What Starfish Education does

Starfish Education LLC is a Woodinville, Washington-based K-12 STEM education company founded in 2005 by Lane Slagle, a former classroom teacher and district administrator. The company specializes in NGSS-aligned STEM curriculum design, professional development workshops, and consulting services for K-12 schools, districts, teachers, and partner organizations such as nonprofits and federal agencies. Its most distinctive program is the Electric Propulsion Innovation Challenge (EPIC), an annual aerospace engineering design competition for grades 6-12 in which students design, build, and fly small electric airplanes; the 2026 edition introduces a 'Stay the Course' tether-based flight dynamics game.

The company's product and service portfolio spans three lines. First, professional services include consulting engagements, custom curriculum design for districts and companies, and one-day professional development workshops plus a virtual coaches workshop ($60 per participant) for the EPIC program. Second, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store sells digital curriculum packets ($4.95-$399.95) such as Literature Circle Roles, Developing Good Questions posters, the EPIC Curriculum PDF, and the EPIC Class Starter Pack bundle, alongside physical kits (annual class packs for 30 students at $149.95) shipped via USPS Priority Mail. Third, branded institutional partnerships with NASA, the United States Air Force Academy, AIAA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Houston provide reputational anchoring and grant pathways (e.g., Air Force Association $500 grants, AIAA classroom grants) that lower adoption friction.

The business operates as a founder-owned LLC with a stated headcount of 8 employees and no disclosed external funding. Distribution is entirely direct: the company sells through its own storefront, markets through a STEM-focused blog, monthly email newsletter, and multi-platform social media (Facebook, X, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram), and conducts professional services sales through direct contact. Pricing is one-time/perpetual licensing for digital products, hardware sales for physical kits, and per-engagement professional services fees, with purchase orders accepted for orders of $150 or more. The company functions as a content-and-services business rather than a platform, and operates exclusively within the United States.

Name

Starfish Education

Legal name

Starfish Education LLC

Website

https://starfisheducation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Starfish Education is a Woodinville, Washington-based K-12 STEM education company founded in 2005 that designs NGSS-aligned curriculum, delivers professional development and consulting services to schools and districts, and runs the EPIC aerospace engineering competition for grades 6-12.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 STEM Curriculum and Professional Development

akta.pro primary industry

Curriculum Design & Scope/Sequence (School-Led) (EDAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Engineering Design & Project-Based Learning Programs (EDAMADAB), Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA), Talent Development, Competitions & Academic Pathways (Olympiads, Research, Early College) (EDAKALAI)

Keywords

• STEM curriculum design
• K-12 professional development
• Aerospace STEM education
• Education consulting services
• Engineering design process

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodinville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Digital Curriculum Products: PDF-based curriculum materials, lesson plans, design briefs, interactive notebook pages, posters, and assessment tools sold through the online store. Products include single-teacher licenses with options for additional classroom licenses.
2. Physical Products: EPIC engineering design kits, flight circle equipment, classroom supplies, and apparel. Physical products are shipped via USPS Priority Mail with manual shipping calculation available for large orders.
3. Online Courses and Workshops: Virtual Coaches Workshop for EPIC program at $60.00 per participant. Includes 4 weeks of content, 13 lessons, and 4 quizzes.
4. Professional Development Services: Custom workshops for K-12 administrators, teachers, and staff focusing on STEM education. One-day in-person workshops include materials and airplane supplies. Lane provides hands-on activities, best-practice strategies, and practical tools.
5. Consulting Services: STEM planning and execution support for K-12 organizations. Services include defining and implementing STEM needs, guiding curriculum development, rescuing projects, and providing resources.
6. Curriculum Design Services: Custom STEM curriculum development for school districts, companies, and organizations. Includes proposing options, planning best-practice curriculum, field testing, revision, and implementation training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Starfish Education designs and sells standards-aligned K-12 STEM curriculum, supporting digital and physical products, and delivers custom curriculum design, consulting, and professional development workshops to schools and districts. Its flagship EPIC (Electric Propulsion Innovation Challenge) program provides hands-on aerospace engineering projects for grades 6-12 with annual fly-off competitions, coaches workshops, and bundled classroom kits.

Product overview

Starfish Education offers a comprehensive STEM education ecosystem consisting of professional services (consulting, curriculum design, professional development), the EPIC STEM Challenge program for grades 6-12, and a digital product store featuring downloadable curriculum resources. The core offerings include custom curriculum design services, hands-on professional development workshops, and the EPIC (Electric Propulsion Innovation Challenge) program with accompanying materials including the EPIC Class Starter Pack and EPIC Virtual Coaches Workshop. The store provides Assessment Tools, Engineering Design Challenges, Complete STEM Units, and Classroom Management Tools including Literature Circle Roles, Developing Good Questions posters, and interactive STEM notebooks. The company operates as a single-product education services company rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consulting Services STEM consulting services to help K-12 stakeholders define and implement STEM needs, write viable curriculum, and rescue projects. Targeted at K-12 organizations and districts.
• Curriculum Design Services Custom STEM curriculum design services for school districts, companies, and organizations, including field testing, revision, and professional development for implementation.
• Professional Development High-quality professional development workshops for K-12 administrators, teachers, and staff focusing on STEM education with hands-on activities and best-practice strategies.
• EPIC STEM Challenge The Electric Propulsion Innovation Challenge (EPIC) is an aerospace engineering design project for students in grades 6-12 with annual game competitions, classroom kits, and coaches workshops.
• EPIC Class Starter Pack Complete $399.95 classroom kit including EPIC Flight Circle, EPIC Curriculum PDF, Annual Class Pack for 30 students, and Getting Started Guide.
• EPIC Virtual Coaches Workshop 4-week virtual workshop ($60) for adults to learn about EPIC and design/build their own airplane, paralleling the in-person coaches workshop experience.
• Literature Circle Roles Comprehensive $16.95 PDF packet providing student jobs and an assessment rubric for implementing Literature Circles in classrooms, designed for grades 4-12.
• Developing Good Questions $4.95 poster set teaching K-12 students how to write good questions using the STRIPE method, with full-page posters and half-page notebook sheets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Complete units include all necessary lesson components and assessments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA partnership supports STEM education outreach. Starfish Education works with NASA-affiliated programs to provide aerospace curriculum and inspire students toward STEM careers. NASA logo appears on client/partner list indicating collaboration in STEM education initiatives.
• United States Air Force Academy (USAFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with USAFA supports aerospace education and the EPIC STEM Challenge program. USAFA is listed as a client/partner on Starfish Education website indicating collaboration on STEM curriculum and student outreach.
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAIAA partnership includes classroom grants for K-12 educators (October-January window). Starfish Education EPIC products are eligible for AIAA grant funding. Collaboration supports aerospace education and professional development.
• CSRSEF (Central Sound Regional STEM Education Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder Lane Slagle serves on the Board of CSRSEF, which has a mission to reach underrepresented youth and help them pursue STEM careers. Lane is also Chair of the EPIC STEM Challenge committee.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with BGCA provides STEM education programs for youth through club locations. Collaboration supports out-of-school time STEM learning opportunities.
• Air Force AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAir Force Association offers $500 grants (September-December) for educators to purchase EPIC Class Starter Packs, Flight Circle Kits, and Aerospace/EPIC Curriculum. Grant program supports Starfish Education product adoption.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Project Lead the Way: Large nonprofit provider of K-12 STEM curriculum and project-based learning pathways, including engineering design. Direct competitor to Starfish's curriculum design and PD services for K-12 districts, but at significantly greater scale.
• STEMscopes (Accelerate Learning): Hands-on, NGSS-aligned K-12 STEM curriculum with digital and print components plus teacher PD — directly comparable to Starfish's standards-aligned, field-tested STEM units and PD workshops.
• Defined STEM: K-12 STEM curriculum provider offering project-based, standards-aligned performance tasks — closely comparable to Starfish's engineering design challenges and complete STEM units.
• VEX Robotics: Provider of K-12 robotics kits, curriculum, and the VEX competition ecosystem — comparable to Starfish's EPIC Challenge in combining hands-on engineering kits with a structured student competition.
• Pitsco Education: K-12 STEM kits, curriculum, and PD focused on hands-on engineering and design challenges — directly comparable product mix to Starfish's engineering design challenges and EPIC kits.

Broad incumbents

• LEGO Education: Global incumbent selling hands-on STEM kits, curriculum, and PD to K-12 schools. Overlaps with Starfish's physical engineering kits (e.g., Brown Bag STEM, EPIC Class Starter Pack) at a much larger scale.
• BrainPOP: Subscription-based K-12 digital content across STEM subjects. Adjacent to Starfish's digital product store and content marketing approach, but at much broader scale.
• Discovery Education: Large K-12 digital content and curriculum provider with STEM modules and PD — comparable buyer (district-level) and category to Starfish, though a much broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• Carnegie Science Center / COSI (informal science education): Informal science education providers that operate STEM outreach and curriculum programs, including aerospace-flavored content. Comparable to Starfish's outreach model with BGCA, AIAA, and CSRSEF.
• Education Closet: Provider of STEAM-focused curriculum, resources, and PD for K-12 educators — directly comparable in serving K-12 teachers with ready-to-use STEM/STEAM content and workshops.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/em_slagle
• Facebookfacebook.com/StarfishEducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elanaslagle
• Instagraminstagram.com/starfishedu
• Pinterestpinterest.com/StarfishEdu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Starfish Education