Our Story

Acme Franchise began with a simple idea: what if we could teach chess to children as young as 3 years old using the power of storytelling?

Our Story

Since 2011, Acme Franchise has made it possible for young kids to master tricky subjects like chess, all through the power of storytelling.

Founded and headquartered in New York City, Acme Franchise's team of 400+ tutors has taught over 50,000 students to date and partnered with more than 600 schools across the U.S.

Today, Acme Franchise offers a range of programs, all based on the unifying principle that children can learn anything through fun, well-crafted stories. In Singapore, these include chess for ages three and up, playgroups for infants as young as six months old, and role-playing games for children of school-going age.

We Believe in Children.

We never underestimate the power of a child's mind, imagination, and capacity to learn.

Stories are Magic.

Storytelling is an underrated tool in contemporary education, despite being humanity's oldest method of transmitting knowledge.

We Set Up the Board Correctly.

Having fun never comes at the expense of excellence.

We Shake Hands Even When We Lose.

Soft skills like emotional intelligence are just as important as learning a game.

Our Journey

From a single tutor to a nationwide franchise opportunity

2011
The Beginning
Founded as Chess at Three in New York City. What started as a single tutor with a dream became a movement to make chess accessible to young children through storytelling.
2015
Growing Roots
Expanded from private tutoring into school partnerships. Our story-based curriculum proved so effective that schools began requesting dedicated programs.
2020
Scaling Impact
Reached 400+ tutors and 50,000 students. Partnered with over 600 schools nationwide, demonstrating the model could scale while maintaining quality.
2023
A New Chapter
Rebranded to Acme Franchise to reflect our expanded curriculum and vision. Began developing the franchise model to bring our system to entrepreneurs nationwide.
2025
Franchise Launch
Acme Franchise Franchising officially launched. Welcomed our first franchise partners in Westside and Eastside, marking the start of nationwide expansion.

Meet the Team

At Acme Franchise, we're more than just chess tutors—we're storytellers, educators, and your child's biggest cheerleaders.

Paul Levy

Paul Levy

CEO

Leading Acme Franchise with a vision to bring chess education to every child.

Jon Sieber

Jon Sieber

Co-Founder

Passionate about his family, his business, and his bicycle.

Sam Williams

Sam Williams

Co-Founder

Chess enthusiast, storyteller, co-founder — in that order.

Child learning chess

Read a Story. Learn Chess.

Join us in transforming children's education through the magic of chess.

Ready to join our story?

Get Started
Questions? Chat with Earl!
Earl

Earl

Franchise Ambassador

Note: I cannot provide earnings projections or financial guarantees. Our team will share the Franchise Disclosure Document with you after your initial conversation.

Earl

Hi! I'm Earl 👋

I'm here to answer your questions about the Acme Franchise franchise opportunity.