Introduction
Curriculum Companion Suites, a medium-sized software consulting and software development firm, focuses on making K-12 education more efficient and effective. CCS software can be used as a virtual teaching aid for the educational process. Students can access the central computer terminal in front of the classroom to follow along with the curriculum electronically.
The Company
CCS keys to success are the company’s commitment to market awareness and future potential direction of the educational process, and CCS’ relationships with a large number of educational institutions and districts.
Curriculum Companion suites is a start up company that consists of six executives with 76 employees. They have combined 70 years of experience in the software industry. Two majority shareholders, Andrew Christiansen and David Fields, own 80% of the company. A minority stake is held by other investors. The company currently has no plans to become public. Most of the financing is raised internally. CSS is incorporated in the state of Oregon by the two majority shareholders.
Products
CCS has a range of educational software available for every grade, from kindergarten to 12th. These software products are developed in partnership with major curriculum publisher with whom CCS established strategic partnerships.
CCS provides support for all aspects of software installation and maintenance. These services can be purchased with each software package.
The Market
The learning information system vendors market is competitive with only a few direct competitors. They offer software products and services such as installation and integration to K-12 schools. CCS competes against other traditional methods of learning, training, and testing, such as pencil-and-paper testing. CCS also competes against other educational software companies, including Mattel, Inc., Apple Computer, Inc., International Business Machines Corporation, and Mattel, Inc.
Educational institutions and school districts have not been active in searching out technical enhancements to the educational process. CCS and other companies have opted for a more pushy marketing strategy. Education has to be educated about how technical infrastructures can enhance learning.
Since only a handful of other companies are competing directly with CCS in this market, the company plans to develop a healthy level of market share, with a goal of 10% at the end of three years.
CCS targets urban/metropolitan schools as the best market to target, since this market has the highest revenue potential. This market is also more suited for software customizations and software installations. In this market, profitability is much higher.
Relationships have been established with a large number of educational institutions and school districts across the U.S. CCS made substantial investments to investigate and understand the unique needs of schools and districts across the U.S.
Financial Considerations
CCS hopes to raise significant owner capital and borrow the same amount in a SBA 10-year guarantee loan. This will provide the majority of the current financing.
CCS expects to generate large sales in the first year. The plan will continue to grow steadily in the second and third years.
1.1 Mission
Curriculum Companion Suites aims to offer software curriculum suites to K-12 schools within the U.S. market. CCS will be focusing on solutions that enhance schools’ educational capabilities.
1.2 Keys for Success
Keys to success with CCS include:
- The company is committed to being vigilant to the current educational climate and the potential future direction of education.
- CCS’ relationships with a large number of educational institutions and districts.