Esme Learning Solutions, formed in 2019 by digital learning pioneers Beth Porter (edX, Pearson) and David Shrier (Oxford, MIT, Imperial College Business School), delivers career-transforming online executive education in partnership with leading universities. Esme Learning is reinventing remote learning by leveraging AI-enabled tools and years of peer-reviewed cognitive and neuroscience research to deliver an immersive and highly applied collaborative learning experience
Co-founder, President, Chief Operating Officer
Beth Porter is co-founder of Esme Learning and founder and CEO of Riff Analytics. A former VP at Pearson Education and edX, Beth’s highly sought-after expertise stems from a deep passion for education and desire to provide the highest quality tech-enabled learning experiences. Beth has led pioneering research and developed products that transform online teaching and learning, including driving the Open edX initiative at edX and architecting the original Texas OnCourse program. Her engagements in higher education include researcher and lecturer at the MIT Media Lab and Boston University Questrom School of Business.
Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer
David is a globally recognized thought leader in technology and educational innovation, serial entrepreneur, and author. The portfolio of digital classes he created for MIT and University of Oxford have engaged more than 15,000 innovators in over 140 countries, and revolutionized the model for university short-course offerings.
He is a Professor of Practice (AI and Innovation) with Imperial College Business School, and holds a secondary appointment as Associate Fellow with SaÏd Business School, University of Oxford. David has published six books in the past six years focused on technology disruption, the three most recent of which were published by MIT Press or Little Brown. His latest book, Augmenting Your Career: How to Win at Work in the Age of AI was published by Little Brown in 2021.
Esme Learning Secures $7.5 Million in Series A Funding
26 January 2021
26 August 2021
Women's Equality Day: Working Toward Gender Parity in Financial ServicesFor Women's Equality Day, Esme Learning Co-founder Beth Porter comments in Finextra that reducing gender inequality in fintech starts with addressing the skills gap of entrants and existing professionals in the space.
26 August 2021
Take Notes: Evolving Online Learning For Executive EducationEsme Learning Co-founder Beth Porter explains how higher education leaders amidst a learning revolution can keep pace with student expectations in her first Forbes Technology Council article – and how implementing deep tech applications (artificial intelligence) can help.
18 August 2021
AI-Tech Park | Collective Will Mastering your Cognitive Domain – Part 2In part two of David Shrier's "Mastering Your Cognitive Domain" article series with AI-Tech Park, Shrier takes us through the value of persistence in developing Cognitive AI capabilities and the future of human-machine hybrid systems.
16 August 2021
U2B | ‘Dramatic Growth Rates’ for Online Exec-Ed Courses: Industry ExpertTime-strapped professionals looking for ways to upskill to keep up with the demands of the workplace may find that executive education — or exec-ed courses — can offer them some respite. David Shrier shares that more professionals recognise that they need to acquire new skills on cutting-edge tech topics to remain competitive in the age of AI.
11 August 2021
Fintech Times | UK Fintech News Roundup: The Latest Stories 11/08Read more about the week's latest fintech news, including Esme Learning's new collaboration with Cambridge Judge Business School.
11 August 2021
Business Leader | Cambridge Judge Business School and Esme Learning Announce Multi-Year Collaboration to Produce Online Learning ProgrammesCambridge Judge Business School and Esme Learning have announced a multi-year collaboration to create exclusive online education programmes. Read more in Business Leader UK.
9 August 2021
Fintech Times | Esme Learning: Surviving and Thriving in the AI FutureArtificial Intelligence has been ever more rapidly making its way into financial services workplaces, with the pace of adoption being driven simultaneously by improving capabilities of AI systems as well as ever-greater pressure on large financial institutions to improve their bottom lines. David Shrier shares his thoughts on surviving and thriving in the AI future.
3 August 2021
AI Business | How AI Can Improve the World of Remote LearningOf the world’s 25,000 universities, 24,000 “were ill-prepared to deal with COVID,” says David Shrier, co-founder of Esme Learning. The pandemic sent ripples of disruption and confusion around the world, with education among the sectors hit the hardest.
27 July 2021
AI-Tech Park| Mastering Your Cognitive Domain - Part 1Drawing on themes from his most recent book, Augmenting Your Career: How to Win at Work in the Age of AI, David Shrier talks about the impact of AI on cognitive flexibility, and how to master your "cognitive domain" in this first part of a two-article series.
25 July 2021
MarketScale | What is the Future for edX as a 2U For-Profit?MarketScale's Daniel Litwin invited Esme Learning co-founder Beth Porter, former Vice President at edX and Pearson to this episode of MarketScale TV. The two discussed how edX’s experimental approach to building online learning infrastructure as well as coursework shaped strategies of success for the rest of the field.
22 July 2021
U2B | Oxford, Esme Learning Launch Exec-Ed Courses for Finance ProfessionalsThe global fintech market is expected to reach a market value of US$305 billion by 2025, which will drive demand for fintech talent. The University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and Esme Learning have launched five online executive education programmes to prepare professionals for the future of finance.
19 July 2021
Fast Company | 14 Factors of Consumer Psychology Every Business Leader Should UnderstandIf you and your team understand basic psychological principles, you can form genuine connections with consumers, thereby building loyalty and trust (and sales). To help you achieve this, David Shrier and other members of Fast Company Executive Board share 14 things every smart business leader needs to understand about consumer psychology.
12 July 2021
Horizons | From Shock to AweCOVID-19 forced higher education institutions to adopt digital learning faster than ever before. David Shrier explains benefits and major failures of the MOOC course format, the broken journey of learning, and the funding required to further research the benefits of in-person collaboration.
7 July 2021
Fast Company | 13 Tried-and-True Ways to Retain and Engage Existing CustomersEsme Learning's David Shrier shares his thoughts on the right strategies to successfully win business in his first Fast Company Executive Board feature.
1 July 2021
Brite Innovation Review | Will I Have a Job? AI and the Future of WorkAI expert and author David Shrier explores what artificial intelligence means for the future of work and how businesses can prepare for it.
23 June 2021
Euromoney | Beware the Hype Over Central Bank Digital CurrenciesWe are at the peak of the hype cycle for central bank digital currencies, now being touted as one of the most fundamental innovations in the history of banking. David Shrier of Esme Learning discusses distributed ledger and if countries find CBDCs compelling in the age of the pandemic.
21 Jun 2021
Dataconomy | Calling All Coders: Bridging the Blockchain Talent GapDataconomy's Stewart Rogers recently served as master of ceremonies of a CogX Open Web panel alongside panelists including Esme Learning's David Shrier, Muneeb Ali (Stacks) and Josh Tobkin (Supra-Oracles). Read Shrier's key takeaways from the conversation on how to bridge the Blockchain talent gap and inspire rising technical stars.
13 Jun 2021
BBC Mundo | What is Lateral Thinking, the Concept Invented by Edward de Bono, a Maltese Physician and Philosopher Who Has Just DiedDavid Shrier discusses lateral thinking with BBC Mundo as the strategy world says goodbye to lateral thinking pioneer Edward de Bono. "Even if solving a problem is conventional, lateral thinking can be used to give you a fresher perspective, which acts as a palate cleanser that clears your vision and allows you to see the answer," Shrier tells BBC.
20 April 2021
The Enlightened Executive | AI: How It Will Impact Leadership & BusinessIs artificial intelligence really the next “big thing” in business? Esme Learning co-founder David Shrier discusses computational social science as well as ways executives can understand the power behind, and how to work with, AI.
31 March 2021
VC News Daily | Interview Series: David Shrier, Cofounder, Esme LearningFresh off a $7.5M Series A capital raise, globally recognized thought leader David Shrier explains how his edtech startup Esme Learning Solutions is developing online learning programs for University of Oxford, MIT, and more partners to come.
23 March 2021
Slaves to the Algo | Data Literacy: The Key to Surviving 2030. EdTech & AI with David ShrierIn this week’s episode of Slaves to The Algo, futurist, author, entrepreneur, and educator David Shrier talks us through the evolution of AI, the development of the #EdTech industry, and the importance of data-driven innovation across all sectors.
16 March 2021
University Business | Q&A: David Shrier – ‘Remember that people buy solutions to problems, not technologies’Technology futurist David Shrier helped launch four spinout companies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), including, most recently, AI-powered edtech company Esme Learning. He also created online offerings in fintech, blockchain, and cybersecurity that extended reach in over 150 countries for Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
11 March 2021
Forbes | Esme Learning Raises $7.5 Million In Series A Funding For Its AI-Enabled Digital Learning PlatformWhen you think about true and meaningful innovation in the learning and education space, it’s hard to picture how it looks, purely because there’s been a drought for so long.
1 March 2021
TechRound | TechRound Trends: Experts Explore The Growing EdTech IndustryEdTech is a fast-growing sub-sector of the tech community. According to reports, the UK EdTech sector is expected to reach £3.4 billion by 2021.
22 February 2021
Future of Finance | With data in their hands, consumers can intimidate anybodyThe blockchain era has spawned a great deal of innovation, but its most lasting impact might well lie in the fact it forced us to think more imaginatively about data.
22 February 2021
The Times Higher Education | How AI will rescue us from online learning’s ‘bad television’Post-pandemic, some of universities’ teaching practices may never return. And that’s a good thing. In parallel, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming so capable it could start changing how we learn. Covid, perversely, may herald a renaissance for online learning.
18 February 2021
MarketScale | Why Esme Learning Solutions is Capturing Investor AttentionOn this MarketScale TV interview, Voice of B2B Daniel Litwin explores recent funding for Esme Learning Solutions, an up-and-coming edtech platform, unpacking its value proposition and how it fits into the existing array of online learning platforms. For insights, Litwin was joined by Finn O’Hurley.
10 February 2021
FINTECH+ | Artificial Intelligence, FinTech, and the future of education with entrepreneur David ShrierInterview with David Shrier, Founder Esme Learning, recorded on 2021.02.03 with host John Hucker, CFA, MBA.
27 January 2021
AI Business | Edtech company Esme raises $7.5m to expand AI-driven learning platformDigital learning platform developer Esme Learning Solutions has closed a $7.5 million Series A funding round, looking to expand its range of AI-powered online courseware.
27 January 2021
AIthority | Esme Learning Solutions Secures $7.5 Million in Series A FundingDigital learning platform developer Esme Learning Solutions has closed a $7.5 million Series A funding round, looking to expand its range of AI-powered online courseware.
27 January 2021
Edscoop | The edtech industry is booming in 2021As higher education leaders head into 2021 searching for new ways to organize their campuses, make sense of their data and improve the educational experiences of students, a worldwide technology industry capitalizing on those efforts is booming.
27 January 2021
Entrepreneur | Esme Learning Solutions Secures $7.5 Mn In Series A Funding Round Led By Adit VenturesDigital learning platform Esme Learning Solutions on Tuesday announced that it had raised $7.5 million in a Series A financing round led by venture capital firm Adit Ventures, with a technology thematic investment focus.
26 January 2021
Built in Boston | Digital Education Startup Esme Learning Raises $7.5M, Plans to Quadruple TeamBoston-based digital education startup Esme Learning announced Tuesday it closed on a $7.5 million Series A funding round led by Adit Ventures.
26 January 2021
FinSMEs | Esme Learning Solutions Raises $7.5M in Series A FundingEsme Learning Solutions, a Boston, MA- and London, UK-based digital learning platform, closed a $7.5m Series A financing round.
26 January 2021
Silicon Republic | Edtech start-up Esme Learning Solutions raises $7.5mThe start-up will use the Series A funding to support growth across all facets of its operations, from headcount to course offerings.
26 January 2021
EdSurge | Former Pearson, edX Exec Raises $7.5M to Build AI-Powered Digital CoursewareEsme Learning Solutions is banking on artificial intelligence (AI), collaborative learning experiences and relationships with some of the biggest universities in the world to set them apart from the crowd. The Boston-based company today announced the close of a $7.5 million Series A that will expand its range of intensive executive-level courses and digital learning tools.
22 January 2021
The Chronicle Discussions Podcast | Hub Culture - The Chronicle Discussions, Episode 39: Take Me To Your Leader - A.I. and YouHub Culture's Stan Stalnaker hosts a series of exclusive round-table discussions on technology and its implications for the future of humanity. Stan’s conversation with Esme Learning CEO speaks to David around the future of work and artificial intelligence.
17 August 2020
Forbes | Six Edtech Businesses Leading The Way During LockdownAmid the global coronavirus pandemic, record amounts of investment have flowed into the digital education market, with forecasts suggesting the sector will near double in value to $325bn by 2025.
06 July 2020
The Telegraph | The importance of cybersecurity as we navigate the pandemicWith more people than ever before working remotely, it is crucial that businesses ensure their employees are using secure systems and staying alert to potential cyberthreats.
22 June 2020
Raconteur | Innovating in a remote environmentIf remote working is to become the new norm, where does it leave innovation and the diversity of thought that drives it?
18 June 2020
Tech for Good | Online Learning, RedefinedAs top-tier university lecturers and startup innovators, David Shrier and Beth Porter are highly regarded in the edtech world. Their present ambition is to reinvent online learning by combining cognitive science with sophisticated technologies.
24 May 2020
MSN | Where to invest after the crisis: Meet the 'futurists' who forecast what happens next - where does that mean you should investAs we emerge tentatively from lockdown, it is difficult to know what the future will look like and which businesses will thrive. So who better to ask than futurists, the experts who make it their business to try to find out?