Waterford UPSTART
Waterford UPSTART is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides adaptive PreK–2nd-grade early learning software in reading, math, and science, offered free to eligible families via state and foundation sponsorships and sold to K-2 school districts as a subscription curriculum across 25+ U.S. states.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersTaylorsville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Waterford UPSTART does
Waterford UPSTART is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education organization (legal entity: Waterford Research Institute, LLC) that provides adaptive early learning software for children in PreK through 2nd grade. The platform delivers personalized instruction in reading (phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, language, and communication), math and science (numbers and operations, algebraic thinking, measurement, geometry, and science), plus mindset skills development. The underlying technology is a proprietary adaptive curriculum refined over 40+ years, validated by 70+ research studies, and certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and WCAG 2.2 AA standards, with COPPA and FERPA compliance and a CASE endorsement for special-education use.
The company's products include Waterford UPSTART (at-home kindergarten readiness program), Waterford Early Learning and Waterford Reading Academy (school/district classroom curricula), Waterford Family Academy (family engagement workshops and coaching), and the CARES Framework (research-backed family engagement methodology). The business model blends three revenue streams: government program sponsorship (state-level contracts that fund free family access), private donations and foundation grants (Valhalla Foundation, Daniels Fund, Chicago Mercantile Exchange), and subscription sales of curriculum to K-2 schools and districts. Operations span 25+ U.S. states with named programs in Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Utah, Colorado, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Delaware, supported by offices in Utah and an R&D presence in Timisoara, Romania.
Go-to-market operates through three motions: a product-led family registration flow (upstart.waterford.org), enterprise field sales to school districts, and community-led partnerships with Head Start programs, state education agencies, and the National Summer Learning Association. Recent strategic activity includes a July 2026 Nevada launch, a Valhalla Foundation matching grant (October 2025), a multi-state summer learning program (March 2026), and senior leadership additions across sales, marketing, partner experience, and technology in 2025–2026.
Waterford UPSTART firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Waterford UPSTART
- Legal name
- Waterford Research Institute, LLC
- Website
- https://waterfordupstart.org
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Waterford UPSTART is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides adaptive PreK–2nd-grade early learning software in reading, math, and science, offered free to eligible families via state and foundation sponsorships and sold to K-2 school districts as a subscription curriculum across 25+ U.S. states.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Waterford UPSTART industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Early Childhood Education Software
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Adaptive Learning & Personalized Instruction Software (EDAJAMAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Family Literacy & Early Language Development Programs (EDACALAE), Accessibility & Assistive Learning Tools for Early Childhood (AAC, sensory supports) (EDACANAL)
Keywords
Where Waterford UPSTART is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Taylorsville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Waterford UPSTART business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Government Program Funding: State and regional governments sponsor the program for eligible families. Each state/regional program has its own funding source - sponsors range from state governments to private donors. Program availability and eligibility are set by funding partners.
- Private Donations and Foundation Grants: Individual and corporate donations support program expansion. The Valhalla Foundation provided a matching grant. Daniels Fund supports Colorado program. Chicago Mercantile Exchange supports Illinois.
- School/District Subscriptions: Waterford Early Learning and other programs are sold to schools and districts as curriculum subscriptions. Schools utilize Waterford programs with teachers administering within classrooms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Free program for qualifying families |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Waterford UPSTART product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Waterford UPSTART provides a free, adaptive early learning software program for PreK-2nd grade children covering reading, math, and science, paired with personalized coaching support and educational resources for families. The program is offered at no cost to eligible families through state government, regional, and private foundation sponsorship, while a parallel classroom curriculum (Waterford Early Learning) is sold on subscription to schools and districts.
Product overview
Waterford UPSTART is a national education nonprofit offering a portfolio of early learning products and services. The core offering is Waterford UPSTART (a free at-home kindergarten readiness program for PreK-2nd grade), complemented by Waterford Early Learning for school districts and Waterford Reading Academy for classroom use. Additional offerings include Waterford Family Academy (family engagement workshops) and the CARES Framework (a family engagement methodology). The products work together to provide personalized, adaptive learning in reading, math, and science across home and school settings, supported by coaching and family resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Waterford UPSTART Interactive early learning program for PreK-2nd grade children providing personalized, adaptive lessons in reading, math, and science, paired with coaching support, parent resources, and—where needed—a computer and Wi-Fi. Offered at no cost to eligible families through state and regional funding partnerships.
- Waterford Early Learning PreK-2 classroom curriculum for schools and districts delivering interactive, standards-aligned lessons in reading, math, and science. Designed for teacher-led classroom use with implementation support, professional development, and ongoing coaching.
- Waterford Reading Academy Online reading program for teachers to use with students in classroom settings, delivered as part of the Waterford Early Learning suite.
- Waterford Family Academy Engaging family workshops and resources that help families develop understanding of how to support their child's learning at home, including coaching support and a library of resources in English and Spanish.
Quantifiable outcome
- 89% of children started kindergarten a full year ahead
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Waterford UPSTART
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Waterford UPSTART technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Waterford UPSTART partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and Department of Health and Human ServicescorePartnership supporting launch of The Legendary Family Learning Guide: Building Literacy Skills, the first title in the Be Legendary Books series. Funded by Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant.
- National Summer Learning Association (NSLA)corePartnership focused on helping communities give families tools to support children's learning during summer. NSLA supports 25,000+ programs across the country and shares Waterford's focus on equity and access in early learning.
- Level AccesscoreDigital accessibility partnership leveraging 25 years of experience to achieve and sustain conformance to WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards. Level Access completed VPATs for Waterford's web and tablet applications.
- U.S. Department of EducationcoreProgram information including usage data, performance data, and PII shared with U.S. Department of Education to support program administration, evaluation, and improvement.
- State Education Agencies (Various)corePartnerships with state departments of education (e.g., North Dakota Department of Public Instruction) to fund and implement statewide early learning programs.
- Evaluation & Training InstituteminorExternal evaluation partner receiving program data for evaluation purposes.
- American Institutes for ResearchminorExternal evaluation partner receiving program data for evaluation purposes.
- WestatminorExternal evaluation partner receiving program data for evaluation purposes.
- Head Start Programs (Various)corePartnerships with Head Start programs including Acelero Learning (Clark County), Louisiana Head Starts (Caddo Parish), and others to deliver at-home learning components.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Waterford UPSTART competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Khan Academy Kids: Khan Academy Kids is a free adaptive early literacy, math, and social-emotional learning app for ages 2-8, directly competing with Waterford Upstart's free family model.
- ABCmouse (Age of Learning): ABCmouse is a comprehensive adaptive early learning curriculum for ages 2-8, comparable to Waterford Upstart across reading, math, and science at the family/consumer tier.
- Footsteps2Brilliance: Footsteps2Brilliance is a PreK-3 literacy and math platform sold to districts and families, closely comparable to Waterford in audience, content scope, and adaptive delivery model.
- Imagine Learning: Imagine Learning provides adaptive PreK-8 literacy and math solutions sold to districts, directly competing with Waterford Early Learning in K-2 curriculum adoption.
- Istation: Istation delivers adaptive reading and math assessments and instruction for PreK-8 students, overlapping directly with Waterford's adaptive literacy and assessment approach.
- Reading Eggs: Reading Eggs (Blake eLearning) is a gamified adaptive early literacy program for ages 2-13, competing directly with Waterford Upstart in the family-facing early learning subscription market.
- Reading Horizons: Reading Horizons offers adaptive phonics- and decoding-based early reading instruction for K-3, directly competing with Waterford's reading curriculum in district sales.
- Lexia Learning: Lexia offers adaptive reading instruction for K-5 students and is a direct competitor to Waterford Early Learning in the school district procurement channel. Both target K-2 reading outcomes with adaptive, standards-aligned software.
- Starfall Education: Starfall provides free and low-cost adaptive early literacy content for PreK-2, serving the same family and school audiences as Waterford Upstart and Early Learning.
Broad incumbents
- Renaissance (myON, Freckle): Renaissance is a broad incumbent K-12 assessment and instruction suite whose myON and Freckle products overlap with Waterford in personalized K-2 reading and literacy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Waterford UPSTART social profiles
Digital presenceWaterford UPSTART compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Waterford UPSTART financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Waterford UPSTART leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Waterford UPSTART subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Waterford UPSTART funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Waterford UPSTART 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 Waterford UPSTART
What does Waterford UPSTART do?
Waterford UPSTART provides a free, adaptive early learning software program for PreK-2nd grade children covering reading, math, and science, paired with personalized coaching support and educational resources for families. The program is offered at no cost to eligible families through state government, regional, and private foundation sponsorship, while a parallel classroom curriculum (Waterford Early Learning) is sold on subscription to schools and districts.
Is Waterford UPSTART a public or private company?
Waterford UPSTART is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Waterford UPSTART founded?
Waterford UPSTART was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Waterford UPSTART based?
Waterford UPSTART is headquartered in Taylorsville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Waterford UPSTART make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government Program Funding is the primary driver. The others are private Donations and Foundation Grants and school/District Subscriptions.
Who are Waterford UPSTART's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Khan Academy Kids, ABCmouse (Age of Learning), Footsteps2Brilliance, Imagine Learning, Istation, Reading Eggs, Reading Horizons, Lexia Learning and Starfall Education. Renaissance (myON, Freckle) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Waterford UPSTART have an API?
No public API is recorded for Waterford UPSTART.
What industry is Waterford UPSTART in?
Waterford UPSTART's product category is Early Childhood Education Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAMAE, Adaptive Learning & Personalized Instruction Software, with a secondary code of EDACALAE, Family Literacy & Early Language Development Programs. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.