Dear all,
So, what’s new at Brighteye since our last update? A lot! We are super happy to have launched our very new branding and visual profile. You may already have noticed our new look, logo and website?
The first publication that went live in the updated look was the European Learning & Work Funding Report 2026. And next week we will be sharing another report – “How to sell your Company,” focused on the opaque and under-covered subject of exits. It’s full of hands-on insights from bankers, lawyers, founders and acquirers. Register here to be sure you get it directly in your inbox as soon as it’s out!
And, if you are in London on Wednesday 25 February, we hope to see you at the in-person launch event. All details in Events below.
Please enjoy our updates below, including:
Insights – Podcast: Funding Report Beyond the Charts
Events – Legal Literacy for Founders Session in London in March
Happy Wednesday!
Best,
The Brighteye Team
Our latest annual European Learning & Work Funding Report was published at the end of January.
Some headlines:
Total € Invested: €1.6Bn – more than doubled between 2024 and 2025
Deal count: 334 - up 21% on 2024 levels
Five markets - the UK, Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands - accounted for over 80% of European deals
The most active global investor in learning & work is Y Combinator. General Catalyst, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Sequoia Capital also feature in the top 10!
The largest European deals were raised by AMBOSS with €240M (GER), Lingokids with €103M (SP), and Brighteye’s portfolio company Sdui with €95M (GER)
We also dove into two updated taxonomies for understanding the space. The first looks at data between Conventional Edtech (K12, HE, lifelong learning), Corporate and workplace learning, and Productivity and talent platforms. The second considers a forward-facing ‘value chain for learning & work’ which we believe represents a framework that applies to all sectors.
Big shoutout on the impressive and hard work to our Head of Platform & Research Rhys for pulling all the data and content together, and our Designer in Residence James for making sure it is beautifully presented.
The Funding report was also featured in the Sidekick FM Podcast. In this episode, host David Guérin and report author Rhys Spence goes beyond the charts and talk through what’s really happening.
They chat about:
- What pattern stood out in this year’s data
- What the data actually says about where learning creates value today
- The big structural shift founders should understand from this report
- What founders are still misreading or underestimating about how much the market has already changed
You want to check this one out - click the image to listen in:
In the latest follow-up from the European Learning & Work Funding Report, our Founding Partner Benoit Wirz wrote an article diving deeper into one of the featured 2026 predictions: that AI training would become a major focus in 2026.
That shift is clearly already underway.
In the report we argued that AI skills were moving from something informal and optional to something more structured and systemic. AI skills can no longer be treated as provisional, something to pick up informally, learn on the job, or outsource to the motivated few. This article expands on that thinking and explores what’s driving the change.
Some of the themes covered:
AI training is becoming a shared, organisational and societal responsibility
Early, tool-centric approaches to AI learning are proving insufficient
Foundational AI capabilities are becoming clearer and more standardised
Governments are beginning to frame AI fluency as a form of public infrastructure
The real value is moving toward applying AI effectively within real workflows
The core argument is simple: AI training is shifting from experimentation towards intentional design. The questions now are: i) who will shape it? And ii) how will it be implemented?
Coming up…
Join us in London next week for the Launch of “How to Sell your Company” – a new report on Exits!
With great contributions from bankers, lawyers, founders and acquirers, the new report addresses the opaque and under-covered subject of exits. It includes headline data, case studies, and a playbook for founders to use when preparing their own exits.
We are excited to have teamed up with leading global investment bank Houlihan Lokey and top global executive search firm Erevena to host an evening of insights, conversations and networking on Wednesday 25 February.
What to expect at the event?
Presentation of the Report results, by author Rhys Spence, Head of Platform & Research, Brighteye
Panel conversation with James Weatherill, Founder at Arbor Education (Acquired by Permira) and James Local, Managing Director at Houlihan Lokey - moderated by Benoit Wirz, Founding Partner at Brighteye
Networking
When: Wednesday 25 February 2026 from 5pm
Where: Central London
🔗 Register interest here, now
We have a new Legal Literacy for Founders evening scheduled – save the date to join us in London on Tuesday 10 March 2026. It’s great to be planning a second Session in this series together with our partners at CMS. We will explore a number of critical topics, including hiring domestically and internationally and protecting your IP!
Register interest to join here!
Looking back…
Our Principal Isabella Vahdati enjoyed taking to the “Bright Stage” in front of a great crowd at TECHARENA in Stockholm on Thursday, 12 February, for her presentation ❝The Future Workplace – What Jobs Will Our Kids Have?❞
Photo credit: Camilla Svensk, Techarena
It’s become a regular feature, our Product for Learning Evenings with Matt Walton in Notting Hill. At the latest one, we got 25 Product people together to hear from Toby Mather, Founder of Lingumi & Product Director at Novakid Inc, Europe’s biggest online English teaching platform for kids (who acquired Lingumi in late 2024).
The format of the Meetup: Short talk - small group discussions on real product problems - group share-back with speaker’s feedback – thanks for sharing, all!
We loved partnering with Marie Ch. Fabiunke of Cosmyc Partners on co-hosting a communications people breakfast at our London office, topped with getting the inner secrets of how to catch the attention of journalists from Sifted’s Freya Pratty!
The Bett Global-week was a big one! Sharing a few shots from some of the events we were hosting and involved it and enjoyed a lot!
Co-hosting an Education, Health & Climate investor Breakfast, alongside Serena
Co-Hosting our traditional Mixer alongside Campbell Lutyens, Educapital & Owl Ventures
Hosting a delegation of Polish startups traveling with Polska Agencja Rozwoju Przedsiębiorczości (PARP) at our office
Presenting our European Learning & Work Funding Report 2026 Sneak Peek at the Innovation Theatre at the actual Bett Event
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