Edtech Firm Esme Learning Acquires Collaboration Platform Riff Analytics

• Acquisition cements Esme’s position as leading provider of collaborative online courses. Integration of breakthrough AI-enabled capabilities will enhance appeal for corporate environments as demand increases during the pandemic.

Esme Learning, a global leader in online professional development, and Riff Analytics, an AI-enabled software company, are combining their strengths to meet the learning needs of the next generation of business leaders. The two entities, who serve 1,500 organizations in more than 95 countries, will provide turnkey solutions for Higher Education, and Learning and Development departments. Esme currently works with some of the most prestigious universities in the world, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and Imperial College Business School. This acquisition cements Esme’s credibility to help organizations, individuals, and governments adapt to digital transformation necessitated by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

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A track record of leadership:

The combined entity of Esme Learning and Riff Analytics, operating as Esme Learning Solutions, Inc., will be led by Esme CEO David Shrier and Riff Analytics co-founder and now COO and President of Esme Learning Solutions Beth Porter. Shrier is a globally recognized thought leader in technology who has created the four most profitable online classes in history. Porter is a former Pearson executive who, as Head of Product for the MIT/Harvard joint venture edX, created and developed the Open edX initiative, an open-source digital learning software used by more than 55 million learners worldwide.

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Proven results in delivering effective online education courses: 

The Riff platform, which consists of two products, Riff EDU and Riff Video, has been shown to significantly improve learning outcomes, as evidenced by peer-reviewed published research funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Riff EDU, embedded at the core of Esme Learning, is a full-suite communication and digital collaboration platform built for the learning environment to better enable student success. Using Riff EDU, students achieved final grades 80% higher than those who did not and were twice as likely to earn a certificate (Riff Analytics, 2021).

Powering Riff EDU is Riff Video, a SaaS offering that primarily consists of the “Meeting Mediator,” an AI-enabled real-time visualization providing instant feedback about interactions with other participants. This, along with “Metrics,” helps to raise awareness about interpersonal dynamics and how to adapt behavior to improve effectiveness. Riff Video can be integrated into any Learning Management System to build more effective team dynamics. Within Esme, Riff EDU is set to expand the functionalities to include prompts and nudges to drive more collaborative and effective group behaviors.

“Riff is doing groundbreaking work in the area of effective communication and collaboration at work, and creating a platform that fundamentally helps people be more mindful, focused, and purposeful,” said Porter.

“E-learning is reshaping the landscape of corporate training and, indeed, digital transformation. With the Riff Analytics acquisition, Esme Learning Solutions is ideally positioned to grow its footprint in the online Higher Education market, which has grown exponentially from US$100 billion in 2009 and is expected to reach over US$370 billion by 2026,” said Shrier.

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