What CrunchLabs.org Foundation does

CrunchLabs.org Foundation is a 501(c)(3) pending nonprofit organization founded in 2025 by Mark Rober, a former NASA and Apple engineer who built a YouTube audience of 75M+ subscribers and 1B+ monthly views. The foundation's mission is to deliver free, NGSS-aligned science curriculum for grades 3-8 through its Class CrunchLabs platform, addressing what it identifies as an "inspiration shortage" in K-8 STEM education. The foundation operates as the nonprofit arm of CrunchLabs, the commercial entity that produces Build Boxes, a hands-on STEM toy subscription line, and the associated YouTube and Netflix programming.

The core product, Class CrunchLabs, is a standards-aligned digital learning platform that combines video storytelling by Mark Rober, Science Bob, and celebrity guests with hands-on classroom challenges, comprehensive teacher guides, lesson plans, and assessment resources. The platform is built alongside the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), refined by a network of 6,000+ teachers, and supported by partnerships with BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study) and SaferSTEM. The technology stack includes AI-powered adaptive learning features covering text and structured-data modalities, including adaptive hints, scaffolding, a teacher co-pilot with rubric generation and auto-flagging of student struggle, predictive analytics, and educator/admin dashboards.

The foundation generates no operating revenue from the curriculum, which is 100% free to public schools, private schools, and homeschool communities. Funding comes from charitable donations and a $7.2M founding grant combining an anonymous gift and seed funding from CrunchLabs, with current contributions facilitated through fiscal sponsor FIRST Robotics while 501(c)(3) status is pending. The organization is San Francisco Bay Area-based, runs a small senior team in a hybrid work model, and distributes entirely through self-serve digital access at classcrunchlabs.org, supported by the founder's YouTube and Netflix presence as organic top-of-funnel demand.

Name

CrunchLabs.org Foundation

Legal name

CrunchLabs.org Foundation

Website

https://crunchlabs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CrunchLabs.org Foundation is a 501(c)(3) pending nonprofit founded in 2025 by Mark Rober that delivers free, NGSS-aligned science curriculum for grades 3-8 via Class CrunchLabs, combining video storytelling, hands-on challenges, and AI-enabled teacher support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 STEM Digital Curriculum

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Core Curriculum Small-Group Tutoring Centers (Math/ELA/Science/Social Studies) (EDANAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Short-Form Video for Education & Microlearning Platforms (MPACAHAK)

Keywords

• K-8 STEM curriculum
• NGSS-aligned science education
• Free classroom curriculum
• Video-based science lessons
• Hands-on STEM challenges

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a nonprofit organization (501(c)(3) pending), CrunchLabs.org Foundation relies on charitable donations. The organization launched with an anonymous gift and seed funding from CrunchLabs. Donations are facilitated through fiscal sponsor FIRST Robotics while pending tax-exempt status is approved.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CrunchLabs.org Foundation delivers Class CrunchLabs, a 100% free, NGSS-aligned science curriculum for grades 3-8 that pairs engaging video storytelling (led by founder Mark Rober) with hands-on classroom challenges, teacher guides, lesson plans, and assessment materials. The curriculum is accessible to public schools, private schools, and homeschool communities nationwide through the classcrunchlabs.org platform.

Product overview

CrunchLabs.org Foundation operates a dual-brand STEM education portfolio. Class CrunchLabs is the core free digital curriculum platform offering NGSS-aligned science lessons for grades 3-8, combining Mark Rober-style video content with hands-on classroom challenges, teacher guides, and adaptive AI features. Build Boxes is the companion hands-on product line featuring budget-friendly building challenges. Both leverage video storytelling and maker-based learning to inspire curiosity in students and support teachers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Class CrunchLabs: A free, NGSS-aligned science curriculum platform for grades 3-8, featuring Mark Rober-style video storytelling, hands-on learning challenges, and teacher supports designed to make STEM engaging and accessible for students and educators.

Products and services

• Class CrunchLabs A free, NGSS-aligned digital science curriculum for grades 3-8 that combines Mark Rober-style video storytelling with hands-on classroom challenges, teacher guides, prep videos, lesson plans, and assessment resources. Designed for public schools, private schools, and homeschool communities at no cost.
• CrunchLabs.org Foundation Learning Experience Platform An online teaching and learning platform that integrates written curriculum, videos, classroom activities, and teacher/student inputs with adaptive AI, performance tracking, and educator analytics to deliver a seamless learning journey.
• Build Boxes Hands-on STEM toy subscription boxes designed by CrunchLabs engineers that feature budget-friendly engineering challenges for kids to build, fail, learn, and do science.

Quantifiable outcome

• By 8th grade, only one-third of students say they look forward to science class
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Science Teaching Association (NSTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSTA collaborated with CrunchLabs in developing the NGSS-aligned curriculum framework, ensuring rigor and real classroom impact. The partnership validates the educational quality and standards alignment of Class CrunchLabs materials.
• BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSCS, a leading organization in science education curriculum development, partners with CrunchLabs to ensure high-quality, research-based science curriculum for grades 3-8.
• SaferSTEMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaferSTEM partnership contributes to safe science education practices and safety standards in hands-on classroom activities.
• FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIRST, known for robotics competitions and STEM education programs, provides partnership and support infrastructure for CrunchLabs.org's educational mission.
• Mark RobercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder of CrunchLabs, former NASA and Apple engineer turned YouTube science communicator with 75+ million subscribers. Provides video content and brand identity for Class CrunchLabs curriculum.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Generation Genius: K-8 science education platform pairing short-form video lessons with hands-on activities and teacher guides. Comparable in video-first delivery, grade band, and subject focus to Class CrunchLabs.
• Stile Education: K-12 science curriculum platform combining interactive lessons, videos, and teacher dashboards. Comparable in subject focus, digital delivery, and teacher-support orientation to Class CrunchLabs.

Broad incumbents

• Discovery Education: Established provider of digital K-12 content including science video libraries and curriculum. Represents a scaled incumbent with overlapping video-and-curriculum offerings that could compete with CrunchLabs.org at the district level.
• Scholastic: Major K-12 publisher and distributor with science content reaching classrooms nationwide. A broad incumbent against which CrunchLabs.org's free curriculum competes for instructional minutes and teacher mindshare.
• Amplify: Major K-12 curriculum publisher with established science programs aligned to NGSS, serving school districts at scale. Represents the incumbent commercial publisher against which CrunchLabs.org competes for instructional time.
• IXL Learning: Large K-12 adaptive learning platform expanding beyond math/ELA into science. Comparable in adaptive learning technology and K-12 market focus, though more established and commercially funded.

Direct peers

• OpenSciEd: Nonprofit initiative developing open-access, NGSS-aligned middle school science curriculum. Comparable in mission, standards alignment, and open distribution model to CrunchLabs.org Foundation.
• Khan Academy: Nonprofit providing free, standards-aligned K-12 educational content across subjects via a digital platform. Operates a similar freemium donation-supported model and serves overlapping teacher and student audiences, making it the closest comparable peer.
• Mystery Science: Provides NGSS-aligned K-5 science curriculum combining short-form video lessons with hands-on activities. Directly comparable in subject, grade band, video-driven pedagogy, and standards alignment to Class CrunchLabs.

Others

• PhET Interactive Simulations (University of Colorado Boulder): Free, research-based interactive science and math simulations widely adopted in K-12 classrooms. Adjacent free K-12 STEM resource that competes for the same instructional time and teacher adoption as CrunchLabs.org.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 CrunchLabs.org Foundation