Class 101

The vendor opportunity at Class 101

Class 101 operates 85 franchised units, all franchisee-owned, with no company-owned locations disclosed in the 2026 FDD. The brand posted an average unit volume of $176,290 and grew its unit count by 23.2% year-over-year, signaling a system in active expansion. For software vendors, that expansion means new locations coming online that need to be equipped with compliant technology from day one. The franchisor mandates specific systems—CRM software and QuickBooks by Intuit Inc.—which creates a known baseline and opens adjacent opportunities for tools that integrate with or sit alongside those platforms. Because the system is entirely franchised, every sale into a location must navigate both the franchisor’s standards and the franchisee’s budget, but the HQ team sets the tech requirements that all 85 units must follow.

Who controls software purchasing

The 2026 FDD lists five executives in Item 1: Ani Mehta (Brand President), Michael Browning, Jr. (Chief Executive Officer), Stephen Polozola (Chief Legal Officer), Joshua Wall, CFE (Chief Operating Officer), and Mark McAndrew (General Counsel). For a vendor selling operational or financial software, the most direct path is through the COO, Joshua Wall, whose title and CFE credential suggest oversight of franchise operations and compliance. The Brand President and CEO sit above day-to-day tech decisions but influence strategic vendor relationships. No dedicated CIO or CTO is named, which is common in systems of this size and means the COO likely owns the technology evaluation function. When you pitch, expect the franchisor to evaluate your product against the existing mandated stack and the brand’s training and quality-assurance requirements.

Mandated and current tech stack

Item 11 of the FDD mandates two systems: CRM software and QuickBooks by Intuit Inc. The CRM mandate is described generically—no specific vendor is named—which may indicate the franchisor prescribes functionality rather than a single provider, or that the brand has not publicly locked into one CRM vendor in the disclosure document. QuickBooks is named explicitly as the required accounting platform, giving Intuit a footprint across all 85 units. No POS, scheduling, payroll, or learning management systems are listed as mandated or recommended in the FDD. For vendors in those categories, the absence of a mandate is an opening: the franchisor has not locked franchisees into a competitor, but you will need to demonstrate how your tool supports the brand’s college-prep and tutoring workflow without conflicting with the required CRM and accounting stack.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

The FDD does not include an Item 8 extract, so the formal procurement model—whether the franchisor designates suppliers, maintains an approved-vendor list, or permits open purchasing—is not publicly disclosed. In practice, systems of this size often operate on an approved-supplier basis for mandated categories and leave non-mandated categories to franchisee discretion, but vendors should verify directly. The initial franchise term is 10 years. At renewal, franchisees may elect two additional consecutive 5-year terms, provided they meet conditions including facility modernization, compliance with then-current training requirements, and execution of the franchisor’s then-current franchise agreement. That renewal trigger is a natural window for technology re-evaluation: the franchisor can update royalty, advertising, and operational obligations—including software mandates—at each 5-year renewal. With 85 units on 10-year initial terms and a 23% growth rate, a rolling wave of renewals and new openings creates recurring opportunities for vendors to enter the system.

How to read the Class 101 FDD

The full 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. Item 1 identifies the executives who control purchasing. Item 11 lists the mandated CRM and QuickBooks requirements. Item 17 spells out the 10-year initial term and the two 5-year renewal options, along with the conditions that can reshape the tech stack at renewal. Because no Item 8 procurement extract is present, vendors should use the FDD as a starting point and supplement it with direct discovery to understand how the franchisor manages supplier relationships in practice. For a ranked list of franchise systems that match your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize targets by unit growth, tech mandates, and decision-maker access.