Gaia Learning secures £550,000 investment to expand support for neuro-divergent students

Edtech company Gaia Learning has secured £550,000 in venture capital funding, marking its largest investment to date. 

The funding will support the company’s ability to provide online educational support for neurodivergent children across the UK. The investment will facilitate Gaia Learning’s expansion both nationally and internationally.

Gaia Learning, based in the North West of England, offers live online classes tailored to neurodivergent students aged 8-16, including those with ADHD and autism. 

CEO Kate Longworth expressed her enthusiasm for the new investment, stating:

“We’re so pleased to have our new investment partners on board and them acknowledging the potential in all we do at Gaia Learning to help school partners, learners and their families.

“We have tripled our learners this academic year, grown our team to 12 staff members and seen huge demand from children who are struggling in mainstream education. Now, more than ever, schools need flexible, digital solutions that can scale within budget supporting each neurodivergent child’s needs.”

Founded in 2019, Gaia Learning has grown from a small, specialised tuition service to an award-winning online school. It is a Cambridge Registered International School Online and the first online provider to receive the ADHD Friendly School award from the ADHD Foundation in 2023. 

Growth potential

The recent investment round was led by Nesta Impact Investments, with additional funding from Manchester-based GC Angels. 

Lisa Barclay, Executive Director of Investments at Nesta, commented on the decision to back Gaia Learning: 

“We backed Gaia learning as both a promising high growth business and as a solution to tackle the acute gap between education outcomes of students with special educational needs and the average.

“Students with an Education Health and Care Plan, who Gaia Learning typically supports, at a national level have outcomes at GCSE eight times worse than the average. One of Nesta's key areas of focus is to narrow the education attainment gap and Gaia Learning provides a compelling solution to tackle this.”

GC Angels, which focuses on purpose-led investments for early-stage businesses, also contributed to the funding round. 

Marc Shirman, Head of Investments at GC Angels, highlighted the alignment of Gaia Learning’s mission with the organisation’s investment strategy: 

“Gaia Learning is exactly what GC Angels is all about. The team’s purpose-led approach is helping children who would otherwise be left behind in education to thrive, and the growth they’ve so far achieved is commendable. As the team continues to grow, and with enquiries on the up, we worked with Kate and the team to ensure Gaia Learning has the necessary investment and resources to drive further expansion and, ultimately, deliver incredible results for young people.”