EdTech firm Thrive has acquired AI-powered mentoring and coaching platform Guider in a multi-million-pound deal.
It is the first acquisition to be made by Nottingham-based Thrive, an all-in-one learning platform.
It said the move for the London firm will integrate skills, mentoring, communications and knowledge management in one AI platform.
Founded in 2019, Thrive has seen 54% year-on-year annual recurring revenue growth and already empowers over 3 million users worldwide.
Its customer base includes ASOS, Volvo, Vodafone, Avon, Burger King and the Scottish Government. Guider’s clients include LVMH, FeverTree and Ernst & Young.
Guider, which employs 25 people, uses AI for intelligent matching, but also connects colleagues with real, experienced leaders, mentors and coaches.
Thrive is introducing a suite of Guider Mentoring Programmes, designed to cut mentoring preparation time in half and make it easier than ever for internal experts and coaches.
Each AI-recommended programme will come with a complete set of pre- and post-session resources for both mentors and mentees, including preparation guides, conversation prompts, and follow-up activities.
Initial topics span leadership, DEI, female empowerment, career coaching, personal branding, and presenting, with new areas like strategic thinking, navigating career transitions, building confidence, and first-time manager support. These programmes empower organisations to build thriving networks of mentors and SMEs with complete ease, unlocking the full potential of human mentoring at scale.
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Guider will continue to operate as a standalone entity while Adam Bartlett, who has helped to scale high-growth SaaS businesses such as Axonify, Learning Technologies Group and Sponge, has been appointed as its managing director.
“This is the moment L&D catches up with how people actually learn. Combining the power of Guider with Thrive, we’re building the world’s first fully integrated learning and mentoring platform, and in doing so, we’re redefining how companies grow their people,” said Sean Reddington, CEO and founder of Thrive.
“This acquisition doesn’t just add functionality, it sets a new benchmark for what the future of workplace development should look like.”
Nick Ross, CEO and founder of Guider, added: “Anyone in the L&D space knows Thrive is changing the game and redefining what modern workplace learning looks like. There’s no other provider we’d trust to scale our vision.
“Together, we’re building something that connects learning to real, human growth, at scale and with impact. Joining forces with Thrive is an incredibly exciting chapter for Guider.”
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