What Interstellar Inc. does

AreteLabs, Inc. operates aretelabs.com, a web-based academic competition platform that delivers team-based mathematics events to K-12 schools in the United States and select international markets (Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Canada). The company's flagship offering, Math Madness, is an annual head-to-head competition modeled after the NCAA March Madness bracket, structured around four weekly qualifying rounds plus a bracket tournament; the 2026-27 season marks its 14th year, with approximately 1,000 teams and 15,000 student participants. ClassMatch is a complementary per-teacher subscription product (~1,026 participating teams) that allows educators to organize intra- or inter-school math matches using built-in or uploaded content. Sub-variants Mini-Madness and Math Madness Re-Run provide shorter or replay formats.

The platform runs on Amazon Web Services infrastructure and centers on a patented real-time live scoring framework protected by U.S. Patent 10,339,825. Question content is aligned with American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) 10/12 (high school), AMC 8 (middle school), and Common Core State Standards (elementary), reflecting a joint initiative between AreteLabs and the AMC. Other technical components include a flexible match-scheduling system, a fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice question engine, and collaborative-play rounds. Math Madness and ClassMatch are sold direct-to-teacher through aretelabs.com on annual or seasonal terms; Math Madness is priced per team ($115-$375 depending on school level and team size) and ClassMatch at $135 per teacher account with a $42.50 bundled rate.

The company monetizes primarily through per-team Math Madness registrations and per-teacher ClassMatch subscriptions, supplemented by district-level "Custom Implementations" (academic leagues and championships) backed by a performance guarantee. Distribution is direct via the web platform and word-of-mouth through teacher networks; the company also benefits from earned media in Education Next, Harvard scholarship, USA Today, and a National Science Foundation award (Award ID 1548082). Operations are lean, with approximately 14-15 named contributors supplemented by Railsware for software development, indicating no external venture funding and reliance on grants and operating revenue.

Name

Interstellar Inc.

Legal name

AreteLabs, Inc.

Website

https://aretelabs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AreteLabs operates a web-based team math competition platform for K-12 schools, delivering Math Madness (annual NCAA-style bracket tournament) and ClassMatch (per-teacher subscription) under a patented real-time scoring framework, distributed direct-to-teacher across the U.S. and select international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Academic Competition Platform / Education Technology

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Math Competition Administration Services (Proctoring, Grading, Logistics) (EDAMAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Math Enrichment Platforms & Courses (EDAMAEAF), Quiz Bowl & Academic Team Competitions (EDAMAGAF)

Keywords

• Online academic competitions
• K-12 math competitions
• Team-based learning platform
• Education technology software
• Live scoring platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Math Madness Team Event Registration: Tiered per-team pricing based on school level and team size. Elementary school events range from $115-$169 per team. Middle and high school events range from $165-$375 per team. Payment via check, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal. Schools have 2 months from registration to make payment.
2. ClassMatch Teacher Subscription: $135 per teacher account for the school year with unlimited use. Includes content from past Math Madness events. Discounted to $42.50 when bundled with Math Madness subscription. Teachers can create teams, arrange matches (intra-team or inter-team), challenge other teachers' teams, and upload custom quiz content.
3. Custom Implementations/Leagues/Tournaments: District or network-wide academic leagues, tournaments and championships organized by AreteLabs. Service offered with dramatic student performance gains guarantee or the service is free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AreteLabs operates a web-based platform (aretelabs.com) that hosts team-based online academic competitions for K-12 schools. Its core products are Math Madness, a seasonal math competition with weekly rounds and a bracket tournament modeled after NCAA March Madness, and ClassMatch, a flexible team-competition tool teachers use to create matches and upload custom quiz content. The platform uses a patented real-time live scoring system and aligns content with AMC 10/12, AMC 8, and Common Core State Standards.

Product overview

AreteLabs is an education technology company that operates a platform of online academic competition products centered around team-based competitive learning. The core offerings consist of Math Madness (a seasonal math competition with bracket tournament format) and ClassMatch (a flexible team competition tool). Mini-Madness and Math Madness Re-Run are sub-variants of the main competition event. Custom Implementations are available for districts seeking tailored league and championship services. All products are delivered as a web application through the aretelabs.com platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ClassMatch A team game that allows teachers of any grade or course to create virtual student teams and arrange matches by dividing classes into teams that compete against each other or challenge other teams across the network. Teachers can upload custom multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank test content. Sold as a $135 annual per-teacher subscription with unlimited use (or $42.50 when bundled with Math Madness).
• Math Madness A team-based math competition event held yearly where teams play head-to-head in 4 weekly rounds followed by a bracket tournament modeled after NCAA March Madness. 30-minute matches feature 7-8 multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions aligned with AMC 10/12, AMC 8, and Common Core State Standards. Tiered per-team pricing based on school level and team size ($115-$375 per team for the season).
• Mini-Madness A shorter version of Math Madness offering 5-6 weeks of friendly scrimmaging held mid-February through March.
• Math Madness Re-Run A full replay of the fall Math Madness event held mid-February through April.
• Custom Implementations Custom academic leagues, tournaments, and championships organized for school districts or networks with a guarantee of dramatic student performance gains or the service is free.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 1,000 teams and 15,000 students participate annually in Math Madness
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American Mathematics Competitions (AMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMath Madness is a 100% Online joint initiative between American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) and AreteLabs. The partnership combines AMC's established mathematics competition standards with AreteLabs' online platform technology. This collaboration entered its 14th season in 2026.

Scale indicators6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Quizlet: Largest study and review platform in US K-12 with live in-class game modes. Comparable as a broad incumbent study/assessment tool that competes for the teacher's enrichment budget and could host competitive formats.
• ClassDojo: K-12 classroom engagement and communication platform. Comparable as an established K-12 incumbent that could expand into academic competition formats and currently serves the same teacher accounts targeted by ClassMatch.

Direct peers

• Quizizz: Teacher-driven live and async quiz platform with strong K-12 penetration and gamified competition modes. Competes for the same teacher's paid enrichment budget and could natively host team-based academic competitions.
• Kahoot!: Host of live, team-based quiz games in classrooms. Closest direct competitor to ClassMatch and Math Madness on the live, gamified, teacher-led K-12 engagement layer, but operates more broadly across subjects and age groups.
• Blooket: Gamified K-12 quiz platform featuring team-based game modes and live head-to-head play. Closely mirrors the live, multiplayer classroom competition format that AreteLabs' ClassMatch delivers.
• Socrative: Real-time student response and quiz/assessment platform widely used in K-12 classrooms. Competes on the live, in-classroom formative-assessment layer that overlaps with ClassMatch.
• Art of Problem Solving: Provider of math-enrichment curriculum, textbooks, and online courses aimed at competition math students. Comparable competitor in the AMC-aligned math enrichment and competition-prep market that AreteLabs also addresses.
• Gimkit: Student-built quiz games with team and head-to-head mechanics for K-12 classrooms. Directly comparable to ClassMatch's team-based competition format with top-scorer mechanics.
• National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT): Provider of quiz-bowl tournaments and question content for K-12 schools. Comparable as an organizer of inter-school academic competitions with team-based bracket formats, though focused on quiz bowl broadly rather than math.
• MATHCOUNTS: National middle-school math competition program with school- and chapter-level competitions. Comparable as a competing K-12 math-competition program; differs by being nonprofit and event-driven rather than software-led.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 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 Interstellar Inc.