Think Equal

What Think Equal does

Think Equal is a UK-registered global charity founded in 2015 that develops and delivers Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programmes for children aged 3–6. Its core product is the Think Equal Classroom Programme, a three-level curriculum (Levels 1–3 mapping to ages 3–4, 4–5, and 5–6) comprising 22–24 narrative picture books, 90 lesson plans, and 50+ best-practice resources per level, supported by an online teacher training platform at learning.thinkequal.org and a digital home kit called EQlicious featuring animated stories narrated by Olivia Colman, Stephen Fry, Richard Grant, and Emma Thompson. The organisation also operates a Refugee Settings Programme variant and a free WHO-co-developed resource ("Rainbows in Windows").

Think Equal monetises through a hybrid charity model: the classroom programme is sold at cost ($290 USD per level plus shipping) to schools; the EQlicious digital home kit is sold to parents with each purchase triggering a donation of five classroom programmes to children in Mexico, South Africa, and India; and donations—direct, AmazonSmile (0.5% of eligible purchases), and easyfundraising—fund programme delivery in developing countries. The legal structure comprises a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (no. 10166996), a registered charity (no. 1174610), a Scottish charity (SC054380), and a Delaware-incorporated 501c3 entity (Think Equal USA) that holds the programme copyright. Founder and CEO Leslee Udwin leads the organisation.

The primary go-to-market is government and policymaker adoption—Think Equal advocates for SEL to be made compulsory from age 3—combined with direct sales to schools, teacher training networks, and B2C distribution via EQlicious. Operating geographies span 14+ countries across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and Central America, with strategic partnerships providing reach disproportionate to the small remote UK-based team: Scholas Occurrentes (founded by Pope Francis, 187 countries), DG Murray Trust (distributing ~USD 10M annually in South Africa), UNICEF (North Macedonia master-trainer programme), CARE Pakistan, and the World Health Organisation.

Name

Think Equal

Legal name

Think Equal

Website

https://thinkequal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Classroom-Based SEL Curriculum & Lessons (Preschool/Pre-K) (EDACAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

School-Based SEL Curriculum & Instructional Programs (EDAKAMAA), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Wellbeing Digital Curriculum (EDAFACAM), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Character Development (EDAGACAC)

Keywords

• Social emotional learning
• Early childhood education
• SEL curriculum
• Teacher training programs
• Classroom resources

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Classroom Programme Sales: Sale of Think Equal's three-level classroom programme materials to schools and educational institutions. Each level (22-24 picture books, 90 lesson plans, 50+ resources) is priced at $290 USD plus shipping.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Think Equal operates as a registered charity (501c3 in USA, registered charity in England and Wales no. 1174610, Scotland no. SC054380). Receives donations to fund programme delivery in developing countries. Donation metric: $25 USD provides 10 children with SEL for life.
3. EQlicious Digital Product Sales: Sale of EQlicious digital home kits - animated stories, books and activities for parents to build EQ in children aged 3-6. For each kit sold, five Think Equal classroom programmes are donated to children in Mexico, South Africa and India.
4. AmazonSmile Donations: Registered with AmazonSmile to receive 0.5% of eligible purchase prices donated by customers who select Think Equal as their charity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Think Equal designs and delivers a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programme for early years children aged 3-6, comprising a three-level curriculum (Level 1: ages 3-4, Level 2: ages 4-5, Level 3: ages 5-6) with 74 narrative picture books, 270 lesson plans, and 150+ best practice resources developed with global experts in neuroscience, psychology, and education. Each level of the classroom programme is priced at $290 USD, supported by an online teacher training portal and a digital home kit (EQlicious) for parents.

Product overview

Think Equal is a global charity providing a multi-product social and emotional learning (SEL) ecosystem for children aged 3–6. The core offering is the Think Equal Classroom Programme — a three-level curriculum (Level 1: ages 3–4, Level 2: ages 4–5, Level 3: ages 5–6) of picture books, lesson plans, and resources — sold at cost for $290 USD per level. This is supported by Online Teacher Training delivered via the learning.thinkequal.org portal, and supplemented by the EQlicious digital home kit (animated, celebrity-narrated stories for home use). Additional offerings include the free Rainbows in Windows book (co-created with the WHO) and a Refugee Settings Programme variant. All products share the same foundational SEL framework of 25 skills and competencies across the three age-appropriate levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EQlicious: A digital set of stories, activities, and home kit for children aged 3-6 designed to build emotional intelligence (EQ). Features animated stories narrated by celebrities including Olivia Colman, Stephen Fry, Richard Grant, and Emma Thompson.

Products and services

• Think Equal Classroom Programme A comprehensive three-level Social and Emotional Learning curriculum designed for early years children aged 3-6, containing 22-24 narrative picture books, 90 lesson plans, and 50+ best practice resources per level. Sold at $290 USD per level for school and classroom implementation.
• EQlicious Home Kit A digital home kit of animated stories, books, and activities featuring celebrity-narrated stories (Olivia Colman, Stephen Fry, Richard Grant, Emma Thompson) designed to build emotional intelligence in children aged 3-6 at home. For each kit purchased, five classroom programmes are donated to children in Mexico, South Africa, and India.
• Online Teacher Training Online training modules delivered via learning.thinkequal.org that prepare teachers to implement the Think Equal SEL programme in classrooms.
• Rainbows in Windows A free digital picture book co-written with the World Health Organisation, focused on mental health, well-being, emotional regulation, and age-appropriate COVID-19 education for young children, including calming techniques and basic hygiene tips.
• Refugee Settings Programme A specialised adaptation of the Think Equal SEL programme designed for delivery in refugee settings, supporting displaced children who have experienced trauma.

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ children reached in Trinidad and Tobago pilot by December 2020
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Fondazione Milan (AC Milan Foundation)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2019Tri-partite agreement signed between Scholas Occurrentes, Fondazione Milan, and Think Equal to develop a joint global programme implemented in primary schools. The initiative focuses on values, empathy, creativity, gender equality, and emotional intelligence through social and emotional education and sport.
• Scholas OccurrentesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 March 2019Think Equal signed a collaboration agreement with Scholas Occurrentes, a non-denominational organisation founded by Pope Francis in 2013 that brings values to youth. Scholas works in 187 countries. The partnership aims to bring Think Equal's SEL programme to schools worldwide through Scholas' extensive network.
• DG Murray Trust (DGMT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink Equal signed an MOU with DGMT in South Africa as a strategic partner. DGMT is a South African foundation based in Cape Town distributing about USD 10 million of its own money annually and managing about USD 12 million of project-specific co-funding from other foundations and bilateral donors.
• CARE PakistancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink Equal X CARE Pakistan pilot programme launched in August 2022, with a report covering 2022-2023. The partnership implements Think Equal's SEL programme for children in Pakistan.
• Mantra JewelleryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to create the 'Together' necklace as part of Mantra Jewellery's charity collection, with 25% of profits donated to Think Equal.
• Advent of ChangeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on Christmas charity advent calendars, with proceeds supporting Think Equal's programmes.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UNICEF for pilot programme implementation in North Macedonia. 37 teachers trained as master trainers with support from UNICEF.
• World Health OrganisationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the 'Rainbows in Windows' digital book with the World Health Organisation, focused on mental health, well-being, and COVID-19 education for young children.
• WPP/Mindshare TeamminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDeep gratitude expressed to Patrick Isaak, Mette Theilgaard and the WPP/Mindshare Team for the development of the new Think Equal Corporate Visual Identity.
• Federation University AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific research partnership. Federation University Australia published research on the global social and emotional learning program helping young children, supporting Think Equal's evidence base.
• AmazonSmileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThink Equal is registered with AmazonSmile to receive 0.5% of eligible purchase prices donated by customers who select Think Equal as their charitable organisation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PATHS Curriculum (Channing-Bete): PATHS is a school-based SEL curriculum for preschool through elementary grades with scripted lesson plans and picture books, distributed by Channing-Bete. It is a long-established direct competitor to Think Equal's classroom SEL approach with deep penetration in US districts.
• Aperture Education: Aperture Education provides SEL curriculum and assessment tools for school districts, including the DESSA suite. It overlaps with Think Equal on SEL content delivery to schools and adds the assessment/screening layer that Think Equal does not currently emphasise.
• Committee for Children (Second Step): Committee for Children is a US nonprofit that develops Second Step, one of the most widely adopted SEL curricula for early years and elementary classrooms. It directly competes with Think Equal's classroom SEL programme for the same teacher and school district buyers, with similar age-tiered lessons, picture-based materials and teacher training.
• Move This World: Move This World delivers SEL curricula and teacher-facing digital tools for K-12 schools, with structured lesson content and implementation support. It is directly comparable to Think Equal's model of providing ready-to-deliver SEL lessons and teacher training to schools.
• Rethink Ed: Rethink Ed offers online SEL and behavioral health curricula for K-12, including the Rethink SEL program. It competes for the same district SEL budgets and teacher training workflows as Think Equal, though typically older age groups.

Others

• Room to Read: Room to Read is an education-focused nonprofit delivering literacy and life-skills content in low-income countries. It is comparable as a mission-aligned peer operating in the global early-years/life-skills space, though its curriculum emphasis is on literacy rather than SEL.
• Save the Children (Education programmes): Save the Children operates large-scale early childhood and primary education programmes in many of the same emerging markets where Think Equal pilots (Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, North Macedonia). It is an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct SEL curriculum competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Sanford Harmony: Sanford Harmony (Arizona State University) is a national SEL programme offering online lessons and activities for PreK-6. It overlaps with Think Equal in early-years SEL but operates as a broader institutional initiative with a wider age range and university backing.
• Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (MARC): Yale's YCEI develops the RULER and MARC SEL frameworks used by many school districts and is led by Marc Brackett (a peer-award winner of Leslee Udwin). It is a broader academic/research-driven incumbent in the SEL space with comparable claims to evidence-based practice.
• Sesame Workshop: Sesame Workshop produces globally distributed early childhood educational content, including SEL-themed Sesame Street material and home/family resources. It is a broader incumbent with overlapping mission of social-emotional development for ages 3-6 and substantially larger distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/thinkequalorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHouAM5wgOOZqWT62PqeziA
• Facebookfacebook.com/thinkequal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/think-equal
• Instagraminstagram.com/thinkequal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Think Equal