Tao Learning Institute

What Tao Learning Institute does

Tao Learning Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1994 and headquartered in Marietta, Ohio, that advances literacy through a P-20+ Initiative covering preschool to career advancement using STEAM subjects. The institute operates a portfolio of 14+ interconnected branded programs unified by a proprietary pedagogical framework called the SMILE Method and tracked through a Curiosity Score metric. Major programs include Pedadida (an open-source learning management system built on Moodle, WordPress, ResourceSpace, FengOffice, and SMF Forum), STEAM Hive (a cloud productivity layer built on Microsoft SharePoint, Office 365 for Education, and Dynamics 365 Education Accelerator), Developer Dojo (a coding academy with Twitch live streams), Focus Hive (a job-shadowing and internship platform with 500,000-student-per-hive capacity), INSTAR Laboratory (a research group covering aerospace, AI, and anthropological linguistics), SunnyHive (a preschool program combining Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia concepts), The Silk Women (women's micro-business empowerment), iBlossom (wellness journaling), TheMOV (a health and wellness fitness network), Airikai (movement coaching), MOVDance (ballroom dancing), and The Miss Lyra Show (children's educational TV).

The organization is a Microsoft Authorized Education Partner and reports cumulative impact of 6 million people impacted, $18 million raised historically, 38,575 members, 28 learning branches across 44 countries, and 280 volunteers. It runs general offices in Houston, Mumbai, and London alongside its Marietta headquarters and maintains a board-led governance structure headed by Chairman Mr. Hackney and CEO/Founder Tayri awragh.

Tao Learning's business model is primarily donation-driven (with suggested tiers from $5 to $2,000), supplemented by SunnyHive licensing royalties to trained facilitators, professional services from enterprise education partnerships, and a freemium Developer Dojo coding academy. Distribution runs through three parallel motions: community-led chapters and a volunteer-based Curiosity Community, enterprise field partnerships with schools, government ministries, and Fortune 500 companies, and direct-to-consumer online donations. Customer segments span preschool institutions, K-12 schools, higher education institutes, government education departments, corporations, SMEs, NGOs, intergovernmental organizations, research facilities, and home-school families. The revenue base is broadly diversified across these segments with no single anchor customer identified.

Name

Tao Learning Institute

Legal name

Tao Learning Institute

Website

https://www.taolearning.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Tao Learning Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1994 that delivers STEAM-based literacy education across preschool, K-12, higher education, and corporate audiences in 44 countries through 14+ branded programs unified by the proprietary SMILE Method.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Computer Training (61142)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Math & STEM Learning Technology (incl. Coding/Robotics Platforms) (EDAJAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Digital Classrooms (EDAJAMAA), Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD), K–12 Digital Curriculum & Interactive Lessons (EDAGAEAA), STEAM-Focused Early Learning Academies (EDACADAJ)

Keywords

• STEAM education programs
• Open-source LMS platform
• Nonprofit literacy initiative
• Preschool career learning
• Microsoft education partnership

Headquarters

HQ city

Marietta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations ranging from $5 to $2000 through website donation interface; fundraising campaigns for specific causes; 501c3 charitable organization status allows tax-deductible contributions
2. Education Partnership Programs: Revenue from partnership agreements with schools, corporations, government entities, and NGOs for educational programs, consulting, and implementation services
3. Developer Dojo Training Programs: Free coding academy with senior developer-led training, live streams, and mentorship programs; potential future monetization through premium offerings
4. SunnyHive Licensing: Licensing of SunnyHive preschool programs to facilitators who undergo training; turnkey education and childcare solutions for ages 0-6

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tao Learning Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advances literacy through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) education across the P-20+ spectrum (preschool to career). The organization operates a portfolio of branded educational programs using its proprietary SMILE Method pedagogical approach and provides an open-source learning management system (LMS) built on Moodle/WordPress to support global delivery of its curriculum.

Product overview

Tao Learning Institute operates as a non-profit education organization advancing literacy through a P-20+ Initiative using STEAM subjects. The portfolio consists of multiple branded programs organized around a unified pedagogical approach called the SMILE Method. Core products include Pedadida (open-source LMS built on Moodle/WordPress), Developer Dojo (coding academy), iBlossom (wellness journaling platform), INSTAR Laboratory (research division), and TheMOV (health network). Supplementary programs include Focus Hive (internship/job shadowing), STEAM Hive (Microsoft-integrated cloud system), Ignite Curiosity (online learning), SunnyHive (preschool solution), The Silk Women (entrepreneurship), Airikai (wellness), MOVDance (dance), and Miss Lyra Show (children's TV). These interconnected programs utilize Curiosity Score for tracking participation and are delivered through the Tao Learning Consortium covering preschool through career advancement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Silk Women™: Microbusiness empowerment community for women through entrepreneurship and career advancement
• iBlossom™
• TheMOV™
• MOVDance™
• Developer Dojo™
• The Miss Lyra Show™
• Airikai™
• Pedadida™
• INSTAR Laboratory™
• Ignite Curiosity
• STEAM Hive
• SunnyHive
• SMILE Method™
• Curiosity Score™

Products and services

• SMILE Method
• Pedadida
• STEAM Hive
• Focus Hive
• SunnyHive
• Developer Dojo
• iBlossom
• INSTAR Lab
• TheMOV
• MOVDance
• Miss Lyra Show

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 million people impacted through education programs
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Authorized Education Partner providing Edutech consulting and implementation for academic bodies seeking solutions in the Microsoft ecosystem including Office 365, Dynamics 365 Education Accelerator, and Azure Active Directory integration
• Tao MGTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated organization for business management and DevOps training with Tao Learning creating business operations training content
• Ivy League SchoolsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper Dojo partnerships with Ivy League schools for hackathons and year-long internship programs giving students access to international development teams
• Fortune 500 CompaniesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEAM Hive skill training partnerships where Fortune 500 companies collaborate to determine best skills needed by students and prioritize training within framework
• Hospitals and Research GroupscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships providing students entering various fields opportunity to experience research sector with R&D collaboration within organization
• Ignite CuriositycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline program and community platform encouraging children to find their inner voice, be creative, and express themselves at earliest age

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Coursera: Large-scale online learning platform partnering with universities and corporations to deliver courses and certificates. Comparable to TLI's higher-education and corporate training initiatives.
• Google Classroom: Free K-12 classroom management tool bundled with Google Workspace for Education. Directly competes with Pedadida for low-cost K-12 LMS deployments globally.
• Microsoft Teams for Education: Microsoft's education collaboration and LMS-adjacent offering integrated with Office 365; competes with TLI's STEAM Hive / Pedadida + Microsoft ecosystem bundle for school-wide contracts.

Direct peers

• Codecademy: Online coding education platform. Directly comparable to TLI's Developer Dojo on the coding-academy offering, though Codecademy is commercial whereas Developer Dojo is currently free.
• Instructure (Canvas): Commercial K-12 and higher-ed LMS provider and the dominant paid alternative to open-source options. Comparable as a competitor for Pedadida in school procurement.
• Room to Read: Global education nonprofit focused on literacy and girls' education across multiple countries. Comparable as a 501(c)(3) delivering P-12 literacy programming in low-resource settings internationally.
• Teach For All: Global network of education nonprofits recruiting teachers and leaders for underserved communities. Comparable to TLI's Curiosity Community and chapter-based volunteer model.
• Khan Academy: Large nonprofit providing free, multi-language educational content and personalized learning across P-12. Comparable as a donation-funded STEAM/literacy nonprofit serving global learners.
• Moodle: Provider of the open-source Moodle LMS on which Tao Learning's Pedadida platform is built. Directly comparable as an open-source LMS targeting schools and universities seeking full data control.
• Pratham: Large education nonprofit operating literacy and STEAM programs across South Asia and Africa. Comparable as a donation-funded literacy NGO with a multi-country delivery footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TaoLearning
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTb_8kGbwqhri3TQL6TW5vQ/featured?view_as=subscriber

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries9 records

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 Tao Learning Institute