Snapology Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Snapology is a kids' STEM education franchise teaching robotics, coding, and engineering through building-brick and hands-on programs. Franchisees run classes, camps, and parties at a center or via schools, hiring and scheduling instructors.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A SNAPOLOGY franchise requires a total initial investment of $75K – $195K, including a $40K – $48K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $157K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 8.3% charge-off rate across 12 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $75K – $195K
- 25th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $157K
- 2nd pct Education
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 121
- 66th pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- 8.3%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $75K – $195K including a $40K franchise fee.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $157K/year (median $107K).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 68/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 8.3% across 12 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 41.2% CAGR over 3 years with 121 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Snapology, LLC
- Parent company
- Unleashed Brands, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- UA Holdings, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer, Unleashed Brands / Unleashed Services
- Michael Browning, Jr.
- Incorporated in
- Pennsylvania
- HQ
- 2350 Airport Freeway, Suite 505, Bedford, Texas 76022
- Auditor
- Deloitte & Touche LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $151.5M
- vs $194.7M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Michael Browning, Jr.
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2015
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 29
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 80% below the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $8K | $15K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $28K | $140K |
| Total initial investment | $75K | $195K |
Source: SNAPOLOGY 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $75K – $195K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $8K – $15K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $48K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- The greater of 7% of Gross Sales and the Minimum Royalty Fee
- Ad fund
- Up to 5% of monthly Gross Sales
- Total fee load
- 12.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Technology fee | $125 |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $6K |
| Total fee load | 12.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 80% below the education norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$22K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
15%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
6.7 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one SNAPOLOGY unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
15%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 SNAPOLOGY units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$220K
on $1.1M purchase
Total debt
$879K
SBA $0.5M + senior + seller note
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $157K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $107K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- historical gross sales by format/segment
- Sample size
- 27 outlets
- vs category median 17
- Range (low → high)
- $21K→$505K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 204 Education brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $157K/year in gross sales. Median is $107K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.2x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 12.0% (near the Education average).
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 41.2% CAGR over 3 years across 121 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Education averages
How Snapology Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 121
- Opened
- 32
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 14
- Turnover rate
- 11.7%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 1%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +41.2%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +41.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 32
- Closed (3yr)
- 14
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 26 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 12
- Loan volume
- $1.9M
- Median loan
- $66K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 8.3%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 91.7%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 8
- Defaults
- 1
- Typical loan rate
- 9.2%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 21.9%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 85
- 4.4 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 33%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 73% went to startups / new businesses, 27% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in all other miscellaneous schools and instruction, franchised businesses charge off at 21.9% vs 14.6% for independents — franchising is associated with 50% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Snapology franchisees
Showing 3 of 8 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Snapology's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 8 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 7 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 5-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 8.3% — 48% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Deloitte & Touche LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Score breakdown · what drove the 68 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORfinancials_are_parent_level=true; parent net loss -$59.6M not attributable to brand
- 02MINOROne concluded regulatory matter (Maryland unregistered franchises, resolved 2016)
- 03MEDStrong net growth +41.2%, no going-concern, audited, Item 19 disclosed
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 12.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Geographic area (zip codes, boundaries, or radius) |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 4 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 24 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 6 hrs
- POS system
- Command Center
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Command Center
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
78 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
SNAPOLOGY · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a SNAPOLOGY franchise?
The total investment to open a SNAPOLOGY franchise ranges from $75K – $195K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do SNAPOLOGY franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the SNAPOLOGY FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $157K. The median is $107K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the SNAPOLOGY FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the SNAPOLOGY FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is SNAPOLOGY's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, SNAPOLOGY has a charge-off rate of 8.3% across 12 loans, meaning 8.3% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many SNAPOLOGY franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, SNAPOLOGY has 121 total units in the United States, including 120 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 32 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is SNAPOLOGY a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates SNAPOLOGY as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 68 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent SNAPOLOGY, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.