From the filings

HQ-led decisions

SciGenius

Education

Software purchasing at SciGenius is controlled at the HQ level by a tight leadership team including CIO Mac McEldon. The franchise currently mandates a specific stack of six systems, from Gusto Payroll to Stripe.com. The addressable market is limited to a single company-owned unit, with no franchised locations reported in the 2026 FDD.

For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.

Live signals

Total units
1
0 franchised
Unit growth YoY
vs prior filing
AUV
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
of gross sales
Ad fund
1%
national + local
Initial fee
$35K
per unit
Investment range
$120K–$173K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing

Ongoing fee load

What the operator pays every month

The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing. It is a floor, not a total — the filing discloses one of the two headline fees.

1%+of gross sales (FY2026)

Ongoing fees: 1% of gross sales (FY2026)Ad fund 1%. Total 1% of gross sales, from the fees this filing discloses. Drawn against a 15% reference scale.

15% reference

Ad fund 1%

Mandated & recommended tech

The systems vendors compete with

Systems named in Item 11 of this filing. None is recorded as mandated here, which is not the same as the filing mandating nothing. Read Item 11 before treating the category as open.

GustoGusto
PayrollItem 11

after year. the SciGenie program catalog. • Other Software QuickBooks Pro (1 user license Allows CPU to perform required functions, minimum) such as scheduling, word processing, • Gusto Payroll (1 use

LEGO EducationLEGO Education
Industry softwareItem 11

t Stripe account which SciGenie will integrate into the SciGenie system. Associated fees / payments for this will be subject to the usual terms and conditions of Stripe.com usage. Lego Educational Sof

QuickBooksIntuit
AccountingItem 11

ls, and confidence grow along application components when delivering certain aspects of with their love of learning year after year. the SciGenie program catalog. • Other Software QuickBooks Pro (1 us

StripeStripe
PaymentsItem 11

tripe.com as the primary payment provider systems enabling secure credit / debit gateway provider and franchisees will be required to procure card payment transactions. a relevant Stripe account which

Franchisor behaviours

What the franchisor requires

26 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 1 explicit no; 7 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.

Accounting

Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?

Yes

Item 11

You must transmit data to us at the times we specify and give us independent access to your systems (and provide us with any user names and passwords necessary for that purpose).

Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?

Yes

Franchise agreement

You will prepare written periodic reports, in the forms required by the System Standards, containing the information we require about your operations and revenues during each reporting period.

How the franchisor buys

Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?

Yes

Item 8

Our affiliate, SciGenius LLC, is currently the only supplier of the STEAM materials and Lego Robotics Kits that you must use in operating a SciGenie Unit.

Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?

Yes

Franchise agreement

We can revoke approval of an approved supplier at any time in our sole discretion, and we will notify you of any revocation of supplier approval.

Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?

Yes

Item 8

We have the right to receive payments from suppliers on account of their dealings with you and other franchisees and to use all amounts we receive without restriction (unless instructed otherwise by the supplier) for any purposes we deem appropriate.

Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?

20

Item 8

approximately 20% of your annual costs to operate a Unit thereafter

Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?

Yes

Item 6

Payable whether or not we approve Evaluation evaluation the supplier.

Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?

Yes

Franchise agreement

If you desire to offer additional items or services that we have not approved, or desire to purchase approved items and services from any supplier who we have not approved, we will consider any written request by you for approval of additional items, services or suppliers (although we are not obligated to approve any).

Communications

Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?

Yes

Franchise agreement

Upon the expiration or termination of this Agreement by any means or for any reason, you will immediately take whatever action we may require to transfer and assign to us or our designee all telephone numbers, white page telephone references and related advertisements associated with the Marks.

Data and IT

Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?

Yes

Item 11

You must comply with the then-current Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI/DSS), as those standards may be revised by the PCI Security Standards Council, LLC (see www.pcisecuritystandards.org) or successor organization.

Franchise management

Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?

Yes

Franchise agreement

You will participate in all quality assurance, customer service and customer satisfaction programs we require in good faith.

Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?

Yes

Item 11

We will periodically inspect your SciGenie Unit operations to provide assistance and ensure compliance with the System.

Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?

Yes

Franchise agreement

We may, in our sole discretion, change, delete from or add to the System, including any of the System Standards, by providing you with written notice of any change, or by modification of the Manual;

Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?

Yes

Franchise agreement

Your Designated Address is subject to our approval.

Marketing

Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?

Yes

Franchise agreement

You will not, directly or indirectly, create or maintain an internet web page, web site address or internet directory listing relating in any way to your Unit, or which uses any Marks, except for those internet pages, sites and directories we have first approved in writing.

Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?

Yes

Item 11

You must spend at least $5,000 during the Market Introduction Period.

Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?

Yes

Item 11

You must spend for advertising and marketing in your market area (“Local Unit Marketing”) at least 1% of your annual Gross Sales.

Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?

Yes

Item 11

You must make contributions to the SciGenie Brand Fund, make Local Unit Marketing expenditures and contribute to a cooperative if a cooperative is established in the Designated Market Area (“DMA”) in which your Territory is located.

Operations

Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?

Yes

Item 8

Our affiliate, SciGenius LLC, is currently the only supplier of the STEAM materials and Lego Robotics Kits that you must use in operating a SciGenie Unit.

Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?

Yes

Franchise agreement

If we have designated approved suppliers for any items or services, you will purchase or procure these items from only the suppliers that we approve.

Payments

Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?

Yes

Item 6

You must designate an account at a commercial bank of your choice (“Account”) for the payment of amounts due to us and/or our affiliates, including but not limited to monthly Royalty Fees and Brand Fund Contributions and Technology fees to us and the bank with authorizations as necessary to permit us to make…

People

Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?

Yes

Item 15

Your Unit must, at all times, be staffed with at least one (1) individual who has successfully completed our initial training program.

Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?

Yes

Franchise agreement

You will require your managers, independent contractors and employees to wear uniforms and to maintain a standard of appearance while working in the Franchised Business, as required by our System Standards.

Point of sale

Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?

Yes

Item 11

You must transmit data to us at the times we specify and give us independent access to your systems (and provide us with any user names and passwords necessary for that purpose).

Training

Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?

Yes

Franchise agreement

We may charge you for the cost of providing you the training materials (if any), and a tuition for any additional or refresher training program.

Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?

Yes

Item 11

We may hold an annual convention, regional meetings, and conferences for our franchisees that your Managing Owner must attend.

The filing answers no to 1 question
  • Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 11

The vendor opportunity at SciGenius

SciGenius presents a highly concentrated sales target for software vendors. The education franchise operates a single, company-owned unit, with its headquarters in Virginia. The total addressable unit count is 1. No franchised locations are mapped in our corpus, and year-over-year unit growth was not disclosed in the 2026 FDD. For a vendor, this means the entire software purchasing decision rests with one entity. The average unit volume and royalty percentage are not disclosed, but the initial franchise agreement term is 10 years.

Who controls software purchasing

Purchasing authority is centralized at the corporate level. The FDD lists three key executives in Item 1. Alicia McEldon serves as Franchise Founder, President, and CEO, giving her ultimate sign-off authority. The primary technology buyer is Mac McEldon, the Chief Information Officer. Any vendor pitching an operational or educational tool should also be aware of Somalia Warner, the Lead Trainer, who likely influences the adoption of systems used in curriculum delivery. There are no multi-unit operators to pursue outside of this HQ structure.

Mandated and current tech stack

The franchisor mandates a specific, narrow technology stack for its system. According to the 2026 FDD, six systems are required. For payroll and HR, the mandated system is Gusto Payroll by Gusto, Inc. Accounting is handled through QuickBooks Pro by Intuit Inc. Payment processing is locked into Stripe.com by Stripe, Inc. The core educational delivery relies on Lego Educational Software. The brand also mandates two proprietary web properties: the SciGenie Unit webpage and SciGenie.com. This stack leaves no obvious gaps for a competing payroll, accounting, or payment processor, but creates a clear dependency on these named vendors.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

The procurement model details from Item 8 were not extracted in the available data, so it is unknown whether SciGenius uses a designated supplier, approved supplier, or open procurement model. The franchise agreement structure provides a long sales cycle. The initial term is 10 years. Item 17 outlines that renewal requires written notice, full compliance with the agreement, and execution of the then-current form of franchise agreement. The FDD explicitly warns that the new agreement may have materially different terms than the original contract. This creates a potential window for technology re-evaluation at each decennial renewal, though with only one unit, the event is singular.

How to read the SciGenius FDD

The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is the definitive source for the legal and operational boundaries of this system. It confirms the independent ownership structure, with no parent company on file. The document details the exact obligations of a franchisee, including the mandated technology vendors listed above. For software vendors, the FDD is a map of locked accounts and potential integration points. The full document is embedded below for your review. For a ranked target list of franchise systems based on tech stack fit and decision-maker access, talk to FranCloud.

Questions vendors ask

SciGenius, answered from the filing

The buying center is led by CIO Mac McEldon, with oversight from Founder, President and CEO Alicia McEldon. Lead Trainer Somalia Warner may influence operational tools.
The 2026 FDD mandates six systems: Gusto Payroll, Lego Educational Software, QuickBooks Pro, SciGenie Unit webpage, SciGenie.com, and Stripe.com. No traditional POS is listed.
The system totals 1 unit, which is company-owned. The number of franchised units was not disclosed in the 2026 FDD.
The procurement model is not detailed in the available FDD extract. Item 8 signals regarding designated or approved suppliers were not present in the data.
The initial franchise term is 10 years. Renewal requires written notice and signing the then-current agreement, which may have materially different terms. No recent activity signals are available.
The 2026 FDD was filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the embedded PDF viewer below for the full legal document and disclosures.
Source

Read the filing itself

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SciGenius2026 FDDView only

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The brands you can actually sell into, from the filings.

Operator footprint

Who runs the locations

1 operators run 1 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.

Operators by units owned

Single-unit1

Top states by locations

WI1

Related Education brands

Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.