Cosmos Academy – The school is, of course, entirely fictional, as is its sponsoring organization, the Moonshot Foundation. Cosmos Academy is located in a fictional setting in Palo Alto, California. The admission process—based on a nationwide entrance examination—is loosely inspired by the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) used for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT).

Odyssey of the Mind – This is a real creative problem-solving program conducted in schools, where student teams work for months on a predefined long-term problem and then present their solutions at competitions after progressing through elimination rounds [W-Odyssey-Info]. While the version of Odyssey of the Mind depicted in the novel differs in some details, it remains faithful to the spirit and philosophy of the real program.

Gamble Garden – The Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden is a real garden in Palo Alto [W-Gamble-Garden]. All the details about the garden presented in the novel are based on reality, though the events that happen in the garden are entirely fictional.