Coursestorm

CourseStorm is an Orono, Maine-based software company that provides cloud-based class registration, administration and marketing tools for organizations offering in-person and online classes. The platform covers catalog websites, family and friends-and-family registration, customizable and class-specific registration forms, rosters, waitlists and transfers, attendance tracking, instructor access, integrated payment processing, payment plans, promo codes and reporting. An AI-powered "Just Ask" reporting assistant lets administrators query registration and revenue data in natural language.

The product is positioned around ease of use for non-technical staff, with implementation and onboarding designed to take roughly three to six weeks. Built-in marketing features include personalized class recommendations, abandoned-cart reminder emails, marketing and roster emails, and low-enrollment notifications that ask already-registered students to promote at-risk classes. CourseStorm integrates with ticketing, donor management and CRM systems, offers an embeddable catalog widget for any CMS, calendar and Google Analytics integration, Zapier access, HIPAA compliance and an API.

The company serves segments including arts and culture organizations, adult and community education, kids' classes and camps, workforce and continuing education, and healthcare and hospitals. It reports more than 550 customer organizations across the United States and over 2 million cumulative "connections to education."

Founding story

Brian Rahill managed a molecular biology research lab at Ohio State while pursuing a master's degree in education, an experience that led him to connect technology and education. He and Matt James concluded that informal, lifelong learning accounts for more enrollments than all traditional schooling combined, exited their first company, and founded CourseStorm to focus on that market.

Business model

CourseStorm sells its registration platform to education program operators on a subscription basis, supplemented by per-transaction fees on registrations processed through the system.

Tiered monthly SaaS subscriptions — Starter, Core, Pro and All Access — priced from $119 to $499 per month billed monthly, or $99 to $399 per month with annual billing (20% discount). Standard Stripe credit card processing costs plus a $2.49 per-registration fee apply on all plans. Higher tiers add integrations, AI-powered reporting, payment plans, instructor access and premier support.

Traction

The company reports more than 2 million cumulative connections to education, over 550 customer organizations, a 4.9/5 customer satisfaction score, and average customer program growth of 18% in the first year. In 2019 it reported clients in 44 states and more than 225,000 students registered for classes. Headcount was 23 employees across Maine as of January 2023.

Latest developments

Current offerings include an AI-powered "Just Ask" reporting assistant, automated marketing tools, four subscription tiers, and integrations with ticketing, donor management and CRM systems. The company reports serving more than 550 organizations.