pairing & Accepting Reinforcers, Attention & Imitation, Ready to Learn, Non-Verbal Imitation) through concrete matching lessons (3D-to-3D and 3D-to-2D, sequences 1.1 through 1.2). The platform is grounded in approximately 25 years of developmental and early-childhood research and serves three distinct customer paths: school districts (for teachers, PreK/Special Education directors, and superintendents), families (direct-to-consumer home learning), and ABA clinics (for BCBAs and therapy teams). Complementary physical products, including Language Builder Picture Cards, are sold through the company's e-commerce storefront to support clinical and at-home use.

Commercially, Brain Parade combines subscription-based ARIS licensing (procured via district purchase orders for schools and direct sales for clinics) with one-time hardware sales of picture-card products. A free introductory lesson trial and a free Developmental Milestones Check tool (delivering an age-appropriate skill snapshot and personalized next-step plan in roughly five minutes) function as top-of-funnel demand generation assets. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company has accumulated multiple industry awards, including the 2018 Best Innovations Award, Supes' Choice Award, Family Choice Award, National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, and Top 100 Educational Sites 2017, supporting credibility with procurement-side buyers across its three customer segments.

Name

Brain Parade

Legal name

Stages Learning

Website

https://brainparade.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brain Parade is a Stamford-based mobile learning company that builds the ARIS structured curriculum platform, supporting autism and early-childhood education for school districts, ABA clinics, and families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stamford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. ARIS Curriculum Subscription: Schools, clinics, and families access the ARIS structured curriculum through subscription-based licensing. Districts procure through purchase orders, indicating enterprise-level contracts.
2. Language Builder Products: Sale of physical educational products including picture cards, referenced in clinic use cases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Brain Parade develops mobile technology solutions that support the learning of children with autism and other developmental disabilities. The company's flagship offering is the ARIS structured curriculum platform, which delivers sequential, evidence-based lessons covering foundational skills through advanced matching activities, accessible to school districts, ABA clinics, and families. The portfolio also includes Language Builder Picture Cards as a complementary visual teaching resource used by clinicians and educators.

Product overview

Stages Learning offers ARIS as its primary unified platform—a structured autism and early-learning curriculum grounded in 25 years of developmental research. ARIS delivers a single curriculum organized into three distinct service paths: Schools (for districts, teachers, and curriculum directors), Families (for home-based intervention), and Clinics (for BCBAs and ABA therapy teams). The platform maps a sequential learning progression starting with foundational skills such as Pairing & Accepting Reinforcers, Attention & Imitation, Ready to Learn, and Non-Verbal Imitation, advancing through matching activities (3D to 3D, 3D to 2D). Language Builder Picture Cards are referenced as a complementary teaching resource within the clinical workflow. The company also provides free resources including a Developmental Milestones check and lesson previews.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARIS: The structured curriculum platform trusted by school districts, clinics, and families to build early skills children need to thrive. Maps learning paths from foundational skills like Pairing & Accepting Reinforcers, Attention & Imitation, Ready to Learn, to Non-Verbal Imitation and Matching lessons.

Products and services

• ARIS Curriculum Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Growth from all students, educators, and aides reported by school district partner

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• RethinkEd: RethinkEd offers online special education and SEL curricula, including autism-specific content, to K–12 districts. It is the closest direct competitor in evidence-based, district-licensed special education curriculum.
• n2y (Unique Learning System): n2y provides standards-based special education curriculum and assessment tools for students with significant disabilities, sold to districts. It competes for the same special education curriculum budget line as ARIS Schools.
• TeachTown: TeachTown delivers evidence-based social-emotional and academic interventions for students with autism and developmental disabilities. It overlaps directly with ARIS in autism-focused curriculum delivered to schools and clinics.
• CentralReach: CentralReach is a practice management and clinical data platform for ABA clinics, directly competing with ARIS's Clinics path for BCBA workflows, goal tracking, and therapy team tooling.
• Rethink Autism (legacy): Rethink Autism is an early online autism curriculum platform historically sold to schools and families. It is a direct ancestor in the autism EdTech category where Stages Learning / Brain Parade competes.

Broad incumbents

• Tobii Dynavox: Tobii Dynavox is a larger, established provider of AAC and assistive communication devices for individuals with autism and developmental disabilities. It overlaps with ARIS on the assistive-technology side serving families and clinics.
• Therapy Brands (Tebra / Jane / CentralReach group): Therapy Brands and related entities offer practice management, EHR, and curriculum-adjacent tools for ABA and therapy clinics. They compete for the same Clinic segment budget as ARIS but with a broader software portfolio.

Emerging players

• PresenceLearning: PresenceLearning provides teletherapy and special education services to districts, including related services and evaluations. It is adjacent to ARIS in serving district-level special education needs but does not directly sell curriculum.
• Prenda: Prenda operates microschools and personalized learning programs. It is an emerging player with partial overlap in personalized, structured learning delivery, though its focus is broader than autism-specific curriculum.
• Do2Learn: Do2Learn provides free and paid educational resources, picture cards, and structured activities for children with autism and special needs. It overlaps with Stages Learning's Language Builder Picture Cards and family-facing content.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BrainParade
• Facebookfacebook.com/Brainparade

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

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 Brain Parade