HowNow, an AI-powered learning and skills platform, has recently raised $9.42 million (£7.5 million) in its Series A funding. The round was led by Mercia Ventures and Pearson in February 2023, following the two’s previous investment in 2023. This follows the £4 million seed funding and brings the company’s total investment to £11 million.
HowNow was founded in 2015 in London by Nelson Sivalingam and Kuvera Sivalingam, British brothers of Sri Lankan heritage, along with Ashish Kumar. The platform is designed to help businesses and teams upskill, share knowledge, and access relevant learning resources efficiently. It helps organizations create a more innovative, accessible way for teams to learn and share knowledge while improving productivity.
Headquartered in London, HowNow serves clients in over 30 countries and is gaining traction among mid-market and enterprise organizations searching for more innovative ways to upskill their personnel. HowNow AI, a suite of intelligent learning agents, is at the heart of this growth. It can map and measure skills across organizations, identify real-time gaps, personalize learning pathways, and deliver learning within the flow of work, ensuring employees get the proper knowledge at the right time.
Commenting on the funding, Nelson Sivalingam, Co-founder & CEO of HowNow, said:
With this funding, we’re not 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 how the world learns – connecting the dots between learning, skills, and real impact for people and organizations.
With AI integration at the forefront, HowNow takes an approach that focuses on what employees need to learn rather than what is available. Following development comes expansion, and the company has doubled its personnel over the last year, now employing 75 individuals in its London and Mumbai locations. The company has also strengthened its leadership team with seasoned industry specialists, such as Sam Lawton (Head of Customer Experience), Chris Chesterman (Head of Sales), Kunal Gala (Head of Engineering), and Michael Whitfield (Chairman of the Board and former CEO of Thomsons Online Benefits).
HowNow is shaping the future of skills-led workforce development by increasing collaborations, perfecting AI-driven learning, and establishing a global presence. As organizations transition from traditional training to real-time, context-aware upskilling, its approach could shape how companies remain competitive in the coming years.
