ZTAG Target Districts & Market Geography

Primary Focus: California K-12 After-School Programs

Why California?

• $4 billion annually in ELOP (Expanded Learning Opportunities Program) funding
• Centralized grant structure (easier to navigate than 50 state systems)
• High population density = efficient territory coverage
• Established after-school infrastructure (California After-School Network)
• Proven market fit: current customer base concentrated in CA

Market Size

California Statewide

• Total K-12 enrollment: ~6 million students
• After-school participants: Significant portion eligible for ELOP
• Districts: 1,000+ school districts across 58 counties
• Title I Schools: Prioritized for grant funding (high FRPM populations)

Oregon (Example Secondary Market)

• 443,000 kids waiting for after-school programs (per Jae, Oregon sports academy owner)
• Demonstrates massive unmet demand even in smaller states

District Contact Database

Current Asset: 531 California Districts (Feb 2026)

Source: Pre-scored CSV provided to Quan (Feb 9, 2026)
Format: Superintendent/COE contacts with priority tiers

Data Fields:

• Contact name (superintendent, County Office of Education leads)
• Primary email + alternate email
• Phone numbers
• FRPM % (Free/Reduced Price Meals) — proxy for Title I eligibility
• Enrollment numbers — district size indicator
• County — geographic clustering
• Lookalike score — similarity to successful existing customers
• Priority Tiers:
  • P1 (Hot Lookalikes): Highest similarity to converting districts
  • P2 (COE Gateway): County Office entry points
  • P3 (Retry): Previously contacted, needs follow-up
  • P4-P5 (Tier 2 / New Territory): Expansion zones

Apollo.io vs Zoho Decision (Feb 9, 2026)

REJECTED Apollo.io ($49-79/mo) in favor of Zoho Campaigns ($4-8/mo)
Reasoning: Already have enriched, pre-scored contacts. Apollo's value = finding new contacts. Zoho Campaigns does email sequences/tracking for existing list at lower cost.

Action Item: Import 531 contacts into Zoho CRM (Leads vs Contacts structure TBD)

FRPM Thresholds & Title I Targeting

FRPM (Free/Reduced Price Meals) as Filter

• High FRPM % = Higher Title I funding eligibility
• Threshold sweet spot: 50%+ FRPM typically qualifies for substantial grants
• Districts with 70%+ FRPM often have dedicated grant administrators
• Use FRPM% to prioritize outreach (P1 tier has highest FRPM alignment)

Title I School Designation

• Federal program targeting low-income schools
• Unlocks ELOP, CCLC, and other grant funds
• Districts must meet poverty thresholds (varies by state)
• ZTAG positioning: "Transform your Title I after-school program with proven engagement technology"

County Breakdown & Geographic Strategy

California Counties (58 Total)

High-Priority Counties (based on population + FRPM + existing presence):

• Los Angeles County: Largest district concentration, high FRPM
• Orange County: Affluent but pockets of high-need schools
• San Diego County: Large enrollment, strong after-school infrastructure
• Alameda County (East Bay): Oakland, Berkeley areas
• Sacramento County: State capital, administrative access
• Fresno County: High FRPM, Central Valley
• Riverside/San Bernardino (Inland Empire): Fast-growing, high-need

Strategy Notes:

• County Offices of Education (COE) are gatekeepers — build relationships at COE level (P2 tier)
• Regional clustering: When Quan/Steve travel for demos, stack multiple districts in same county
• Conference attendees: CA Site Coordinator Symposium draws from all counties

District Size Segmentation

Large Districts (10,000+ enrollment):

• Multi-site deployments (high revenue potential)
• Complex approval chains (longer sales cycles)
• Need district-level demos (not single-school)
• Examples: LAUSD, San Diego Unified, Fresno Unified

Medium Districts (2,000-10,000):

• Sweet spot for pilot programs
• Principal-level authority often sufficient for $3k pilot
• Easier to get embodied proof-of-concept
• Faster path to district-wide adoption

Small Districts (<2,000):

• Limited budgets (may pool via COE)
• Often rural or high-need
• Strong community ties (word-of-mouth works well)
• May need grant application support

Market Penetration Strategy

Current Pipeline Distribution (Need Data)

Action Item: Analyze Zoho CRM deals by:

• County distribution (which counties have highest win rate?)
• District size correlation (where do we close best?)
• FRPM% correlation (does higher FRPM = higher conversion?)
• Time to close by segment

Trade Show → District Conversion Path

Step 1: Embodied Experience at Conference

• CA Site Coordinator Symposium (Feb 24-28, Long Beach)
• Site coordinators = school-level decision influencers
• Hands-on demo, peer validation, ZTAG front-page sponsor

Step 2: Post-Conference Follow-Up (3-Month Window)

• Paula + Kris workflow: Send thank-you + highlight video
• Route hot leads to Steve (demo) or Kris (district conversation)
• Segment by budget authority (school vs district level)

Step 3: Pilot Program (New 2026 Strategy)

• $3,000 for 2-month pilot (single school, full system)
• Onboarding + training (Steve)
• Success metrics: attendance, engagement, teacher feedback
• Built-in upsell: $3k applies toward full purchase

Step 4: District-Wide Rollout

• Present pilot results to district admin
• Scale to 5-20 schools (100x revenue potential)
• Multi-year contract potential (hardware + software cartridges)

Social Media Lead Challenge

Problem: Online leads lack social proof

• Browsing alone on phone (no peer validation)
• Reputational risk (don't want to fail publicly)
• Budget authority mismatch (teacher sees ad, can't approve $10k)

Solution: Guide them up the chain

• Provide templates for principal pitch
• Offer to present at district level (Kris/Steve)
• Use pilot program to de-risk ($3k vs $10k threshold)
• Highlight existing customers in their county (social proof)

District Relationship Cultivation (Kris Neal Focus)

From Sales to Community Building (Feb 2026 Shift)

Old Role: Convince districts to buy ZTAG
New Role: Cultivate long-term district relationships, remove barriers

Activities:

• Pre-conference outreach (invite existing customers to attend)
• Post-conference 3-month follow-up (not sales, relationship)
• Route technical questions → Steve
• Route grant/funding questions → Carmee (with templates)
• Coordinate multi-district events (e.g., ZTAG tournaments)
• Playmaker network growth (Eric model replication)

District-Level Entry Points

Superintendent: Top decision-maker, budget authority

• Focus: District-wide impact, attendance metrics, grant ROI
• Entry: COE relationships, conference introductions, peer referrals

Assistant Superintendent (Curriculum & Instruction): Program alignment

• Focus: Educational standards (SHAPE America PE alignment), SEL outcomes
• Entry: SHAPE America conference, PE teacher referrals

Grant Administrator / Business Manager: Funding unlocking

• Focus: ELOP/CCLC application support, budget justification
• Entry: Provide grant-ready language, ROI calculators

Site Coordinator / Principal: Boots on the ground

• Focus: Student engagement, ease of implementation, staff training
• Entry: Trade shows, peer recommendations, pilot offers

Expansion Markets (Phase 2+)

Oregon

• Jae partnership potential (permanent installation + tournaments)
• 443,000 kids in after-school demand
• Test case for non-CA expansion

Other High-Potential States

• Texas: Large population, decentralized (challenging)
• New York: Strong after-school infrastructure, union complexity
• Illinois: Chicago focus (urban concentration)
• Florida: Growing population, charter school opportunities

Strategy: Prove CA model first (district-wide rollouts), then replicate state-by-state with local Playmaker champions.

Competitive Landscape (District Level)

What Districts Currently Use for After-School

• Traditional sports equipment: Balls, cones, jump ropes (low cost, low engagement)
• Board games / arts & crafts: Indoor focus, not movement-based
• Video game trucks: Passive entertainment (not educational positioning)
• Laser tag rentals: One-time events, not curriculum-integrated

ZTAG Differentiation:

• Bridges digital + physical (unique category)
• Curriculum-aligned (PE standards, SEL outcomes)
• Reusable platform (not consumable)
• Grant-eligible (educational, not entertainment framing)
• Proven attendance impact (data-driven ROI)

Direct Competitors (Need Research)

Action Item: Identify other ed-tech platforms competing for ELOP dollars:

• Movement-based learning platforms
• Gamification tools for PE
• Wearable tech in education
• Other after-school engagement systems

Data Gaps & Research Needs

High Priority:

1. ELOP grant cycle timeline — application windows, deadlines, requirements
2. CCLC (21st Century) funding — federal vs state level, multi-year awards
3. District budget calendar — when do schools plan next year's purchases?
4. County-level conversion rates — which counties convert best?
5. Competitor analysis — who else is winning ELOP dollars?

Medium Priority:
6. District size vs win rate correlation
7. FRPM% vs conversion analysis
8. Average time-to-close by segment
9. Multi-year contract opportunities
10. Superintendent turnover rates (relationship continuity risk)

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Document Version: 1.0
Last Updated: 2026-02-10
Sources: 531-district CSV (Feb 9), Apollo analysis, meeting transcripts, MEMORY.md
Next Update Trigger: Zoho CRM import complete, grant cycle research, county win-rate analysis
Owner: Minnie-Research + Carmee (CRM), Kris (relationship mapping)