What Brooklyn Brainery does

Brooklyn Brainery is a community-driven, crowdsourced adult education platform founded in 2010 in Brooklyn, New York. The company operates two physical locations in Brooklyn (190 Underhill Ave in Prospect Heights and a legal/registered address at 515 Court St) and delivers nearly 100 classes per month across in-person and online (Zoom) formats. Classes span art, crafts, cooking, science, history, spirituality, and wellness topics, taught by community members on a crowdsourced model in which "anyone can teach classes on topics they are passionate about". Co-founded by Jen Messier, the company has run continuously for 15+ years without disclosed venture funding.

The underlying technology stack is minimal: a class registration and event management platform hosted at brooklynbrainery.com, with no mobile app, no public API, and no documented proprietary technology beyond the booking system. The product surface includes in-person and online classes (core), a recently launched Annual Membership subscription ($130/year promotional, $175/year thereafter, including a $225 gift certificate), private classes for groups up to 20, storefront space rental starting at $200/hour, gift certificates, and monthly free community events. Pricing on individual classes ranges from $5 (Ice Cream Club tasting) to $85 (Tarot 101), with most classes priced between $12 and $55.

Revenue is generated through four streams: per-class transaction fees, recurring annual memberships, private event bookings, and space rental. The business operates as a New York LLC with 11–50 employees, no institutional investors, and no parent company. Marketing is conducted through content marketing (blog with 115+ pages), an email newsletter called Dabbler, organic social media (@bkbrains on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram), and direct website bookings. Distribution is regional, focused on Brooklyn and New York City, with online classes extending reach beyond the physical footprint.

Name

Brooklyn Brainery

Legal name

Brooklyn Brainery

Website

https://brooklynbrainery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brooklyn Brainery is a community-driven, crowdsourced adult education platform founded in 2010 in Brooklyn, NY, hosting nearly 100 in-person and online classes monthly across diverse topics from art to cooking, supplemented by an annual membership program and private event rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Continuing Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Whiteboards, Annotation & Collaborative Canvas Tools (EDAFAGAD)

Keywords

• Adult education classes
• Community learning
• Continuing education
• Hands-on workshops
• Hobby classes

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Class Registrations: Revenue from individual class fees ranging from $5 to $85 per session. Classes offered both in-person at Brooklyn locations and online via Zoom.
2. Annual Memberships: $130/year membership (until April 1, 2026) providing $225 Brainery gift certificate, free admission to select events, and discounts on classes. $175/year thereafter.
3. Private Events & Space Rental: Private classes, corporate events, team-building parties, and space rental for meetings, photo shoots, and filming. Space rental starts at $200/hour.
4. Gift Certificates: Gift certificates available for class registrations and events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Brooklyn Brainery is a community-driven, crowdsourced adult education platform that hosts affordable in-person classes at its two Brooklyn locations and online classes via Zoom on a wide range of topics including art, crafts, cooking, history, science, and wellness. It also operates an annual membership program providing gift certificate value and member benefits, alongside private class bookings, space rental, gift certificates, and free community events.

Product overview

Brooklyn Brainery is a community-driven, crowdsourced education platform offering affordable classes for adults on diverse topics. The core offerings consist of in-person classes held at their Prospect Heights, Brooklyn location and online classes delivered via Zoom. The company operates on a per-class payment model supplemented by an optional Brainery Annual Membership subscription ($130/year) that provides a $225 gift certificate and member benefits. Additional offerings include private class bookings for groups up to 20 people, space rental for meetings and events, gift certificates, and monthly free community events. Classes span multiple categories including arts and crafts (watercolor, cyanotype, soap making, fiber arts), food and cooking, science and nature, history and culture, and spirituality (tarot, astrology, energy work).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-Person Classes Hands-on educational courses held at Brooklyn Brainery's Prospect Heights location covering art, crafts, cooking, science, history, and spirituality topics, priced individually per session.
• Online Classes Virtual classes delivered via Zoom covering diverse topics from tarot reading to cooking and art techniques for remote participants.
• Brainery Annual Membership Annual subscription program priced at $130/year until April 1, 2026 ($175/year thereafter) providing a $225 Brainery gift certificate, free admission to select events, and discounts on classes.
• Private Classes Custom private classes and events for birthdays, bachelorettes, and team-building, held at the Prospect Heights location with capacity up to 20 people.
• Space Rental Rental of Brooklyn Brainery's storefront for meetings, photo shoots, or filming at $200/hour, available 9am-5pm weekdays.
• Gift Certificates Gift certificates available for purchase, redeemable for any classes or events at Brooklyn Brainery.
• Free Events Monthly free events hosted alongside paid classes, including community gatherings, craft nights, and member activities.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Cat RepublicminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Cat Republic animal rescue for kitten meet & greet events. Brooklyn Brainery hosts adoption events featuring cats available for foster or adoption. Proceeds from Comedy & Cats events benefit Cat Republic.
• Brooklyn CrabminorOthersHosted mini golf social event at Brooklyn Crab location in Red Hook. Venue partnership for community social events.
• Red Hook Pinball MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganized private tours of Red Hook Pinball Museum. Members receive free admission; non-members pay $20. Proceeds benefit the museum.
• Wyckoff House MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Historic House & Urban Farm Tour at New York City's oldest house. Members receive free admission; non-members pay $12.
• Cafe GrumpyminorOthersCoffee education class featuring Cafe Grumpy as guest experts on beans, varietals, and roasting.
• Blue Bottle CoffeeminorOthersCoffee education class featuring Blue Bottle Coffee expertise on brewing methods and history.
• Cinch MarketminorOthersPartner providing free Lorina Lavender Soda to online class students as a gift from the delivery service supporting Brooklyn neighborhood shops.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Coursera: Large online course marketplace partnering with universities and companies to offer structured learning. Adjacent to Brooklyn Brainery's adult continuing education focus, but the audience, credentialing, and pricing model differ materially.
• MasterClass: Premium online learning platform with high-production classes from celebrity instructors across creative and lifestyle topics. Competes with Brooklyn Brainery's online offerings at a higher price point and brand scale, but with much lower community engagement.

Direct peers

• Outschool: Online marketplace for community-taught small-group classes spanning arts, hobbies, and enrichment. Comparable to Brooklyn Brainery's crowdsourced teaching model and per-class transaction revenue structure, though Outschool is broader in age range and geography.
• Atlas Obscura: Curator of unique experiences, classes, and place-based learning events in cities globally. Overlaps with Brooklyn Brainery's experiential, curiosity-driven class offerings and its partnerships with cultural institutions like Wyckoff House Museum.
• 92nd Street Y (92Y): Long-running NYC cultural and community center offering adult continuing education classes on arts, literature, wellness, and humanities. Directly comparable audience and curriculum to Brooklyn Brainery, with a longer history and broader venue infrastructure.
• Skillshare: Online subscription-based learning platform featuring creator-led courses on creative arts, design, and hobby topics. Directly comparable to Brooklyn Brainery's online class catalog and crowdsourced teaching model, though delivered fully online at greater scale.

Others

• Eventbrite Classes: Ticketing and registration platform widely used by individual instructors and small schools to sell community classes. Acts as both a complementary distribution channel and indirect competitor for the same instructor and learner base as Brooklyn Brainery.
• Meetup: Platform for organizing in-person interest-based groups and events in local communities. Not a direct competitor but provides an alternative channel where community instructors and learners can connect without a dedicated curriculum platform like Brooklyn Brainery.

Regional players

• The Makery: Community craft and maker space offering classes and workshops in fiber arts, sewing, and DIY crafts. Closely comparable hands-on, community-based adult class model, though focused more narrowly on crafts than Brooklyn Brainery's broad curriculum.
• Museum of the City of New York: NYC cultural institution offering public programs, classes, and tours on local history and culture. Comparable to Brooklyn Brainery's partnership-based model with local institutions (e.g., Wyckoff House Museum) for history-themed programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bkbrains
• Facebookfacebook.com/brooklynbrainery
• Instagraminstagram.com/bkbrains

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Brooklyn Brainery