GrowNextGen
GrowNextGen is a free educational outreach program funded by the Ohio Soybean Council that provides standards-aligned STEM curriculum, e-learning courses, virtual field trips, career videos, and professional development workshops to 15,000+ Ohio K-12 STEM teachers in grades 6-12.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What GrowNextGen does
GrowNextGen is a free, Ohio Soybean Council-funded educational outreach program that delivers standards-aligned STEM curriculum, e-learning courses, virtual field trips, career videos, and professional learning workshops to Ohio K-12 STEM teachers. Headquartered in Worthington, Ohio, founded in 2013, and operating with a 6-person team, the program is funded exclusively through soybean checkoff contributions from Ohio soybean farmers. It reaches 15,000+ teachers statewide via 80+ curriculum units, 20+ e-learning courses, 500+ workshops delivered, and a network of 140+ industry leaders. All resources, including classroom supplies provided to workshop attendees, are offered at no cost.
The platform is structured around a hub-and-spoke content model. Curriculum is developed by Ohio teachers using local agriculture-based phenomena as context for life science, environmental science, biology, chemistry, and food science standards. Signature workshop series—Ag Biotech Academy (since 2013), Chickenology, ChickQuest, and Experience Food Science: Field to Package—deliver immersive professional development that combines hands-on lab kits, industry site visits, and guest speakers from partners such as Corteva, Pioneer, Bio-Rad, Sunrise Cooperative, and the Ohio Poultry Association. Distribution is purely direct: grownextgen.org website downloads, a monthly email newsletter to 8,000+ subscribers, and Eventbrite-registered in-person and virtual events.
GrowNextGen has no commercial revenue model, no paid tiers, no external investors, and no funding rounds. It operates as a programmatic extension of the Ohio Soybean Council's educational mission, with grants and industry partnerships (including USDA NIFA sponsorship) supplementing the checkoff base. Geographic scope is restricted to Ohio, and there is no indication of out-of-state expansion or productized technology offerings. The organization is therefore best understood as a mission-driven, single-state educational services program rather than a venture-backable software or content business.
GrowNextGen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- GrowNextGen
- Legal name
- GrowNextGen
- Website
- https://grownextgen.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- GrowNextGen is a free educational outreach program funded by the Ohio Soybean Council that provides standards-aligned STEM curriculum, e-learning courses, virtual field trips, career videos, and professional development workshops to 15,000+ Ohio K-12 STEM teachers in grades 6-12.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
GrowNextGen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 STEM Education
- NAICS
- Educational Services (61), Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Teacher-Led Digital Lesson Packages & Instructional Resources (EDAFACAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Instructional Coaching & Teacher Professional Learning (School-Embedded) (EDAJAFAO), STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG), STEM & Computer Science Curriculum (EDAGAAAB)
Keywords
GrowNextGen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Grant funding and checkoff programs: GrowNextGen is funded by the Ohio Soybean Council and Ohio soybean farmers through checkoff programs. It operates as an educational non-profit providing free resources to teachers. There is no commercial revenue model as all resources, workshops, and supplies are provided at no cost to educators.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier - All resources at no cost |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
GrowNextGen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
GrowNextGen provides free STEM educational resources to Ohio teachers in grades 6-12, including standards-aligned curriculum units, self-paced e-learning courses, virtual field trips, career videos, and hands-on professional learning workshops. All offerings are designed around real-world agriculture-based phenomena and are developed by Ohio teachers for Ohio teachers. The program is funded by the Ohio Soybean Council and supplies teachers with free classroom materials and industry connections.
Product overview
GrowNextGen is a free educational resource platform for Ohio STEM educators providing a comprehensive suite of teacher resources, student experiences, and professional learning programs. The platform operates on a hub-and-spoke model centered around curriculum (80+ STEM units), e-learning courses (20+ self-paced digital courses), virtual field trips, career videos, and student research projects. Signature workshop programs including Ag Biotech Academy, Chickenology, ChickQuest, and Experience Food Science connect teachers with industry professionals and provide free supplies. The platform serves 15,000+ teachers across Ohio with 500+ workshops conducted and resources backed by the Ohio Soybean Council.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Curriculum Standards-aligned STEM curriculum units and lesson plans (80+ units) designed around local agriculture-based phenomena, covering life science, environmental science, biology, chemistry, food science, and more, available for free download by Ohio teachers.
- E-learning Courses Self-paced digital courses (20+ courses) covering various STEM topics through an agriculture lens, designed for teachers to share with students for independent learning.
- Virtual Field Trips Interactive live virtual field trip experiences that connect classrooms to real-life Ohio science in action, including visits to farms, cooperatives, and agricultural facilities such as Sunrise Cooperative and Cooper Farms.
- Career Videos Video library showcasing career pathways in agriculture and STEM, featuring industry professionals in various roles including agronomy, ag economics, food science, robotics, and more (100+ videos).
- Student Research Projects Platform where students can share soybean-focused research and experiments, with $100+ prizes awarded for qualifying science fair projects.
- Professional Learning Workshops Immersive hands-on workshops for Ohio STEM educators including signature series: Ag Biotech Academy, Chickenology, ChickQuest, Experience Food Science: Field to Package, and Soil & Water Quality in the Classroom. Free attendance with free classroom supplies provided to attendees.
- Industry Leaders Network Network of 140+ industry professionals connecting teachers and students with real-world agriculture expertise, career mentorship, and classroom speaking opportunities.
- GrowNextGen Connection Newsletter Monthly email newsletter delivered to 8,000+ STEM educators with free resources, workshop announcements, and latest curriculum updates.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% of workshop attendees report increase in knowledge and intend to use at least one lesson/unit for up to 7.5 years
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use GrowNextGen
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
GrowNextGen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
GrowNextGen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Ohio Poultry AssociationcoreCo-sponsor of Chickenology workshop series. Provides industry expertise and support for poultry-related educational content. Collaborates on curriculum development for chicken/egg lifecycle education.
- Pioneer (DuPont Pioneer)minorProvides support for Ag Biotech Academy workshop. Industry representative (Alexandra Knight, field agronomist) presents at workshops. Contributes to biotechnology education content.
- Sunrise CooperativecorePartnered with GrowNextGen for virtual field trips to test plots. Industry dinner speaker at Ag Biotech Academy. Demonstrates how classroom science connects to Ohio fields and farming operations.
- Corteva AgriscienceminorIndustry representative (Jerron Schmoll, Product Lifecycle Manager) spoke at Ag Biotech Academy about CRISPR technology and its agricultural applications.
- BioOhiominorPartner with Ohio Soybean Council to support Ag and Med Biotech workshops. Provides biotech industry connections and expertise for teacher professional development.
- Otterbein UniversitycoreHosts Ag Biotech Academy and Ag and Med Biotech Graduate Academy workshops on campus. Provides facilities and academic credibility for teacher professional development programs.
- Waterman Farm (Ohio State University)minorSite of field trip for Ag Biotech Academy workshop participants. Demonstrates agricultural research conducted at Ohio State University.
- Ohio Corn & WheatminorCo-presenter of Investigating Water Quality workshop with Ohio Soybean Council. Collaborates on water quality educational content for teachers.
- Cooper FarmsminorHost of Chickenology virtual field trips. Industry professionals present on poultry breeding, turkey processing, and animal science careers.
- Arkansas Soybean AssociationminorShared career videos for use on GrowNextGen platform, including Precision ag consultant, Agri program manager, Social media specialist, and Commodities merchandiser videos.
- Ohio Pork CouncilminorProvided video content featuring Ohio Pork Producer Matt Heimerl for career exploration resources.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
GrowNextGen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- 4-H (National 4-H Council): USDA-affiliated youth development organization with strong STEM and agriculture programming reaching K-12 students. Broader youth-development mission but overlapping agriculture STEM education footprint and teacher resource distribution.
- PBS LearningMedia: Free, standards-aligned digital learning content library used by U.S. K-12 teachers. Adjacent competitor for teacher curricular time, with similar free distribution model but no ag-specific positioning.
- Discovery Education: Large-scale K-12 digital curriculum and STEM content provider used widely in U.S. school districts. Competes with GrowNextGen for teacher attention and curriculum adoption slots, though at much broader scale and across all subjects.
- National FFA Organization: Largest U.S. agricultural education organization serving middle and high school students with curriculum, leadership, and career-development programming. Wider scope than GrowNextGen but materially overlapping on agriculture STEM career exposure and teacher resources.
Direct peers
- Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC): Illinois commodity checkoff-funded ag literacy program offering free K-12 teacher resources, workshops, and curriculum. Closely comparable state-level peer operating with a similar commodity-funded model in a different geography.
- California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom: Long-running state-level nonprofit producing free K-12 ag literacy curriculum, teacher workshops, and a teacher ambassador network. Directly comparable model to GrowNextGen in a different state, with a similar freemium/grant funding approach.
- Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation: State-level commodity-funded ag-literacy nonprofit delivering free teacher resources, workshops, and STEM curriculum. Functions as a direct state-level analog to GrowNextGen, with a different commodity and state.
- American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture: National ag-literacy nonprofit producing free K-12 curriculum, educator resources, and the 'Ag in the Classroom' network. Highly comparable as a peer organization with broader geographic scope and similar STEM/agriculture curriculum focus.
- Nutrients for Life Foundation: Checkoff/industry-funded nonprofit providing free STEM curriculum on plant nutrients and soil science for K-12 teachers. Closely comparable funding model (fertilizer industry-funded) and curriculum mission to GrowNextGen, with a similar freemium distribution approach.
- National Agriculture in the Classroom (NAITCO): Federally coordinated agricultural literacy program with state affiliates delivering standards-aligned curriculum and teacher resources. Direct mission overlap with GrowNextGen, including grant-funded teacher professional development; differs in being federally chartered rather than state-commodity-checkoff funded.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
GrowNextGen social profiles
Digital presenceGrowNextGen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
GrowNextGen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
GrowNextGen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
GrowNextGen M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about GrowNextGen
What does GrowNextGen do?
GrowNextGen provides free STEM educational resources to Ohio teachers in grades 6-12, including standards-aligned curriculum units, self-paced e-learning courses, virtual field trips, career videos, and hands-on professional learning workshops. All offerings are designed around real-world agriculture-based phenomena and are developed by Ohio teachers for Ohio teachers. The program is funded by the Ohio Soybean Council and supplies teachers with free classroom materials and industry connections.
Is GrowNextGen a public or private company?
GrowNextGen is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was GrowNextGen founded?
GrowNextGen was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does GrowNextGen make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant funding and checkoff programs.
Who are GrowNextGen's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are 4-H (National 4-H Council), PBS LearningMedia, Discovery Education and National FFA Organization. Direct peers are Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC), California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation, American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, Nutrients for Life Foundation and National Agriculture in the Classroom (NAITCO).
Does GrowNextGen have an API?
No public API is recorded for GrowNextGen.
What industry is GrowNextGen in?
GrowNextGen's product category is K-12 STEM Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFACAL, Teacher-Led Digital Lesson Packages & Instructional Resources, with a secondary code of EDAJAFAO, Instructional Coaching & Teacher Professional Learning (School-Embedded). Its NAICS code is 61 and its SIC code is 8200.