Cogent Education

What Cogent Education does

ExploreLearning is a privately-held US-based educational technology company that operates a multi-product K-12 supplemental curriculum suite centered on interactive math and science simulations. Its flagship product, Gizmos, is an online platform of standards-aligned virtual manipulatives and guided-inquiry science simulations; STEM Cases, built on top of Gizmos and protected by US Patent No. 10,410,534, place students in the role of STEM professionals solving real-world problems and embed real-time formative assessments surfaced through data heatmaps. The portfolio is extended with Reflex (adaptive math fact fluency), Frax (adaptive fractions), Gizmos Investigations (foundational inquiry activities), and Science4Us (K-5 elementary science curriculum).

The company targets K-12 schools, districts, and teachers — primarily in the United States, with documented adoption in Canada and the UAE — using a hybrid go-to-market motion that combines a freemium self-serve entry point (free teacher and student accounts) with sales-assisted institutional licensing, demos, pilots, and quote-based subscriptions. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but follows an annual subscription/recurring revenue structure based on per-student or site-wide licenses to educational institutions. Revenue is generated exclusively from educational institution subscriptions.

Technically, the platform is a web-based interactive simulation environment with embedded assessment logic and real-time reporting; its primary defensible technical asset is the patented STEM Cases methodology and Realtime Reporting System. Distribution is supported by content marketing, social media (under @explorek12official handles), educator newsletters, and a professional development/course catalog aimed at converting teachers into district-wide deployments. Ownership and corporate structure are not disclosed in the available source material.

Name

Cogent Education

Legal name

ExploreLearning

Website

https://cogenteducation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ExploreLearning is a US-based K-12 educational technology company that provides interactive STEM simulations (Gizmos, STEM Cases) and adaptive math programs (Reflex, Frax, Science4Us) to schools, districts, and teachers via subscription-based institutional licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 STEM Education Software

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Math & Science Interactive Learning Platforms (STEM Core) (EDAFANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Core Digital Curriculum & Courseware (Full Programs & Units) (EDAFACAA), K–12 Digital Curriculum & Interactive Lessons (EDAGAEAA), Science & STEM Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAH)

Keywords

• K-12 STEM simulations
• Interactive science case studies
• Adaptive math fact fluency
• Formative assessment platform
• Standards-aligned curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational Institution Subscriptions: Subscription-based licensing model for schools, school districts, and educational institutions. Pricing is quote-based and typically structured as per-student or site-wide licenses with annual billing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cogent Education provides interactive online math and science simulations (Gizmos) and case-based STEM learning modules (STEM Cases) for K-12 students, along with adaptive math programs (Reflex, Frax) and an elementary science curriculum (Science4Us). The platform delivers standards-aligned virtual labs, real-time formative assessments, and data heatmaps that help teachers differentiate instruction and monitor student progress. Distribution combines freemium self-serve access for individual educators with quote-based institutional licensing for schools and districts.

Product overview

ExploreLearning offers Gizmos as its core interactive STEM learning platform, a unified educational technology suite comprising simulations and case-based learning tools. The product portfolio includes Gizmos (interactive math and science simulations), STEM Cases (real-world problem-solving case studies with embedded formative assessments and real-time reporting), and Gizmos Investigations (guided inquiry activities). Supplementary programs include Reflex (adaptive math fact fluency) and Frax (adaptive fractions learning), plus Science4Us (K-5 science curriculum). The platform aligns to educational standards and supports differentiated instruction through real-time data analytics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gizmos: Interactive online math and science simulations for K-12 education
• STEM Cases
• Reflex
• Frax
• Science4Us

Products and services

• Gizmos Interactive online math and science simulations for K-12 students that allow them to explore concepts through virtual manipulables, experiments, and guided inquiry activities aligned to educational standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• Significant student learning gains when used in the classroom (per research referenced on platform)

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Georgia Film Office (Georgia Department of Economic Development)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Georgia Film Office, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, provided assistance with a project (likely content production or demonstration video) for ExploreLearning Gizmos. This is a minor government partnership supporting educational content development.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Labster: Virtual science lab simulations for high school and higher education. Direct partial overlap with Gizmos' virtual lab experience, particularly in chemistry and biology where hands-on labs are scarce.
• Desmos: Free math/STEM tools (graphing calculator, classroom activities) used widely in K-12. Functions as a free-tier alternative and partial substitute for the simulation and visualization components of Gizmos.

Direct peers

• BrainPOP: Subscription-based K-12 instructional content platform with interactive science simulations, case studies, and formative assessment. Sells into the same K-12 schools and districts as Gizmos.
• Nearpod: Interactive K-12 lesson platform with simulations, VR, and formative assessments sold via district subscriptions. Directly comparable in product format and K-12 buyer to Gizmos.
• PhET Interactive Simulations: University of Colorado Boulder's free interactive STEM simulations for K-12 and higher education. It is the most direct substitute to Gizmos' simulation library and competes head-to-head on inquiry-based science instruction.
• Carnegie Learning: K-12 math and STEM education provider combining adaptive software (MATHia) with curriculum. Comparable as a subscription-based, standards-aligned STEM learning platform selling to districts.

Broad incumbents

• IXL Learning: Large K-12 personalized learning platform covering math, science, and more via subscription. Overlaps with Gizmos on interactive science practice and shares the same district sales motion.
• Amplify: K-12 curriculum and assessment company with science, math, and reading programs. Competes for district curriculum dollars and overlaps with Gizmos on standards-aligned science instruction.
• Edgenuity: Online learning and credit-recovery provider serving K-12 districts. Competes for the same district supplemental-instruction budget, with overlapping science content modules.
• Discovery Education: Large K-12 digital curriculum provider offering interactive science and STEM content to districts. It is a broader incumbent whose STEM offerings overlap with Gizmos' standards-aligned simulations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cogented
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ExploreK12Official
• Facebookfacebook.com/is3donline
• Instagraminstagram.com/explorek12official

Compliance1 record

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 Cogent Education