Thimble Academy

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations are projected to grow over two times faster than all occupations in the next decade. Unfortunately, interest in STEM tends to decrease in middle school, particularly for underrepresented populations including girls and racial and ethnic minorities. That means as the demand for professionals in STEM surges, significant populations of potential workers are being left out of these career opportunities. Access and exposure to relevant and STEM experiences is key to unlocking students’ future opportunities in the market, as well as to the country’s standing in the global economy. 

Yet, only 33% of the most underserved public schools in the US have a proper STEM or Career and Technical Education (CTE) program in place. Without a solid foundation in these subjects, underrepresented students will miss out on higher pay and increased job stability found in STEM-based occupations. They will continue to compete for lower-level positions, with limited opportunities for job security and upward mobility thus preventing them from elevating their circumstances or that of their families and community.

Thimble Academy exposes kids to over 100 technology fields through an engaging, one-stop-shop curriculum of lessons, professional training, and reusable STEM kits. Students have the opportunity to learn about robotics, drone technology, machine learning, cybersecurity, 3D printing, coding, AR/VR, Blockchain, audio engineering, and other technical fields. Kits use real sensors and electronics found in everyday devices to build a foundational understanding of technology; lessons are designed around real-world challenges so that students apply their learning in a meaningful way. 

The Thimble Academy approach empowers students to immerse themselves in subjects they’re drawn to and become technologically literate citizens.  The curriculum, with lessons available in English and Spanish, is focused on learner progression. Students move through four skill levels designed to help students practice and hone their skills. These skill levels are 1) Apprentice 2) Maker 3) Technician and 4) Master Technician. 

Each of these skill levels include kit and non-kit lessons that help students build their projects from start to finish. The curriculum can be implemented during the school day, after school, makerspaces, or community-based organizations (CBOs) such as the Boys & Girls Club. For teachers without a technical background, we provide professional development through virtual instruction and a free self-certification library which teaches educators how to code and build electronics projects at their own pace. 

Thimble Academy focuses on STEM and CTE for underserved middle and high school students because grades 5-8 is when students tend to lose interest in these subjects. Thimble Academy brings hands-on experiences, including basic circuitry, soldering, coding, robotics, 3D printing, machine learning while showing the benefits of a STEM or CTE career. 

While STEM jobs are growing 17% per year and are 26% higher paid, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology estimates that there will be one million too few STEM graduates in the next decade for the jobs that need to be filled. Thimble Academy empowers historically underserved students to get excited about technology and builds confidence to engage more deeply in STEM communities, such as their school robotics and science olympiad teams.

Thimble Academy is built on 15 years of experience educating students and training teachers within the K-12 inner city school system. Cofounder Oscar Pedroso (FirstGen / LatinX) has been in education his entire professional career and taught math at one of the poorest inner-city schools in New York.  After teaching, he started GradFly - a software business aimed at helping STEM students connect with each other through their personal hands-on projects. Meanwhile, he was recruited to serve as a FIRST Robotics mentor in Western New York where he primarily worked with LatinX kids to get them interested in joining their robotics competition team. He co-led the Buffalo and Rochester Makerfaires to bring the maker movement to Buffalo and build awareness around maker learning in the classroom. 

Cofounder Joel Cilli has also spent his entire life in K-12 education as an online high school teacher and Director of Innovation for Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School (PA Cyber). His passion lies in connecting with industry professionals to gain insight into workforce trends to shape K-12 education. Joel began his career as an English teacher who grew skills in engineering, coding, robotics, cybersecurity, 3D printing, laser cutting, and CNC milling to help revamp STEM / CTE programs at his school. After graduating from Waynesburg University with a Master of Science in Education, he created the largest online STEM program at PA Cyber where he authored new courses in computer science, hired and mentored teachers, and assisted with strategic planning. 

The Thimble team uses customer discovery and validation to understand what drives student and teacher engagement. Thanks to a $300,000 Kickstarter campaign in 2016, the team initially designed their robust STEM and CTE curriculum for homeschool students who needed clear and exciting lessons that could be delivered by non-experts. From there, they found that schools also needed an easy way to implement curriculum.  During the last 12 months, Thimble has won 25 district-wide RFPs in Arizona, Georgia, Texas, New York, Florida, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. 

It would be a dream to be part of the Black and Brown Innovators Program. We would use this fellowship as a platform to present at the annual summit to amplify our core message of making STEM and CTE education accessible to any underserved child.

Access to the vibrant partner network would help us build relationships with other organizations doing similar work in the education space: whether it’s potentially collaborating with partners like Education Modified or Open Learning Exchange, these are organizations that could help expand our reach and connect with school districts at the national and international level. 

Lastly, we’re also searching for technical advisors that have expertise in K-12 and can help us ramp up our technology infrastructure for scale.

The Thimble Academy all-in-one solution brings all of the tools and resources required to make it is easy for every underserved student to immerse themselves in the STEM and CTE subjects that they are drawn to. Our blended learning approach increases student engagement and motivation, and improves educational outcomes by providing immediate and on-demand access to learning materials while reducing costs.  

What Khan Academy did in online education, Thimble is doing for STEM education. Our proprietary curriculum, hardware, and support– the Thimble Academy – is leading the way for schools to change the way they introduce and teach STEM and CTE subjects to students. We’re focused on a new type of student experience: one built on inclusivity, student progression, and blended learning that combines in-person and live and on-demand online education. This includes reusable hands-on materials, multilingual lessons, all the way to professional training for intimidated teachers. 

In only 2 years, the Thimble Academy has worked with 300 schools and taught 25,000 students in over 100 technical subjects such as robotics, mechatronics, coding, cybersecurity, engineering, Blockchain, and other fields. Over 80% of students reached were either economically disadvantaged or underrepresented. 

Thimble Academy helps students generate and sustain an interest in STEM by providing a learning progression-based curriculum that builds a student’s beginner, intermediate, advanced skills over time. The Thimble Academy helps students: 1) Find an interest 2) Build foundational skills in that subject 3) And master it. We’re not looking to rush a student’s learning of a subject. Rather, it’s a carefully laid out foundation. For example, if a Thimble student realizes they don’t enjoy robotics but instead enjoys learning about cybersecurity, then Thimble Academy will ensure that that student gets more cybersecurity curriculum and continues expanding on those early skills they’re learning. Once they start learning intermediate skills, the interdisciplinary curriculum starts highlighting career paths their students could potentially follow. 

Schools now have the ability to launch affordable STEM / CTE enrichment programs for all students - not just for the gifted and talented. The Thimble Academy model changes education, providing a vision for a new way of teaching and immersing students in science, technology, engineering and math at all age and skill levels. 

2022 Impact Goals: 

Impact #1: Provide 20,000 underserved students in the US with access to a STEM / CTE curriculum.

Impact #2: Increase student participation in STEM for over 50% of students in economically disadvantaged school districts.

Impact #3: Provide STEM / CTE skill certificates for over 50% of underserved students in the Thimble Academy.

2026 Impact Goal: 

Over the next five years, we plan to scale to 500 more districts in the US to train over 1 million underserved students. Since we receive numerous requests from Latin American educators to implement our program, we plan to launch international programs in Mexico, Honduras, and Colombia.

Our method for achieving these goals:

During the last year, Thimble Academy won 25 district-wide vendor awards in Arizona, Georgia, Texas, Florida, Kentucky, New York, and Pennsylvania - giving us a pipeline of 10,000 schools. Currently, we’re working with 310 schools - serving approximately 25,000 students. Across our current partner districts, the average number of disadvantaged students is 65% and the average number of underrepresented students is 74%. Since we have not reached critical mass within these districts, our plan is to expand vertically to continue building relationships with school day, after school, makerspace, and community-based programs to broaden our reach and achieve our impact goals. 

On average, we win 2.5 vendor awards per month. These awards will build out our school pipeline opportunities while we pursue other distribution channels to support our growth and impact goals. Our vision for Thimble Academy is for our all-in-one solution to be accessible to all underserved schools in the US and abroad.

Outcome: 50 students in free / reduced lunch programs will be trained in Thimble Academy’s Apprentice Level.  

Measurement: Track the number of STEM / CTE certificates that free/reduced lunch students receive at the end of each semester. 

Outcome: 50 underrepresented students will have an increased interest in robotics and mechatronics. 

Measurements: Track the number of underrepresented students that have chosen the Thimble Academy’s robotics and mechatronics track.  

Outcome: 50 non-STEM teachers will graduate from Thimble Academy's self-certification program to implement STEM / CTE programs at their schools. 

Measurement: Track the number non-STEM teachers that complete Thimble Academy's self-certification program. 

Our Vision: When underrepresented populations receive relevant and engaging STEM learning experiences from teachers, they are more likely to continue learning in higher education or career and technical education STEM programs. Thimble Academy’s combination of learner-centered curriculum, reusable STEM kits, and high-quality instructional support brings STEM to life for underserved students.

Assumptions: Current STEM education programs in K-12 schools are narrow in scope and tend to focus on basic skills - giving kids limited to no exposure to advanced technical fields growing in today’s digital economy. Examples of fields include machine learning, smart home technology, drone technology, Blockchain, cryptocurrency, video game technology, and and other technical fields often not taught in schools. Right now, 33% of Title 1 schools in the US have a robust STEM program in place. The lack of STEM programs puts underserved students at a disadvantage because they will miss out on higher pay and increase job stability found in STEM / CTE-based occupations.

Strategies: Thimble Academy aims to transform the way STEM and CTE education are taught in schools by creating a one-stop-shop curriculum that introduces students to multiple technical fields that directly relate to modern careers. Thimble’s curriculum suite of reusable kits, lessons, and professional development will help economically disadvantaged schools implement school day and after school programs for their students with appropriate beginner, intermediate, and advanced lesson modules. 

Outcomes: In addition to that, by using community-building activities, Thimble’s long-term vision is to help schools develop industry partnerships, modern curriculum, and multiple career pathways as early as Pre-K to create early exposure. As a long term outcome, STEM and CTE education will transform from one that’s limited to a few subjects to one that gives students a chance to explore several fields at once.  Thanks to 24 school district RFPs that we’ve won in the US, we are now looking to serve 10,000 underserved schools through school day, after school, makerspace, and community-based programs who are in need of robust STEM programs.

The Thimble Academy uses a combination of software, hardware, and professional services to manage operations and deliver its solution to teachers and students: 

Lesson library software: Thimble Academy’s lesson library is a customized learning portal made up of standards-aligned lessons, build-along video tutorials, multilingual lessons, and a self-training and certification program for new STEM / CTE teachers.  50% of lessons include the use of a STEM  kit; the remaining lessons are software-based and include modules to learn certain skills such as coding and cybersecurity skills.  Lastly, the lesson library also contains assessments and various tools to measure student progress, engagement, and impact. The team can produce reports that demonstrate educational improvements for each student.

Reusable hardware: Hardware includes reusable project-based STEM kits that are carefully organized into 4 skill-levels (Apprentice, Maker, Technician, Master Technician). Kits use real sensors and electronics found in everyday devices to build a foundational understanding of technology. Examples of kits include robots, drones, weather stations, light switches, video game controllers, and synthesizers. 

Professional services: Since training for teachers is essential for successful implementation in the classroom, Thimble Academy also offers professional development for new and seasoned STEM /CTE teachers. Training is available virtually or through the  self-training and certification program that’s part of the lesson library. Teachers can use Thimble Academy’s training modules to earn CTLE credits.

While some experts say that it is best to hold specialized training a few times a year, we believe that incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion needs to be a daily, ongoing effort that is incorporated into various aspects and processes within our organization. Led by a first-generation LatinX and LGBT CEO, Thimble is committed to using perspectives from underrepresented populations to inform all aspects of our business–from our hiring processes to our curriculum design. Our organization’s values are representative of the everyday effort to bring high-quality STEM programming to the students who need it most.

Currently, 70% of our team is represented by women and 43% represented by Latin Americans. 30% of the team identifies as LGBTQ. 

Thimble Academy’s business model is made up of 3 parts:

Software Subscription: Thimble Academy makes money selling an annual student software license to K-12 schools. The software license includes access to standards-aligned curriculum, kit and non-kit lessons, and video tutorials. 

Optional Hardware: Reusable STEM kits that are part of our Apprentice, Maker, Technician, and Master Technician curriculum are sold as part of classroom bundles. We include a lifetime warranty on all kits and parts. 

Professional Services: Lastly, professional development through our self-training and certification library is free and open to all teachers. However, in-person or virtual professional training is available on a half-day or full-day basis for a fixed fee.

Currently, our funding comes from angel investment, crowdfunding campaigns, and corporate donors committed to supporting local schools and community-based programs. However, we’re already on a path to becoming financially sustainable by selling our curriculum to 25 districts where we’ve won vendor contracts during the last 12 months.

In 2021, we generated ~$680k in revenue; a third of that revenue represented annual software subscriptions. In 2022, our projected revenue is $2M based on the pipeline we've developed winning 25 district contracts. 

Contracts include:

Texas: Dallas ISD * San Antonio ISD * Belton ISD * Spring ISD * Fort Bend ISD * Fort Worth ISD * Richardson ISD * Irving ISD * Arlington ISD * Edinburg ISD * Ysleta ISD * Cypress / Fairbanks ISD * Azle ISD * Dickinson ISD * Pasadena ISD * Conroe ISD * Waco ISD * Region 7 Cooperative 

Georgia: Atlanta Public Schools

Arizona:  Cartwright Schools 

Kentucky: Marshall County Schools

New York: BOCES * New York City Dept. of Education

Pennsylvania: Bucks County Schools 

Florida:  Duval County Schools