What Educational Innovations does

Educational Innovations, Inc., operating as TeacherSource, is a US-based, privately held e-commerce retailer founded in 1994 and headquartered in Bethel, Illinois (corporate address in Batavia, IL). The company operates a direct-to-consumer online marketplace for hands-on science education supplies, serving K-12 and college teachers, homeschool parents, families, and science camp organizers. Its catalog spans physical products across air pressure, chemistry, physics, biology, earth science, forensic science, engineering, environmental science, light, sound, nanotechnology, and STEM, organized by subject, grade level, and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) correlations.

The core technology is a standard e-commerce storefront on teachersource.com with category-driven browsing, NGSS-aligned search, express order functionality for returning customers, and a checkout supporting both consumer cards and school purchase orders. The product portfolio includes an extensive SKU catalog, a custom kit assembly service, proprietary "EI Exclusives" sub-brand, dedicated Home Science Lab, Science Camp Central, and Science Parties product lines, a loyalty program ("Extra Credit Points"), and a free content/teacher resource library (lesson plans, blog, newsletter archive, workshop videos, webinars, MSDS). Distribution is D2C domestically with international shipping capability.

Revenue is generated almost exclusively through one-time unit-priced product sales (no disclosed subscription model), with SKUs ranging from roughly $1.09 to $349 and free UPS Ground shipping on prepaid web orders over $99. Customer acquisition relies on a multi-channel mix — content marketing (blog, newsletter, SEO), organic social (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok), conventions, and webinars — aimed primarily at teachers and homeschool parents. The company is small (11-50 employees), has no disclosed institutional funding, no parent company, and no M&A history visible in the source data.

Name

Educational Innovations

Legal name

Educational Innovations, Inc.

Website

https://teachersource.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Educational Innovations (DBA TeacherSource) is a US-based e-commerce retailer founded in 1994 that sells hands-on science education supplies and kits to K-12 and college teachers, homeschool parents, families, and science camp organizers via its online marketplace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science Education Supplies

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Educational & Learning Toys Retail (CRALAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education & Instructional Practice Professional Development (EDAGANAL)

Keywords

• Science education supplies
• Educational experiment kits
• STEM teaching materials
• Classroom lab equipment
• Homeschool science resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct sales of science education supplies, equipment, kits, and teaching materials through e-commerce storefront. One-time product purchases with unit pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Educational Innovations is a specialty e-commerce retailer that sells physical science education supplies, experiment kits, lab equipment, and teaching materials to K-12 teachers, homeschool parents, families, and science camp organizers. Operating under the TeacherSource brand since 1994, the company offers products organized by subject and grade level, alongside a custom kit building service and themed science party and camp supply lines.

Product overview

Educational Innovations operates as a science supplies e-commerce platform and retailer serving teachers, homeschool parents, and students. The company offers a broad catalog of physical science supplies and experiment materials rather than a unified software product. Their portfolio includes individual products like Ultraviolet Detecting Beads, Plastic Magnifiers, Fluorescent Magic Sand, and Tornado Tubes (marketed as Best Sellers), as well as new products such as Brown Dog Solar Critters, Brown Dog Gadgets Origami Circuits, and Washington School Rock and Mineral Collections. They provide custom kit building services, themed science party supplies, science camp curriculum packs, and a Home Science Lab line. The company also offers supplementary resources including newsletters, free lesson ideas aligned to NGSS standards, workshop videos, webinars, and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). Products are organized by subject (Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Earth Science, STEM, Engineering, Forensic Science, etc.) and by grade level (K-3, 3-5, 5-8, 9-12, College). The core offering is the individual product catalog with optional custom kit assembly, not a platform-plus-modules software architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Science Supplies Catalog E-commerce catalog of physical science supplies including chemistry reagents, physics demonstration tools, biology specimens, and lab equipment, organized by subject (chemistry, physics, biology, earth science, STEM, forensic science) and grade level for educators, homeschool parents, and families.
• Custom Kits Bespoke science experiment kit assembly service allowing educators to request tailored groupings of supplies for specific lessons, curricula, or class needs.
• EI Exclusives

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NASCO Education: Broad-line education supplies distributor covering science, art, and career-technical education for schools. Comparable institutional sales motion and overlapping science product categories.
• Home Science Tools: Homeschool-focused science kit retailer offering pre-assembled kits and individual supplies. Direct overlap on the homeschool parent segment and Home Science Lab product line.
• Ward's Science: Science education supplier serving K-16 classrooms with preserved specimens, lab kits, and equipment. Overlaps with Educational Innovations in chemistry, biology, and earth science categories.
• Carolina Biological Supply Company: One of the largest US distributors of science teaching supplies and specimens for K-12 and college. Directly comparable product catalog (chemistry, biology, physics kits), institutional customer base, and NGSS-aligned offerings.
• Flinn Scientific: Specialty science education supplier offering lab equipment, chemicals, and curated kits to schools. Closely comparable B2B school-district sales motion and product depth in chemistry and biology.
• Steve Spangler Science: Science education brand specializing in hands-on experiment kits, STEM activities, and teacher resources. Comparable customer segments (teachers, parents) and similar exclusive-product strategy.
• Frey Scientific: Science education supplier offering lab equipment, classroom kits, and consumables to K-12 schools. Direct competitor in school purchase order channels with comparable chemistry and physics offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Lakeshore Learning: Large retailer of educational supplies and STEM kits for classrooms and homes. Broader catalog spanning multiple subjects, but directly competes in science kit and teacher supply categories.
• ETA hand2mind: Established K-8 educational manipulatives and STEM kits supplier. Overlaps in science kits and STEM categories with comparable school sales motion.
• Amazon (Education & Science Supplies): Generalist marketplace carrying thousands of overlapping science supply SKUs from competing suppliers. Sets baseline pricing expectations and shipping speed benchmarks for the entire category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/EducateInnovate?blend=1&ob=0
• Facebookfacebook.com/teachersource
• Instagraminstagram.com/educational_innovations
• TikToktiktok.com/@educational_innovations
• Xx.com/teachersource

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Educational Innovations