California Invention Convention

What California Invention Convention does

California Invention Convention (CAIC) is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 as a pilot project in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz County and now operating statewide. Its core product is a K-12, 10-week open-source invention education curriculum sourced from the Connecticut Invention Convention and aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core, teaching students to identify real-world problems, develop invention ideas, and build prototypes. CAIC operates two regional state-level conventions — Northern/Central and Southern California — held annually since 2024, with top performers advancing to the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, as part of the Invention Convention Worldwide coalition of 27 state and regional affiliates. The organization has reached 77,000+ cumulative student inventors across California and is governed by a board led by President and Executive Director Brenda Payne since September 2016.

The business model is donation and sponsorship based: the curriculum is provided at no cost to schools, and CAIC does not charge for teacher professional development, generating revenue exclusively through charitable contributions from individuals and corporate sponsors (notably RTX as national event title sponsor). Distribution is event-driven, reaching educators through free professional development and culminating in regional and state-level competitions that serve as both programming milestones and donor visibility moments. The technology stack is intentionally lean — a website, social media presence, and curriculum materials — with no proprietary software products or recurring SaaS revenue.

Name

California Invention Convention

Legal name

California Invention Convention

Website

https://cainventionconvention.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

California Invention Convention is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers a free K-12 invention education curriculum to California schools and runs regional and state-level student invention conventions, qualifying top students for the RTX Nationals at The Henry Ford.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 STEM Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Text-Based Programming (Python, Java, C/C++) (EDAMACAB)

Keywords

• Invention education
• K-12 STEM curriculum
• Student innovation
• Invention competition
• Nonprofit education

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Cruz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 84-3492216), California Invention Convention relies entirely on sponsorships and donations to fund operations. The curriculum is provided at no cost to schools, and the organization does not charge schools for participation. Revenue is generated through charitable contributions from individuals and corporate sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

California Invention Convention (CAIC) delivers a free, open-source K-12 invention education curriculum aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core to California schools. The organization runs two regional state-level conventions (Northern/Central and Southern California) where student inventors present their inventions and qualify for the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals at The Henry Ford in Michigan.

Product overview

California Invention Convention (CAIC) offers a K-12 invention education ecosystem comprising an Open Source curriculum shared from the Connecticut Invention Convention, two regional state-level conventions (Northern/Central and Southern California), and participation pathways to the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals at The Henry Ford. The program serves over 77,000 students across California with free curriculum for schools, teaching invention, entrepreneurship, and STEM skills through project-based learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Invention Education Curriculum A K-12, 10-week open-source invention education curriculum aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core, teaching students to identify a problem in their own lives or families, employ problem solving and creative thinking processes to develop an invention idea, and build a working prototype. Provided at no cost to schools.
• Northern / Central California Invention Convention Regional state-level competition held in California where student inventors from Northern and Central California present their inventions to expert judges and qualify for the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals at The Henry Ford.
• Southern California Invention Convention Regional state-level competition held in California where student inventors from Southern California present their inventions to expert judges and qualify for the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals at The Henry Ford.
• RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals Participation Annual national competition held at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, MI, where qualifying California students present inventions to educational and industry expert judges for over eighty grade level, category, industry, and patent application awards, cash prizes, and scholarships.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Connecticut Invention ConventioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 42-year-old Connecticut Invention Convention shares its open-source curriculum with California Invention Convention. This curriculum forms the foundation of CAIC's K-12 invention education program, which is Next Generation Science Standard and Common Core aligned.
• The Henry FordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Henry Ford hosts the annual RTX Nationals Invention Convention event at their museum in Dearborn, MI. They took on a leadership role in 2018 to provide momentum to the Invention Education movement and position Invention Convention Worldwide as the go-to community for innovation experiences.
• Invention Convention WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvention Convention Worldwide is powered by a coalition of affiliates including CAIC, elevating STEMIE education through competitions, events, and a flexible project-based curriculum. The coalition represents 27 state and regional programs in the US.
• The STEMIE CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe STEMIE Coalition (STEM + Invention + Entrepreneurship) created the network of local state Invention Convention programs in 2016 and partnered with The Henry Ford in 2018 to establish the national program. CAIC was founded as part of this coalition.
• RTXmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRTX sponsors the Invention Convention U.S. Nationals event at The Henry Ford. Students qualify for this national competition through state and regional invention conventions, competing for over eighty grade level, category, industry and patent application awards, cash prizes and scholarships.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Connecticut Invention Convention: The 42-year-old Connecticut Invention Convention operates the same K-12 invention education model and developed the open-source curriculum CAIC uses. It is the closest direct peer, sharing CAIC's mission, structure, and convention format.
• FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology): FIRST runs large-scale K-12 STEM competitions (FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Robotics) that compete with CAIC for teacher time, student participation, and corporate sponsorships. Both organizations center project-based STEM competitions with pathways to national/regional stages.
• Destination Imagination: Destination Imagination runs K-12 team-based problem-solving and STEAM challenges with regional, state, and global tournaments. It is a near-direct peer to CAIC in structure (open-ended challenges, regional-to-national ladder) and audience (K-12 students and teachers).
• Science Olympiad: Science Olympiad organizes K-12 STEM tournaments across US states with regional, state, and national invitational events. It competes with CAIC for science teacher adoption and student participation slots, and operates a similar state-affiliate model.
• Junior Achievement USA: Junior Achievement delivers K-12 entrepreneurship and workforce readiness programs through schools and competitions, overlapping CAIC's entrepreneurship and invention learning outcomes. JA is a comparable nonprofit with a national school-based delivery model.
• Lemelson-MIT Program: Lemelson-MIT runs invention education initiatives for K-12 and collegiate inventors, including the Excite Award CAIC-affiliated teachers have won. It is a direct peer in the invention education mission and shares the goal of building student inventing capacity.
• Maker Ed: Maker Ed supports K-12 making, tinkering, and invention programs in schools and informal learning environments. Its focus on student-driven problem-solving and prototyping closely aligns with CAIC's curriculum construct.

Others

• Invention Convention Worldwide: Invention Convention Worldwide is the coalition of 27 state and regional programs (powered by The Henry Ford) that CAIC belongs to. It is the ecosystem organizer rather than a peer competitor, but it directly shapes CAIC's national competition pathway and brand.
• The Henry Ford: The Henry Ford hosts the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals and leads Invention Convention Worldwide. As a strategic partner and competition venue, it is the upstream enabler of CAIC's national-stage value proposition rather than a competing provider.

Broad incumbents

• code.org: code.org is a larger, well-funded nonprofit delivering free K-12 computer science and STEM curriculum to schools nationwide. It competes for teacher STEM time and sponsorships at a much bigger scale, sitting as a broad incumbent in the same K-12 STEM enrichment category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cainventionconvention
• Xx.com/CAICBPayne
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cainventionconvention

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 California Invention Convention