Classform is helping school districts sell their old iPads and Chromebooks, and in turn brings new STEM initiates into their classrooms.
Chicago-based Classform launched in 2016 and works with school districts across the U.S. through their technology buyback program, where Classform purchases a school's outdated devices and makes it easy for them to use those funds to implement new tech initiatives like a robotics lab, maker space or coding courses.
Classform also provides schools with software to help manage their software and hardware spending, allowing schools to take a closer look how well their technology services are working, and make sure they aren't auto-renewing an expensive software platform they don't need, Classform CEO and Co-Founder Tony Sheffler said.
"We’re trying to drive a billion dollars worth of spend out of education," Sheffler said.
Classform's buyback program has helped the edtech startup grow quickly. Classform has worked with over 400 school districts, and it did more than $2 million in revenue in 2017, Sheffler said. Last summer, for example, the startup says it collected 30,000 iPads, putting $1.2 million back into the pockets of schools. The startup also makes money from its STEM partnerships, working with companies like littleBits to install electronics kits into classrooms.
Many schools, Sheffler explained, use spreadsheets and other outdated tools to keep track of their technology inventory. Classform simplifies inventory management, and makes it easy to buy the right amount of software licensing and sell old computers and tablets.
Classform, which is currently bootstrapped, has eight employees.
