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How it works: Participants are automatically matched into small groups the moment they connect. The platform manages the full session arc including setting context and providing scenarios, solo practice, guided group collaboration, and synthesis—and handles timing, speaking balance, activity transitions, synthesizing insights, and pre/post communications.

Cost: Session cost per person can be as low as $10/hour of content when running at full volume. See pricing section for details.

Team: Former McKinsey talent and transformation leads, plus the learning scientist who built Minerva University's Active Learning Forum.

Clients: McKinsey Academy, Harvard Business Publishing, Google, GP Strategies, Danone, Gates Foundation, Virginia DMV, Fortune 500 companies across sectors.

The challenge of changing how people work: Organizations face a persistent challenge: quality vs. scale. Coaching changes one person. A workshop changes ten. Neither changes an organization. Well-facilitated workshops and change programs deliver real behavior change but can only reach dozens at a time — and cost a lot to run. Webinars and passive formats reach everyone but fail to change behavior. Most teams oscillate between these two unsatisfying options.

Sparkwise's approach: Allow the group to effortlessly self-facilitate with intuitive technology and innovative experience design — preserving the live, collaborative format at enterprise scale. Participants learn from and with each other, building both the targeted skill and the confidence to guide a session without someone holding their hand.

Sessions are also a platform for connection where participants don't just develop skills, they build relationships across the organization. Organizations can run thousands of synchronous, small group sessions monthly without investing in additional program administrators and facilitators.

Founding team:

Vince Jeong (Co-founder & CEO): Led large-scale enterprise transformation programs at McKinsey
Romain Lévy (Co-founder & COO): Designed and delivered training programs at McKinsey
Ari Bader-Natal (Co-founder & CTO): Built collaborative learning tech for multiple edtechs, including Minerva

The founders spent years leading enterprise transformations and kept running into the same wall: 70% of transformations fail, and a major reason is that it is too hard to shift people’s skills, mindsets, and behaviors at scale. Traditional training is either too expensive to scale or too passive to stick.

The founding team combined McKinsey's active-learning methodology with intuitive technology, innovative pedagogy, and AI-enablement, to build a platform that makes high-quality group facilitation available to organizations that cannot afford $500/hour consultants or coaches for every workshop.

Patent-pending tech. U.S. Application 18/515,233, filed November 2023.

Passive formats (e-learning, webinars): These reach everyone cheaply but rarely shift behavior. Industry completion rates for on-demand libraries fall between 5–15% (Source: ATD Industry Benchmarks), and webinars typically achieve low active participation. They’re best for content delivery and awareness, not behavior change.

Live facilitated approaches (workshops, consulting engagements, instructor-led sessions): These can drive real behavior change when done well, but costs scale linearly — more sessions means more facilitators, more budget, and more logistics. They can only reach a fraction of an organization at any given time.

Sparkwise: Live and video-based, with 2–5 participants in each small group. Thousands of participants can practice at the same time. Rich experiences happen through real-time collaboration — hands-on exercises, problem-solving, discussion including individual exercises and reflection. The platform fully guides the group’s experience, which is closer to a facilitated workshop than to e-learning.

The key distinction: On-demand platforms scale content delivery. Sparkwise scales live, small group practice without live facilitators. These serve different transformation and learning needs combining the quality of a workshop with the reach of digital delivery.

Starter (250 credits at $40/credit = $10,000): Best for teams piloting Sparkwise or running one-off deployments. Comes with 1 admin account.

Growth (1,000 credits at $35/credit = $35,000): Best for organizations rolling out Sparkwise on multiple use cases (12.5% savings vs. Starter). Comes with 1 admin account.

Enterprise (starts 3,000 credits at $30/credit = $90,000; bigger volume discounts/bonuses available): Best for organizations rolling out Sparkwise at enterprise scale (up to 75% savings vs. Starter). Comes with 5 admin accounts, 2 free custom module builds, custom contracting, enterprise SLA, dedicated QBRs, and more.

All plans include: post-session summaries & reminders, coaching tips for managers, impact reporting for admins, and access to Sparkwise catalog. Comes with 2 admin accounts and 1 free custom module build.

Available add-ons (at extra cost) include Advanced Engagement Analytics, AI-Driven Insights, Custom Content Build, White-glove delivery support, SSO, and LMS Integration.

Contact [email protected] for more details and enterprise pricing.

Direct session savings: At $10-40 per person per session vs. $100-200 for facilitator-led workshops, the average per-person saving is ~$100. An organization training 1,000 employees monthly at $15/person/session instead of $150/person/session saves over $1.5M annually.

Administrative time savings: Sparkwise makes scheduling dramatically faster and automates attendance tracking, and post-session reporting which typically consumes 15-20 hours per month from program administrators.

Passive formats (LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, Udemy Business, webinars): $5-30/user/month. Large catalog access, but no live interaction, no group practice, and completion rates of 5-15% (Source: ATD Industry Benchmarks) reflect the solo, self-directed format. Best for breadth, compliance, and reference learning.

Live facilitated delivery  (Hone, LifeLabs, consulting firms): $100-200 per participant per session. Strong engagement when the group is small, but costs scale linearly as more sessions means more facilitators, more budget, and more logistics complexity. Best for a more personalized experience..

Sparkwise: $10–40 per session, live and collaborative, no facilitator required. The closest apples-to-apples comparison is traditional live facilitated workshops, where Sparkwise is 70–80% cheaper and much more scalable.

Group matching: Participants are automatically matched into groups of 2-5 and connect live on video (or in person). The platform can divide any number of participants (5 to 500+) into small groups, with an option to set groups manually.

Structured activity sequence: The platform guides each group through approximately 20 steps per hour, a mix of solo and group work designed to keep every participant engaged throughout the session. Beyond building the session's core skill, participants also develop the ability to guide conversations and drive outcomes without someone holding their hand.

Navigator role: Each group can choose to designate one participant as a Navigator, who helps kickstart conversations and keeps the group moving through the activity sequence. This builds real facilitation and communication skills, not just content knowledge — and creates connectivity between participants that outlasts the session.

What it doesn't do: Sparkwise does not handle live improvisation, respond to off-topic tangents, or make real-time content decisions. The platform works best for structured skill development with a clear learning arc, not for freeform coaching or unstructured discussions.

Dynamic grouping: As participants join, Sparkwise's grouping algorithm automatically assembles groups in real time. It is designed to minimise the chances of a participant being stranded without a group, prioritise groups of 3–4 (which consistently report the most engaging experience), and avoid disrupting groups that are already well underway.

Sparkwise recommends diverse groups with people from different teams/backgrounds while keeping the seniority level similar to support an open, collaborative dynamic. Program administrators also have the option to decide the grouping prior to the session.

Motivate: Each session opens by exploring why the topic matters through an activity or peer discussion — so participants arrive with context and personal relevance, not passive reception.

Learn/Practice: The core of each session is active discussion, scenario-based practice, and skill application. Passive content is deliberately minimised as research consistently shows it yields limited retention.

Transfer: Participants reflect, connect learning to day-to-day work, and make a concrete commitment — emailed back within 24 hours, timed to when the forgetting curve hits hardest (Ebbinghaus, 1885).

No downloads, no plugins. Any modern browser works. Minimum connection: 2 Mbps.

Content domains (non-exhaustive):
AI Skills: Prompt engineering, AI judgment, AI-age leadership, and redesigning how work gets done — including co-branded modules with Harvard Business Review.

Communication: Difficult conversations, cross-cultural communication, and public speaking.

Strategic Thinking: Scenario analysis, business acumen, and problem solving.

Leadership: Change management, delegation, and team dynamics.

Professional Fundamentals: Time management, email etiquette, and remote work effectiveness.

Teamwork: Psychological safety, collaboration, and accountability.

Personal Development: Resilience, growth mindset, and networking.

Client Service: Objection handling, account management, and customer empathy.

Multi-session programs: Business Analyst Academy, New Manager Academy, Problem Solving Excellence, and AI Transformation — combining modules into structured capability building arcs over weeks or months.

Quality bar: All catalog modules meet a 90% satisfaction threshold in testing before release, and are constantly updated based on ongoing feedback. New modules launch monthly.

Build process: Organizations define the learning objective and provide raw content (case studies, slides, videos, SME interviews). Sparkwise's content team builds the session end to end — prep prompts, discussion questions, activity sequencing, and post-session action planning. Average timeline: 2-6 weeks.

Scenario personalization: Examples and use cases can be customized to match company context, making sessions more relevant and increasing participant engagement. Timeline: 1-2 weeks

Custom module creation: Organizations can build completely custom modules from scratch, designed around their specific learning objectives, workflows, or proprietary methodologies. IP is retained by the client.

White-label: The platform can be branded with client logo, and messaging for calendar invites and reminder emails can be personalized.

LMS and SSO integration is optional and typically requires 2 hours of IT time and completes within 1-3 business days.

Learning Management System (LMS) integrations: We can integrate with any LMS available.

Identity & Access: SAML or OIDC (Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace, Ping Identity, JumpCloud). Single sign-on (SSO) integrations typically take 1-2 hours. Initial SSO integration typically takes 2 hours of IT time. No ongoing maintenance or updates are required on the client side.

Analytics: Sparkwise provides admins with a suite of data dashboards built on a business intelligence platform. All report data can be manually exported (Excel, CSV or JSON formats) for additional analysis with external tools.

Phase 1: Starter Plan pilot · Phase 2: Enterprise rollout · LMS + SSO integration available

The monthly recurring rhythm is critical. Organizations that run consistent monthly sessions see sustained engagement and cumulative skill development. One-off sessions produce short-term impact; recurring programmes produce lasting change.

Phase 1 — Pilot (Starter Plan): Start small with a specific use case or target population — new managers, a single department, or a key transformation initiative.

Most organizations spend $10-20K on a pilot. By the end, client teams have concrete data to build an internal business case:

1. Fortune 10 Healthcare Company piloted problem-solving training and came away with 93% completion, 4.5/5 satisfaction, and +30% knowledge retention — enough to justify scaling to the entire organization.
2. A Top 3 consulting firm ran a randomised controlled trial during their pilot and measured statistically significant improvement on 6 of 7 competency metrics vs. traditional training, at 80% lower cost.

Phase 2 — Organization-wide rollout (Standard or Enterprise Plan): Scale using user-based licences that are significantly more cost-effective at volume. This is typically when organizations build custom content — reinventing existing capability building programmes for live, collaborative delivery at scale.

Sparkwise can run as a standalone platform or integrate into existing tech infrastructure: LMS and LXP integration, SSO, and blended programme design. Client teams that reach this stage often find Sparkwise becomes a strategic lever — a way to drive measurable capability building across the organization, not just deliver content on request.

What the trial includes: A full 60-minute live session run with your team, colleagues, or key decision-makers. Participants experience the real platform live. After the session, administrators and executives receive actual engagement scores from their own cohort.

Why it matters: The trial is designed to do two things: let your team experience Sparkwise firsthand, and give you the data needed to build an internal business case. Organizations that run a trial walk away with concrete metrics they can share with stakeholders to win buy-in and budget.

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Behavior change (90%+): More than 90% of participants report successfully applying new behaviors on the job — the metric that change leaders and executives actually care about.

Active engagement (96%): Participants are actively engaged throughout their session (as measured by words spoken by each participant and the group as a whole). This compares to typical virtual formats where passive attendance is the norm.

Validated by randomized controlled trial: A Top 3 Management Consulting Firm compared Sparkwise head-to-head against traditional virtual instructor-led training in a randomised controlled experiment. Sparkwise participants showed statistically significant improvements on 6 of 7 competency metrics, with 4.8/5 engagement and 80% completion — at 80% lower cost.

Knowledge retention (30%): Participants show 30% higher knowledge retention compared to passive e-learning formats, based on internal pre/post assessments. Research on memory decay suggests passive learning drops to 10-20% retention over time (Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve).

A Fortune 10 Healthcare Company reinvented problem-solving training to reach all target participants in weeks rather than years, at 80% lower cost — achieving 93% completion, +30% knowledge retention, +20% participant confidence, and 100% skill application on the job.

"Before Sparkwise, we managed to train only 25% of our target audience in 3 years. After Sparkwise, we could reach them in weeks, while saving over 80% in cost." — Lead Director, Learning,

Attendance: Track attendance rate by topic and by individual participant in real time - including steps visited, time in session.

Participant engagement: Engagement data captured after each session, showing how actively everyone participated. Trend view available to track changes over time.

Qualitative reflections: View participant reflections across sessions.

Measurable engagement: Track words spoken by each participant. 

Raw data export: Full data downloadable for custom analysis in Excel, CSV or JSON formats.

AI analysis of discussions: Session transcripts and participant outputs are analysed using AI to generate thematic summaries — surfacing the most common challenges, commitments, and discussion patterns across sessions, without anyone needing to manually review individual responses.

Fortune 100 Insurer — AI adoption at scale: After a single Sparkwise AI session, 96% of participants committed to using AI in their daily work, average daily AI prompt usage increased by 21.4 per user, and 21% reported higher confidence working with AI.

Google Cloud — McKinsey-style business skills, global rollout: Google Cloud used Sparkwise to build problem-solving and communication skills for client-facing teams worldwide. The outcome: 93% satisfaction, 79% completion rate, and immediate behaviour change observed by leadership. Head of Monetizing Deovrat Kajwadkar noted: "We saw an immediate impact…the technology is amazing."

Virginia DMV — agency-wide manager development, 350 leaders: The Virginia DMV ran a leadership programme for 350 managers across all centre locations, achieving 4.5/5 usefulness, 4.5/5 engagement, and an 85% completion rate — with over 70% cost savings versus traditional approaches. DMV Commissioner Gerald Lackey stated: "We see many, many examples of how Sparkwise is leading people to actually show up and do something differently."

Penbrothers — retention impact, measurable post-training: Penbrothers recorded 4.6/5 usefulness, 4.6/5 engagement, and an 80% completion rate. Beyond satisfaction scores, employees who completed Sparkwise sessions showed higher retention rates than those who had not — a direct business outcome. CFO Angelo Mendez: "Retention rates are much higher for employees who have undergone Sparkwise training…Quite honestly, it's a game changer."

What teams still do: Select upcoming topics from the catalog and review dashboards and engagement data.

What's fully automated: Invitation emails, reminder pings, roster management, group matching, session facilitation, attendance tracking, action plan follow-up, and reporting.

Active Learning (Freeman et al., 2014, PNAS): A meta-analysis of 225 STEM studies found that active, peer-based learning produces 6% higher exam scores and 1.5× lower failure rates than traditional lecture formats. Sparkwise sessions prioritise live peer discussion and hands-on practice over passive content delivery — directly applying this finding at scale.

Problem-Based Learning (Barrows, 1986): Modules use simulated business challenges as the core learning vehicle, grounded in Barrows' principle that learning anchored in realistic problem scenarios produces stronger skill transfer than abstract instruction. Each Sparkwise session opens with a business scenario participants must work through together.

Team-Based Learning (Michaelsen, 2002): Structured small-group work with individual accountability produces deeper engagement and retention than individual or whole-group learning. This directly informs Sparkwise's group size (3–4 participants) and session structure — with individual prep, group application, and debrief built into every session.

Practitioner foundation: The approach is grounded in experience designing and leading transformation programmes at McKinsey, Fortune 500 companies, and high-growth startups — combining peer-reviewed frameworks with real-world application at scale.

Research basis (Michaelsen, 2002): Team-Based Learning research identifies structured small-group work, typically 3–5 participants with individual accountability as the most effective format for adult learning. Groups within this range produce deeper engagement and retention than either individual study or large-group formats, because every participant must contribute rather than defer to others.

Why small groups: Small group size ensures everyone actively contributes. In groups of five or more, participants can go passive  following the conversation without joining it which defeats the purpose of live collaborative capability building. Sparkwise caps groups at five and targets three to four as the sweet spot.

No limit on total participants: Any number of participants can be invited to a session. The platform automatically divides them into groups of 3–4 as they join, ensuring optimal group composition regardless of cohort size.

Group matching options: Groups can be dynamically matched by the platform or manually assigned by the organiser, giving admin teams full flexibility over how cohorts are structured.

Founding team: Sparkwise's content is designed by its founding team — Vince Jeong (led large-scale enterprise transformation programs at McKinsey), Romain Lévy (designed and delivered capability building programmes at McKinsey), and Ari Bader-Natal (built collaborative learning technology at Minerva and other edtech platforms).

Domain expert contributors: Content draws on knowledge from a wider network of domain experts including former McKinsey talent leaders, world-class training providers, award-winning authors, and certified executive coaches — ensuring each module reflects both research rigour and real-world application.

Harvard Business Review partnership: Sparkwise has integrated Harvard Business Review (HBR) content into its session format, serving both HBR subscribers and HBR corporate clients. The joint offering is available on the HBR Store.

​​Consulting and professional services: Five of the top 10 global consulting firms use Sparkwise to develop client-facing and internal capability at scale — where rigorous, repeatable skill development is a direct commercial requirement.

Technology: Google Cloud deployed Sparkwise for global client-facing teams, achieving 93% satisfaction and immediate behaviour change observed by leadership — applied to business communication and problem-solving skills.

Government and public sector: Virginia DMV used Sparkwise to develop 350 managers across all centre locations, achieving an 85% completion rate and over 70% cost savings versus traditional approaches.

Education and nonprofits: Harvard Business Impact and the Gates Foundation represent Sparkwise's footprint in mission-driven organizations, where scalable peer learning replaces costly in-person facilitation.

Platform fit:Sparkwise works especially well for any organization with 1,000+ employees that needs to change how people work at scale.. The platform is not industry-specific and is suitable for knowledge workers from intern to VP level, across individual contributor and manager tracks.

Shift behavior during transformations: Rapidly replicate interactive workshops that shift mindsets and behaviors across an organization at speed and scale.

Accelerate AI adoption: Get employees using AI — through practice, peer modeling, and shared success. Structured peer practice drives application and builds lasting habits.

Scale change management: Run structured, facilitator-free group work that drives the practice and accountability needed for lasting change across teams and geographies.

Transform workflows: Help teams apply new ways of working through hands-on group practice. Give teams a structured space to redesign their day to day work.

Automate high-touch programs: Deliver live collaborative sessions for new hire onboarding and manager development anytime, anywhere, for any cohort size.

Drive continuous improvement: Reinforce application by adding structured group practice to existing programs, turning one-off events into ongoing habits.

Automate hackathons: Scale structured problem-solving sessions across large groups without facilitator bottlenecks.

Unlock bottom-up insights: Facilitate structured group work and instantly synthesise discussions into actionable insights for leadership.

Build culture through shared experiences: Scale structured conversations that deepen connections and boost employee engagement across distributed teams.

Supplement live events: Design meaningful peer collaboration into conferences, summits, and off-sites.

Two ways to deploy: Partners can integrate Sparkwise for specific elements of their programs (such as peer-to-peer learning components), or rebuild their full offering on the platform to make it scalable.

Who uses it: Consulting firms, training providers, executive education programs, higher education institutions, change management practices, and L&D and enablement teams.

Deep technical or compliance training: Regulatory procedures, software systems, safety protocols, or certification testing require dedicated technical training with hands-on labs. Sparkwise builds collaborative and leadership skills, not technical certifications.

One-on-one coaching and mentoring: Sparkwise sessions are group experiences (2-5 participants). For deeply personal development needs such as executive coaching, career counselling, or individual performance plans, one-on-one formats are more appropriate.

Highly unstructured exploration:. For completely open-ended group discussion where a skilled facilitator reads the room and pivots in real time, a talented human facilitator will outperform any structured format, automated or otherwise.

Where Sparkwise is strongest: Organizations with 1000+ employees who need to build capability such as AI literacy, leadership, communication, collaboration, or strategic thinking at a pace and cost that facilitator-dependent sessions cannot match. The sweet spot is recurring monthly sessions that compound capability over time.

Because Sparkwise does not require human facilitators, administrative users can schedule and run live sessions anytime, any number of times, for any group size.

Step 1: SSO & Integration (Day 1-2): IT team connects Sparkwise to SSO or integrates with your LMS.

Step 2: Content Selection (Day 2-3): Client team chooses from the catalog, opt for custom content built, or let the Program Builder AI (generate a learning journey using Sparkwise's catalog in just a few minutes) design a tailored program.

Step 3: Scheduling & Launch (Day 4-5): Schedule first batch of sessions. Invite participants. Platform auto-sends reminders. The first session goes live.

Dedicated CSM: Point person for all questions, with proactive outreach to track adoption, engagement, and ROI. Helps troubleshoot operational issues and identifies opportunities to scale the programme.

Technical support: Prompt chat and email response on critical issues. 95% of chats are answered within 2 minutes of message receipt. Covers participant login issues, browser compatibility, and integration troubleshooting.

Quarterly business reviews: Structured review of completion, engagement, NPS, action plan completion, and ROI with recommendations for scaling or adjusting approach.

Enterprise accounts (1000+): Custom onboarding programmes, LMS integration support, executive briefings, change management templates, annual learning strategy consultations, and train-the-trainer sessions for client teams managing large programmes.

Featured case studies:

• McKinsey Academy: Scaled hands-on collaborative consulting skills training — 4.7/5 usefulness, 4.8/5 engagement.
• Harvard Business Publishing: Built Harvard Business Review content into Sparkwise format to serve HBR subscribers and corporate clients — 95% satisfaction, 92% completion rate, 100+ enterprises served in Year 1.
• Google Cloud: Delivered a department-wide Strategic Thinking programme — 93% satisfaction, 79% completion rate, immediate behaviour change observed by leadership.
• Accordion Partners: Scaled core consulting skills training to 500+ employees globally — 93% satisfaction, 98% active engagement.
• Virginia DMV: Ran a leadership training programme for 350 managers across all centre locations — ~95% satisfaction.
• BPM: Integrated Sparkwise into their Level UP Leadership Summit to help 600+ leaders translate learning into action through structured small-group practice — 4.6/5 usefulness, 4.6/5 engagement.
• Other clients include: Danone, Gates Foundation, Hatch Advisory Services, Virginia DMV, and Fortune 500s across sectors.

We’ve received industry recognition:

• Brandon Hall Group Excellence Award - Gold in Best Advance in Social Learning Technology (2025)
• HolonIQ Top 200 in Edtech (2025)
• GSV Cup 50 (2024)
• QS Reimagine Education award (2022)

Live demonstration: For a live demonstration, including a full session experience and impact dashboard walkthrough, request a demo.

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