How It's Made Money Episode

How Does Desmos Make Its Money?

Photo Courtesy: @Desmos/Twitter

Everyone deserves access to the best educational technology available. Given the right environment and the right tools, all students can learn—and even learn to love—mathematics. Desmos is one of those tools. An easy-to-use online and mobile graphing calculator, the app allows users to explore math and science in a way that's both engaging and exciting—and best of all, is free!

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Founded by Eli Luberhoff in 2011, Desmos is headquartered in San Francisco. Available in a variety of languages and currently used in 169 countries, the tech company has made a significant impact on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in the United States. It's made mathematics fun for children, teachers and professionals by merging graphing for algebra and trigonometry with art, drawing, and design based on different mathematical concepts.

With all these remarkable features, you might start to wonder how a free and easily accessible application like Desmos generates profit. Read on to discover various Desmos' free tools, and learn how the advanced graphing calculator is able to make its money.

Desmos' Paid Partnerships with Assessment Companies

Educational assessment companies incorporate Desmos' intuitive computation software into their own proprietary learning programs—and pay for the privilege. This means that under clearly defined conditions, they're allowed to use Desmos' software with a purchased license. For instance, Lumen Learning partnered with Desmos to incorporate the online graphing calculator into its online homework system, OHM. This helps teachers and students to explore mathematical concepts inside or outside class via interactive learning activities bolstered by embedded graphing tools (no need to fumble for a physical calculator).

Photo Courtesy: @Desmos/Twitter

The fact that Desmos conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 is an added bonus to assessment companies. Assessment companies can pay for the upgraded Desmos-patented equation editor that's powered by MathQuill. The upgrades favor low vision users and make graphed materials fully accessible to blind students.

Desmos' Paid Partnerships with Publishers

Publishers are moving fast to digitize their textbook archives, with many working towards building an interactive learning experience that'll stand the test of time. Desmos prides itself on having the first platform-agnostic software. This means it can comfortably run on any computer operating system. The software is ideal for creating and sharing vast educational content, and bridging the gap between classrooms, schools, and e-learning.

Photo Courtesy: @KendallHuntHE/Twitter

The company generates revenue thanks to said publishers who've been integrating its calculator into digital textbooks. For instance, Kendall Hunt Publishing Company partnered with Desmos by integrating it into its Discovering Algebra's digital program. This ensures students can not only solve problems but make sense of sophisticated parametric graphics and improve their mathematical skills—all with a quick click.

Desmos' Paid Partnerships With Educational Institutions

The learning gap is real. To close it, educational organizations such as the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), have recommended that educational institutions continue to implement digital learning into their curricula while making instructional materials and tools readily available to in-school and e-learners everywhere and at all times. Educational institutions that partner with the Desmos pay to procure educational materials that better address the ever-changing needs of all students in this digital age.

Photo Courtesy: @SETDA/Twitter

And, Of Course, Desmos' Funding from Venture Capital Firms

Venture capital, a type of private equity funding, allows forward-thinking investors to offer capital to start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) determined to have long-term growth prospects.

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Through its venture division, Google Ventures, Google saw Desmos' potential and invested over $1 million in the company's early years. Ventures firms like Learn Capital, Kapor Capital and Kindler Capital soon followed suit and invested more start-up capital into the company. While not technically "making money," venture capital allows companies time to grow.