Small World Initiative

What Small World Initiative does

Small World Initiative (SWI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization founded in 2012 at Yale University that operates a discovery-based biology curriculum in which students collect soil samples, isolate bacteria, and screen them against clinically relevant microorganisms to search for new antibiotic candidates. Its core product is the SWI Core Program, supported by the Student Research Guide to Microbial and Chemical Diversity and Research Protocols (published through XanEdu and Amazon), an Instructor Training Program that certifies Partner Instructors (SWIPIs) through annual workshops at the University of Connecticut, and a soil sample database at smallworlddb.org. Adjacent programs include the annual Do Something About Antibiotics Challenge (run with the CDC, NIH, WHO, and the Spanish microbiology society SEM during Antibiotic Awareness Week), the Annual SWI Symposium hosted at ASM Microbe, and the SWI@Spain international expansion led by Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

The organization serves universities, colleges, and high schools globally, addressing two problems simultaneously: the public-health crisis of antimicrobial resistance and the need for engaging, authentic research experiences in introductory STEM education. Its technology stack is pedagogical rather than computational — hands-on wet-lab protocols, a published curriculum, and a partner-instructor training model — with no software platform or API. Operationally, SWI runs on a lean 1–10 person core team (President & CEO Erika Kurt, Program Director and UConn Assistant Professor Nichole Broderick, plus volunteer committee chairs from partner institutions) supported by an extensive volunteer instructor network.

SWI's revenue mechanics are dual: donations, foundation grants, and sponsorships from named funders including the Perot Foundation, VWR Foundation, CDC, NIH, and ASM; and one-time retail/educational sales of course materials through XanEdu and Amazon Prime. The go-to-market is community-led — educators apply via the website, complete intensive training, and implement SWI at their own institutions — supplemented by event-driven engagement around Antibiotic Awareness Week. By 2019 the program reached more than 300 schools across 45 US states and 15 countries, though no post-2021 operating data is disclosed.

Name

Small World Initiative

Legal name

Small World Initiative, Inc.

Website

https://smallworldinitiative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Small World Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers a discovery-based biology curriculum, training educators at universities, colleges, and high schools worldwide to have students crowdsource antibiotic discovery from soil bacteria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research & Lab-Based Short-Term Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate) (EDAIAIAF), Multilateral Global Health Partnerships (UN/WHO-led Initiatives) (HLAJAOAA)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• Crowdsourced antibiotic discovery
• Discovery-based biology curriculum
• Microbiology research training
• STEM instructor training

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorship: As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization (EIN#81-1772308), Small World Initiative relies on donations, sponsorships, and grants from foundations and partners to fund operations, training, and program expansion.
2. Course Materials Sales: The organization sells published course materials including Student Research Guide and Research Protocols through XanEdu and Amazon Prime.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Small World Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers a discovery-based biology curriculum in which students collect soil samples, isolate bacteria, and test them against clinically-relevant microorganisms to crowdsource the search for new antibiotics. The organization also provides an Instructor Training Program to certify Partner Instructors, sells published course materials including the Student Research Guide and Research Protocols, and runs the annual Do Something About Antibiotics Challenge in partnership with the CDC, NIH, and WHO.

Product overview

The Small World Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization that offers a unified discovery-based biology curriculum centered around its core SWI Program. The program consists of the Student Research Guide to Microbial and Chemical Diversity and Research Protocols (available as a combined publication through XanEdu and Amazon), combined with an Instructor Training Program for educators. Additional offerings include the annual Do Something About Antibiotics Challenge awareness program and the Annual SWI Symposium at ASM Microbe. The organization also maintains a Soil Sample Database for crowdsourced antibiotic discovery research. All offerings work together to advance the dual mission of inspiring students in STEM careers and discovering new antibiotics to combat superbugs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Do Something About Antibiotics Challenge: Annual challenge for students and Girl Scouts to take action on antibiotic resistance awareness
• SWIple Gallery
• SWI@Spain

Products and services

• Small World Initiative Core Program Introductory biology course program in which students perform hands-on field and laboratory research on soil samples to hunt for new antibiotics, combining STEM education with crowdsourced antibiotic discovery. Sold to and implemented by universities, colleges, and high schools through trained Partner Instructors.
• Student Research Guide to Microbial and Chemical Diversity Official student textbook and guide for the SWI course, covering microbial and chemical diversity research methodology. Sold to students and institutions via XanEdu and Amazon Prime.
• Research Protocols Laboratory protocols accompanying the Student Research Guide, providing step-by-step procedures for soil sample collection, bacteria isolation, and antibiotic testing.
• Instructor Training Program Comprehensive training workshops for educators who apply to become certified SWI Partner Instructors (SWIPIs). Includes pedagogical methods, laboratory techniques, and course implementation support.
• The Do Something About Antibiotics Challenge Annual challenge program that encourages students to create awareness content about antibiotic resistance and superbugs. Run in partnership with the CDC, NIH, WHO, and Sociedad Española de Microbiología.
• Annual SWI Symposium Annual symposium held in conjunction with ASM Microbe where students and faculty present research posters, attend tapas sessions, and network with the microbiology community.
• Soil Sample Database Online database (smallworlddb.org) for collecting and storing soil sample data from SWI participants worldwide, supporting crowdsourced antibiotic discovery research.

Quantifiable outcome

• Antibiotic resistance currently causes 700,000 deaths worldwide annually; projected to kill 300 million people by 2050 if unchecked
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Annual partnership for Do Something About Antibiotics Challenge during CDC's Antibiotic Awareness Week. CDC provides resources, prizes, and expertise for student awareness campaigns.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Partner in annual Do Something About Antibiotics Challenge, providing prizes and scientific expertise for student antibiotic awareness activities.
• Sociedad Española de Microbiología (SEM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Spanish microbiology society partners in Do Something About Antibiotics Challenge, supporting European student engagement and awareness activities.
• World Health Organization (WHO)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Global collaboration aligning with WHO's World Antibiotic Awareness Week activities and antimicrobial resistance initiatives.
• 100Kin10flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2019Small World Initiative was announced as a new 100Kin10 partner, joining network of 280+ organizations working to train 100,000 new STEM teachers by 2021.
• Universidad Complutense de MadridcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Lead institution for SWI@Spain expansion, coordinating program across 42 institutions and translating materials to Spanish.
• Yale UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram was formulated at Yale University in 2012; ongoing institutional relationship for research and educational collaboration.
• American Society for Microbiology (ASM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual SWI Symposium held at ASM Microbe conference; collaboration on student research presentations and professional development.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Citizen Science Center: University-based center running large-scale, long-running citizen-science projects (eBird, NestWatch). Comparable as a mature institutional model for crowdsourced biodiversity/biology research with broad educator engagement.
• FIRST Robotics: Large-scale nonprofit running K-12 STEM competitions and curricula including FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Robotics Competition. Comparable as a nonprofit that recruits educators and trains students in hands-on STEM at the same age groups SWI targets.
• HHMI BioInteractive: Howard Hughes Medical Institute's free biology education resource arm, providing high-quality multimedia, curricula, and teacher professional development across the life sciences. A larger, well-funded incumbent offering overlapping classroom resources that competes for educator adoption.

Others

• American Society for Microbiology (ASM): Professional society for microbiologists that hosts the ASM Microbe conference where SWI holds its annual symposium. Functions as a strategic partner and ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but is comparable as an authoritative microbiology body whose brand and events SWI leverages.

Direct peers

• iNaturalist: Joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic that crowdsources biodiversity observations from a global community of naturalists. Peer because it represents a successful crowdsourced-science model combining public participation with research-grade data collection.
• miniPCR: Manufacturer of affordable PCR and electrophoresis equipment designed for classroom and student-research use, listed as SWI's equipment partner. Comparable as a STEM-biology enabling platform targeting the same high school and undergraduate labs SWI serves.
• Zooniverse: The world's largest citizen-science platform, crowdsourcing research contributions (galaxy classification, ecological monitoring, historical records) from volunteers. Comparable as a crowdsourced science platform that engages non-specialists in genuine research workflows.
• BioBuilder Educational Foundation: Nonprofit that delivers hands-on synthetic biology curriculum kits and lab programs to high schools and colleges. Closest direct peer to SWI — both provide lab-based biology curricula adopted by educational institutions to replace traditional introductory coursework.
• Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center: Long-running educational unit of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory offering laboratory-based genetics and molecular biology programs for high school and undergraduate students. Comparable as a nonprofit biology-education provider that trains teachers and delivers authentic lab research experiences to students.

Emerging players

• JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments): Peer-reviewed scientific video journal that publishes lab-protocol demonstrations for educational and research use. Overlaps with SWI in providing standardized, visual biology/microbiology lab protocols adopted by student-research courses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Team_SWI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/SmallWorldInitiative
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/240023149455464
• Instagraminstagram.com/smallworldinitiative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/small-world-initiative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Small World Initiative