What Education Research & Development does

Education Research & Development Corporation (ERDI) is a privately held, Toronto-based professional services and membership organization founded in October 1995 that operates a curated two-sided network connecting approximately 40 major corporations with senior education leaders (CEOs, superintendents, and directors) from more than 60 key Canadian K-12 school districts and boards. The company's primary product is a semi-annual conference program hosted at premium Canadian venues (Fairmont hotels), featuring tailored panel sessions, advisory council meetings, networking luncheons, and professional development, through which Corporate Partners receive direct feedback from Education Partners on products, services, and marketing strategies aimed at the Canadian K-12 marketplace.

ERDI's service portfolio has three components: (1) Conferences — the flagship semi-annual events, including a virtual format introduced in 2021; (2) Membership — a recurring subscription-based relationship that grants access to the conference registration system at conferences.erdi.ca (gated by company approval); and (3) Consulting, Support, and Research & Development Services — bespoke engagements offered to individual corporate clients beyond the membership scope. The underlying technology stack is minimal, limited to the proprietary conference registration platform; the offering is fundamentally a high-touch, relationship-driven service rather than a technology product.

ERDI is led by CEO Michael D.W. Lee, President William S. Hogarth (former 16-year Director of Education at York Region District School Board), and Senior Strategist Susan LaRosa (retired Director of York Catholic District School Board), with a total team of 1-10 employees. The organization generates revenue from membership fees and conference participation, is profitable at a small scale based on its 30-year continuous operation, and operates exclusively within Canada.

Name

Education Research & Development

Legal name

Education Research & Development Corporation

Website

https://erdi.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Education Research & Development Corporation (ERDI) is a Toronto-based private membership organization that connects 40 major corporations with senior leaders from 60+ Canadian K-12 school districts through semi-annual conferences, professional development, and consulting services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Consulting Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE), Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Education consulting services
• K-12 education partnerships
• Corporate education networking
• Professional development forums
• Organizational development consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Conference Services: Primary revenue stream from organizing and hosting semi-annual conferences for Corporate and Education Partners. Conferences include panel sessions, networking events, luncheons, banquets, and professional development sessions at premium Canadian venues.
2. Membership Fees: Revenue from corporate and education partner memberships that provide access to the ERDI network and conference registration system.
3. Consulting & Support Services: Custom consulting and support services offered to individual corporate clients relating to education, learning, and organizational development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ERDI organizes and hosts semi-annual conferences at premium Canadian venues (Fairmont hotels) that bring together 40 major corporate partners with 60+ key K-12 school systems across Canada. Each Corporate Partner receives tailored panel discussions with education CEOs, superintendents and directors who provide feedback on products, services and marketing strategies. Beyond conferences, ERDI delivers consulting, research, and organizational development support services to corporate clients engaged in education and learning.

Product overview

ERDI operates as a networking and professional development organization with three main service offerings: (1) Conferences — semi-annual events featuring panel discussions, general sessions, networking luncheons, and advisory councils that connect Corporate Partners with Education Partners from Canadian school districts; (2) Consulting & Support Services — tailored organizational development support for entities engaged in education and learning; and (3) Research & Development Services — direct client services for corporate partners seeking research capabilities. A supporting Conference Registration System facilitates partner access to events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ERDI Conferences Semi-annual in-person conferences held at premium Canadian venues (Fairmont hotels) connecting Corporate Partners with Education Partners; each Corporate Partner receives a 3-hour or two 80-minute panel sessions with education leaders, plus working luncheons, hospitality rooms, banquets, and an Advisory Council of six Education and Corporate Partners providing guidance on conference quality.
• Consulting & Support Services Tailored consulting and support services for organizations invested in education, learning, and organizational development, extending beyond K-12 to all organizations promoting learning and providing educational programs.
• Research & Development Services Direct research and development services provided to individual corporate clients seeking research capabilities aligned with their needs in education, learning, and organizational development.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Corporate Partners (40 major corporations)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork of 40 major corporations that participate in ERDI conferences to engage with Education Partners and receive feedback on products, services, and marketing strategies related to the K-12 education marketplace.
• Education Partners (60+ school systems)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 60 key school systems across Canada whose CEOs, superintendents and directors participate in ERDI conferences to provide feedback to Corporate Partners and engage in professional development.
• Advisory Council MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix members from Education and Corporate Partners who provide advice to ERDI Principals on enhancing the quality of conferences and services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• EdSurge: EdSurge is a K-12 EdTech media and events company running product directories, news, and summits connecting vendors and educators, comparable to ERDI's marketplace role at a larger digital scale.

Direct peers

• Learning Forward: Learning Forward is a professional association dedicated to educator professional development with annual conferences and consulting services, directly comparable to ERDI's K-12 professional development and convening role.
• ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education): ISTE is a major K-12 education membership organization that runs large annual conferences and professional development programs for educators and EdTech vendors, closely mirroring ERDI's two-sided education-corporate dialogue model.
• SXSW EDU: SXSW EDU is a major annual education conference attracting educators, policymakers, and EdTech companies, comparable to ERDI as a high-profile forum for dialogue between education and business leaders.
• ASCD: ASCD is a K-12 professional learning organization serving educators and administrators with conferences, publications, and consulting, comparable to ERDI in mission and member-driven conference format.
• FETC (Future of Education Technology Conference): FETC is one of the largest K-12 education technology conferences in North America, bringing together school districts and EdTech vendors — directly overlapping with ERDI's corporate-educator networking focus.

Broad incumbents

• District Administration: District Administration is a leading K-12 leadership media brand producing conferences, publications, and events for school district leaders, overlapping with ERDI's role connecting corporate vendors to district decision-makers.

Regional players

• EdCan Network: EdCan Network is Canada's pan-Canadian education organization connecting educators, researchers, and policymakers, comparable to ERDI as a Canadian K-12 convener and thought leadership body.
• Council of School Superintendents and Administrators of Ontario (COSSCO): COSSCO is a Canadian provincial association of school superintendents and administrators, comparable to ERDI as a forum serving senior K-12 district decision-makers in Canada.
• CESA (Canadian Education Services Association): CESA is a Canadian education services organization supporting K-12 school boards, comparable to ERDI in its Canadian focus on school district services and stakeholder convening.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ERDICanada
• Facebookfacebook.com/ERDICanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/erdi---education-research-and-development-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Education Research & Development