Lepaya, an Amsterdam-based power skills training provider has recently announced the acquisition of vCOACH, the first fully digital soft skill development platform with individual feedback and practice.
Post the acquisition, vCOACH will be an integrated part of the Lepaya offering and will be available to all customers.
Founded in 2020, vCOACH offers AI-powered online coaching where users get real-time feedback on their presentation and communication skills. The platform combines the best features of the current training landscape, its mobile-based training is as scalable & easily accessible as Elearning, yet as impactful and individual as instructor-led training – with minimal admin effort for L&D managers. It also combines the latest scientific research with smart automation and cutting-edge machine learning technology. The solutions comprise objective soft skill assessment, individual feedback & exercises, social learning and transparent success tracking. All training is built “mobile first” and they are based on microlearning sessions.
vCOACH is on a mission to develop scalable, yet impact-focused soft skill coaching solutions. Its aim is to enable as many people as possible to acquire the skills to succeed.
Speaking on the collaboration, Co-founder of vCOACH, Stephanie Mayer, said:
“Our product and technology have received great feedback from customers and users. But to optimally serve large corporate customers with a holistic solution, we have to think even bigger. Lepaya’s approach and vision fits in perfectly with ours, while offering more skills and methods. A true one-stop shop for enterprise customers. We are proud that vCOACH is now part of the Lepaya platform, allowing the technology to continue to grow.”
The startup is constantly looking for driven, open-minded and down-to-earth people that share its vision. Its offices are located in the heart of Munich, Germany.
Lepaya, co-founded by René Janssen and Peter Kuperus in 2018, has built a mobile learning app that allows companies across all industries to tailor training as per employees’ and executives’ needs. The platform has been established with the belief that the right training at the right time is key to making organizations more productive. A mix of online and offline learning programmes ensures that people learn skills effectively to boost their careers or even retrain by developing new skills. This approach to EdTech is growing in popularity. Companies such as KPMG, L’Oréal, Takeaway, Mollie, HelloFresh, Flink and Picnic have now become customers in the Netherlands. In the UK and Germany, the company has recently signed up Evonik and BCG and several scale-ups.
Commenting on the acquisition, Co-founder & CEO of Lepaya, René Janssen, said:
“Our vision is to apply as much technology as possible to develop and train skills in an impactful way. vCOACH fits in perfectly with this. They have developed a very valuable technology that can assess the success factors of effectively conveying a message with a smart AI algorithm.”
The Dutch EdTech startup acquired Smartenup, a training company that supports professionals to work better, faster and smarter with data.
Last year, Lepaya had raised €35 million in its Series B funding round led by Target Global, with the aim of further growing in new markets and strengthening the product. The latest acquisition is a first step in the acceleration of growth. The firm has raised a total of $47 million in funding until now.
