EdTechInvestment

Education and neuro-inclusion solutions provider Cognassist has raised £4 million.

Cognassist provides a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform focused on identifying and supporting individuals with hidden learning needs, underpinned by extensive scientific research and a vast cognitive dataset. 

Founded in 2019 by successful repeat entrepreneur Chris Quickfall, the Newcastle-based EdTech 50 firm has already scaled its underlying business within the education market, providing greater social mobility to learners and helping diverse minds to thrive. 

The investment from Gresham House Ventures will empower Cognassist to continue its growth within the education market and penetrate the enterprise market, where demand for neuro-inclusive solutions to adequately support employees is rapidly emerging. 

As part of the transaction, Gresham House Ventures’ talent function supported Cognassist in appointing seasoned entrepreneur Nerissa Naidu to its Board. Naidu was selected as a WEF Young Global Leader in 2019 and brings decades of global corporate experience, including senior executive roles at Accenture and AIG. She will advise Cognassist on its ESG, technology and revenue generation strategies.

As part of its due diligence process into Cognassist, Gresham House Ventures also consulted leading academic, author and professor of psychology Adrian Furnham, who supported the scientific basis for Cognassist’s approach.

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“This investment will facilitate a significant expansion for Cognassist into the enterprise market, where our science-backed technology will enable businesses to support neurodiverse employees and ensure they are able to reach their full potential,” said Quickfall. 

“Gresham House Ventures has an outstanding track record of scaling technology-driven businesses like ours, so we are excited to work with the team over the coming years as we look ahead to the next phase of our growth.”

Naidu added: “We are finally witnessing increasing recognition of the barriers that neurodiverse employees can face in the workplace, and a growing number of businesses are looking for effective diversity, equity and inclusion solutions that support these individuals. 

“Cognassist aims to do just that and I look forward to working with Chris and the team to deliver on their goals.”

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