Study Smart

What Study Smart does

Study Smart Inc. is a Canadian educational technology company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, founded in 2018 by Dr. Diane Montgomery (educational therapist with a PhD in Educational Studies) and Mike Montgomery (technology expert with 25+ years of experience). The company has developed the MINDSpeak platform, a gamified, student-directed holistic assessment designed for students in grades 5-10 that combines academic skill evaluations (reading, writing, math operations, oral expression, listening comprehension), cognitive skill profiling, and affective/motivational assessment into a single tool delivered across three progressive levels totaling approximately 75 minutes. Assessment results feed an automated pipeline that generates personalized learning plans, UDL-aligned strategy recommendations, and a one-page Class Profile for educators — all built on Universal Design for Learning principles and accessible via web and mobile.

The platform was developed through Design-Based Research conducted at the University of Prince Edward Island's Faculty of Education, supported by SSHRC and Mitacs research funding. Study Smart operates a tiered subscription model with annual pricing from $19 (Student) to $449 (Organization Premium for 20 classes), distributed through a hybrid GTM combining self-serve product-led growth via studysmart.ca, an enterprise sales motion for school boards (Book a Demo, Enterprise Agreements for 200+ students), inside sales responding to web enquiries, and community-led channels including parent council presentations and the Trotter Montgomery Picard Scholarship. Pre-paid subscription codes are also sold through Google Play and Apple App Store.

The company serves three primary customer segments: students in grades 5-10 and their parents (consumer), classroom and special education teachers (SMB), and school boards and educational organizations (enterprise). Named institutional partners include the Toronto District School Board, New Brunswick Department of Education, and Prince Edward Island Department of Education. The company maintains 1-10 employees, is privately held with no disclosed venture capital funding, and operates under PIPEDA, FERPA, COPPA, and CCPA privacy frameworks.

Name

Study Smart

Legal name

Study Smart Inc.

Website

https://studysmart.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Study Smart is a Toronto-based educational SaaS company offering MINDSpeak, a gamified holistic assessment platform for students in grades 5-10 that generates personalized UDL-aligned learning plans for individual subscribers, classroom educators, and Canadian school boards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Assessment Software

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Assessment, Testing & Analytics Platforms (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Assessment Analytics & Item/Question Intelligence (IRT, Item Banks, Diagnostic Insights) (EDAFAFAG), Portfolio, Performance & Rubric-Based Assessment Platforms (EDAFADAL), Study Skills & Executive Function Coaching (Planning, Organization, Time Management) (EDANADAB)

Keywords

• Holistic student assessment
• Personalized learning plans
• Inclusive education tools
• Universal Design for Learning
• Educational SaaS platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Plans (Student, Educator, Organization): Study Smart generates revenue primarily through tiered annual subscription plans sold directly via its website. Plans are categorized by user type (Student, Educator Basic, Educator Plus, Organization Basic) with varying student capacity limits. Paid plans offer full feature access including all learning strategies, action plans, class profiles, and professional educator training. Free Service Plans provide limited feature access for non-commercial purposes only.
2. Content Subscriptions: In addition to Service Plans, Study Smart offers Content Subscriptions providing access to curated libraries of premium content. These are add-on subscriptions purchased separately from the base Service Plan, giving access to a curated content library subject to change at Study Smart's discretion.
3. Enterprise Agreements: Enterprise Agreements are available for organizations requiring more than 5 classes or groups or 200 students. These custom agreements are negotiated separately and govern the use of Study Smart Services and Resources for large-scale school district deployments.
4. Pre-paid Subscription Codes: Study Smart sells pre-paid subscription codes through third parties and platforms such as Google Play and Apple App Store. These codes grant access to paid Service Plans and/or Content Subscriptions and are subject to the refund policies of the respective platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Study Smart provides a web-based SaaS platform centered on its MINDSpeak gamified holistic assessment, which evaluates students' academic skills, cognitive skills, and affective/motivational tendencies across three progressive levels. Based on assessment results, the platform automatically generates personalized learning plans and UDL-aligned action plans, and produces a one-page Class Profile snapshot for educators. The offering is delivered through tiered annual subscriptions for students, educators, and organizations.

Product overview

Study Smart is an educational technology platform offering a unified product called MINDSpeak, which is a gamified holistic assessment system. The core offering consists of three integrated components: (1) MINDSpeak, the student-directed assessment platform that evaluates academic skills (reading fluency, reading comprehension, writing, math operations, oral expression, listening comprehension) and affective/cognitive areas (learning skills, learning preferences, multiple intelligences, motivational tendencies, executive functioning); (2) Personalized Learning Plans generated from assessment results; and (3) Practical Action Plans with UDL-aligned strategies. The platform is offered through tiered subscription plans for students, educators (Basic and Plus), and organizations, with additional features including class profiles, student-teacher communication portal, and virtual reward shop. The company also provides student coaching services as an add-on to guide students through the assessment process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MINDSpeak: Holistic gamified assessment platform that helps students identify their learning strengths, interests, motivations, and preferences to create personalized learning plans.

Products and services

• MINDSpeak A gamified, student-directed holistic assessment platform that evaluates academic skills (reading, writing, math, oral expression, listening comprehension) and affective/cognitive areas (learning skills, preferences, multiple intelligences, motivational tendencies, executive functioning) across three progressive levels of approximately 75 minutes total, designed for students in grades 5-10.
• Learn Smart Program A three-component learning solution consisting of: (1) Holistic Assessment via MINDSpeak that assesses academic and cognitive skills; (2) Personalized Learning Plan with detailed outcomes and strategies; and (3) Practical Action Plan with videos and checklists for strategy implementation.
• Student Coaching Coaching service offered to guide students through the MINDSpeak assessment process, helping them understand and navigate the holistic assessment experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• 81.4% of students reported their learning plans would help their teachers understand them better
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPEI's Faculty of Education conducted the research underpinning Study Smart's MINDSpeak platform through a Design-Based Research study. The platform was developed by Dr. Diane Montgomery as part of her doctoral research at UPEI. The university provided academic oversight, research infrastructure, and credibility for the evidence-based development of the holistic assessment tool.
• Toronto District School Board (TDSB)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTDSB is one of Study Smart's key school board partners. Teachers from TDSB participated in the research and development of the MINDSpeak platform. As Canada's largest school board, TDSB provides significant reach for piloting and validating the inclusive education tools in real classroom settings.
• New Brunswick Department of EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe New Brunswick Department of Education is a provincial education partner supporting the deployment of Study Smart's tools across NB schools. Multiple teachers from New Brunswick provided testimonials on the platform's effectiveness, and the platform has been piloted across elementary and secondary classrooms in the province.
• Prince Edward Island Department of EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPEI's Department of Education is a provincial partner supporting Study Smart's tools in PEI schools. Multiple teachers from PEI participated in the research and provided feedback on the MINDSpeak platform's effectiveness across middle and high school grades.
• DeSantosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeSantos is listed as a current/past partner or sponsor of Study Smart, contributing to the company's mission of making quality education accessible to all learners.
• PEI School for the Global Citizen (ESBGC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerESBGC is listed as a partner organization of Study Smart. The partnership supports Study Smart's inclusive education mission through collaboration with a global citizenship education organization.
• Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education (OAPC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerOAPC is listed as a partner organization supporting Study Smart's initiatives. The partnership likely supports parent engagement and outreach efforts within Ontario's Catholic education community.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Kickboard: K-12 student success platform tracking social-emotional learning, behavior, and academic indicators with dashboards for teachers and administrators. Comparable to Study Smart's focus on whole-child student insights and UDL-aligned supports for inclusive classrooms.

Broad incumbents

• NWEA: Provider of MAP Growth assessments used widely across K-12 districts for academic, social-emotional, and skill measurement. A broad incumbent comparable to Study Smart as a student-assessment vendor targeting the same district procurement processes.
• Renaissance Learning: Major K-12 education technology company offering Star Assessments, Accelerated Reader, and other widely-adopted assessment and personalized learning tools. A broad incumbent that operates in the same K-12 assessment space where Study Smart competes for district budgets.

Direct peers

• Ellevation Education: K-12 platform focused on English Language Learner and diverse learner support, providing assessment, data tracking, and educator tools. Closely comparable to MINDSpeak's inclusive education positioning and student-centered assessment for diverse learner populations in school districts.
• Panorama Education: K-12 social-emotional learning and student success platform offering surveys, assessments, and dashboards for schools and districts. Comparable to Study Smart in providing holistic student insights and educator tools for inclusive classroom support.
• Freckle (Renaissance): K-12 differentiated instruction platform offering adaptive math, ELA, and social studies assessments with personalized practice. Closely comparable to MINDSpeak's adaptive assessment + personalized learning plan model for grades 5-10 classrooms.
• Branching Minds: K-12 MTSS and personalized learning platform that helps educators identify student needs, build intervention plans, and monitor progress. Directly comparable to Study Smart's holistic assessment + personalized learning plan + educator workflow approach, serving similar teacher and school customer segments.
• Newsela: K-12 instructional content platform with adaptive reading assessment and differentiation tools aligned to student reading levels. Comparable to MINDSpeak in delivering personalized, learner-centered assessment and instructional recommendations to K-12 educators.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/study-smart-inclusive-solutions

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Study Smart