HowNow – the AI-powered learning and skills platform, today announces the completion of its Series A funding having raised a total of £7.5m. Following an initial £4m Series A investment from Mercia Ventures and FTSE 100 education firm Pearson in February 2023, HowNow recently secured a further £3.5m from the same two investors, along with Fuel Ventures.
Headquartered in London, HowNow serves customers in more than 30 countries and is gaining rapid market share for its innovative approach to skills-first learning. The company’s unique value proposition, which maps skills gaps to contextualised learning opportunities in the moment, is creating traction with progressive mid-market and enterprise organisations that recognise skills as the vital currency for growth.
HowNow’s total funding to date sits at almost £11m, with the majority of this investment being used to drive product development and continued AI integration.
The company recently introduced HowNow AI, a suite of advanced AI agents that enable customers to map and measure skills, identify gaps, and connect employees with the most relevant learning opportunities. HowNow AI ensures that the right learning is delivered at the right time, aligned exactly to the skills that matter most – and all while assessing skill requirements, creating tailored learning pathways, and deploying skills within the flow of work to help close gaps and drive business performance.
Due to strong, cross-sector demand for its innovative technology, HowNow’s revenue has increased by more than 350% over the past two years. Recent customer wins include notable brands such as TomTom, MoneyBox, Bausch & Lomb, UKTV, and Good Energy, as well as partnering with Pearson to deliver the UK Government’s Learning and Skills Platform.
Nelson Sivalingam, Co-Founder & CEO at HowNow, said: “With this funding, we’re not just doubling down on our commitment to upskill 10 million people by 2030 – we’re making it happen. Learning isn’t about endless courses and hours logged; it is about the progress you can see, the skills you can use, and the growth you can measure. We’re here to change the way the world learns – connecting the dots between learning, skills, and real impact for people and organisations alike.”
Having more than doubled its workforce over the past 12 months, HowNow employs 75 employees across its London and Mumbai offices. The company has also recruited some of the learning tech industry’s most well-known and disruptive thinkers to its leadership team. Notable hires include Head of Customer Experience, Sam Lawton, Head of Sales, Chris Chesterman, and Head of Engineering, Kunal Gala. Michael Whitfield, previously CEO & Founder at employee benefits provider, Thomsons Online Benefits, is also announced as Chairman of the Board.
Building out HowNow’s ecosystem of HR and learning tech partnerships will remain a key priority as the company continues to scale. HowNow offers full integration with leading HR technology providers including HiBob, Lattice, Workday, and Personio, and recently went live with Credly, the world’s largest skill verification and digital credentialing network.
Alongside this, HowNow is receiving strong industry recognition. The company was recognised for ‘Best Technology-Based Onboarding’ at the 2024 Learning Technologies Awards and was named a Fall 2024 ‘Leader’ by G2, with customers praising the platform’s ease of use, customer support, and content quality. HowNow’s L&D Disrupt events are also garnering keen interest from learning leaders who want to promote the value of skills-led learning on business performance.
