Education Technology · Profile from Education Technology Research Companion
Seesaw Learning, Inc.
The elementary-school learning platform built by two former Google and Facebook product people so that five-year-olds could show what they know by photographing, drawing and talking about their work. It grew through teacher word of mouth into a school-licensed portfolio and activity platform, became essential for K-2 remote learning in 2020, took private equity from Providence in 2021, and since the end of pandemic stimulus has been looking abroad for growth.
At a glance
- Founded
- 2013 (San Francisco); public launch ~January 2015
- Founders
- Carl Sjogreen (ex-Google product manager on Calendar, ex-Facebook product director), Adrian Graham (ex-Google and Facebook designer; CEO at least through 2021)
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California; offices/teams in Amman, Jordan (via acquisition) and a planned Kuala Lumpur office (2025, reported)
- Ownership / structure
- Private; backed by Providence Equity Partners since October 2021 (stake not disclosed). Earlier venture investors not confirmed here
- Leadership (2026)
- Matthew Given, CEO (since ~2023; verify date). Co-founders no longer in operating roles (verify)
- Segment and buyer
- Pre-K to grade 6 (mainly K-5) learning platform: portfolios, activities, lessons, assessment, family communication. Schools, districts and some ministries pay; teachers can use a limited free version; families use it free
- Scale
- ~25m users in ~150 countries (2025, company figure); ~one-third of US elementary schools; >50% of Australian elementary schools (CEO statements, 2025). Revenue ~$60m in 2024, similar expected for 2025 (CEO, reported). ~270 employees (2025)
- Capital raised / valuation
- Venture funding small and inconsistently reported (~$12–27m by trackers; Series A ~$10m in 2017, reported). Providence 2021 investment undisclosed; one research profile cites ~$188m total raised, implying a large Providence cheque (unconfirmed). Valuation not disclosed
- Signature moves
- Student-driven portfolio launch (2015); Seesaw Plus teacher premium (2016); Series A and Seesaw for Schools (2017); Activity Library (2018); pandemic surge (2020); Providence investment (2021); repositioning as an instructional platform with a new CEO (2023); acquisition of Little Thinking Minds (2025). Misses: post-ESSER US stagnation, free-tier restrictions that angered some teachers
8 strategic moves analysed
Each one gets a full strategy file in the companion: context, the decision, the financing, what happened, and the lesson.
2015
Launch Student Driven Portfolios
Launch (free, teacher-adopted iPad/web app)
2016
Seesaw Plus Teacher Premium
Pricing change (freemium upgrade sold to individual teachers)
2017
Series A and Seesaw for Schools
Funding round (Series A) and shift to school/district sales
2018
Activity Library
Launch (assignable activities and community content library)
2020
Pandemic Remote Learning Surge
Operational scale-up / pricing (free trials and district deals during school closures)
2021
Providence Equity Investment
Funding round (private equity growth investment)
2023
Instructional Platform and CEO Change
Pivot / restructuring (product repositioning toward curriculum and assessment; leadership change)
2025
Acquires Little Thinking Minds
Acquisition (first add-on under Providence ownership; international expansion)