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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, Financial Times, Gates Foundation, Virginia DMV, Fortune 500 companies in virtually every sector.

The L&D dilemma: Organizations face a persistent dilemma: quality vs. scale. Well-facilitated live workshops deliver quality but can only reach dozens at a time. E-learning reaches everyone but fails to engage and change behavior. Most L&D teams oscillate between these two unsatisfying options.

Sparkwise's approach: Allow the group to effortlessly self-facilitate with intuitive technology and innovative learning 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 L&D staff 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.

On-demand libraries: LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and Udemy are self-directed skill building and reference learning content libraries, but they're fundamentally solo experiences with no peer interaction and no live practice. Industry completion rates for on-demand libraries typically fall between 5-15% (Source: ATD Industry Benchmarks), partly because they're designed for browsing and reference rather than structured programs. 

Sparkwise: Sparkwise sessions are live and video-based (or in-person) with 2-5 participants in each small group. Thousands of learners can practice at the same time. Rich learning happens through real-time collaboration (hands-on exercises, problem solving, discussion), plus individual exercises and reflection. The platform fully guides the group’s experience, which is closer to a facilitated breakout than to e-learning libraries.

The key distinction: On-demand platforms scale content delivery. Sparkwise scales live, small group practice without live facilitators. These serve different learning needs, and many organizations use both.

Flexible ($49/credit + buy 100 credits, get 20 free): Best for teams exploring Sparkwise or running one-off deployments. Includes full catalog access, credit assignment to any user, and program design support. Credit usage: 1 credit = 1 off-the-shelf session for 1 user. 

Standard ($119/user/year, billed annually, volume discounts): Best for organizations rolling out Sparkwise at scale (20-50% savings vs. Flexible). Includes 3 credits per user per year, with option to buy additional credits at a discount. Includes program design and setup support.

All plans include: post-session summaries & reminders, coaching tips for managers, impact reporting for admins, and a quarterly check-in with a Success Manager.

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

Detailed pricing calculator at sparkwise.co/pricing - contact us for more details and enterprise pricing.

Direct session savings: At $10-49 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 L&D teams.

On-demand libraries (LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, Udemy Business): $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 training (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: $10-49 per session, live and collaborative, no facilitator required. The closest apples-to-apples comparison is traditional live facilitated training, where Sparkwise is 70-80% cheaper. Best for consistent group experiences at a scale that facilitator-dependent models cannot economically and logistically support.

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. L&D teams 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, GenAI literacy, and AI governance — for teams building practical AI fluency.

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

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

Leadership: Managing change, 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 learning arcs over weeks or months.

Quality bar: All catalog modules meet a 95% 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: Flexible Plan pilot · Phase 2: Standard/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 (Flexible Plan): Start small with a specific use case or target population — new managers, a single department, or a key transformation initiative. The Flexible Plan works on pay-as-you-go credits not tied to specific users, with no long-term commitment. 

Most organizations spend $5-25K on a pilot. By the end, L&D 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% learning 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 training 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. L&D 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, L&D leaders and executives receive actual satisfaction scores and engagement data 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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Active engagement (92%): Participants are actively engaged throughout their session (as measured by word spoken by each participant and the group as a whole). This compares to typical virtual formats where passive attendance is the norm (power-clicking through solo modules, multi-tasking off-video during virtual instructor-led sessions).

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.

Learning retention (30%): Participants show 30% higher learning 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 learners in weeks rather than years, at 80% lower cost — achieving 93% completion, +30% learning retention, +20% learner 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,

Satisfaction (95%): Participants are highly satisfied with their Sparkwise sessions.

“What really stood out was how long the learning stuck. Even months later, our team kept referencing it." — Dr. Annie Ferrell Director of Design, Next Education Workforce

"Sparkwise automates away the manual effort of expensive in-person workshops but is much more engaging than the online modules you click through." — Ian Goldstein, CEO, Soar Autism Center

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

Participant satisfaction: Satisfaction score captured after each session, showing how engaging and useful participants found it. 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.

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 Monetising 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 training 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 L&D still does: Spends time selecting upcoming topics from the catalog and reviewing dashboards and engagement data. No reminder emails, no attendance chasing, no transcript compilation, no manual reporting.

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 L&D 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 learning. 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 L&D teams full flexibility over how cohorts are structured.

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

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 needing collaborative learning 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.

Automate high-touch training: Deliver live collaborative training for new hire onboarding and manager development anytime, anywhere, for any cohort size, without needing more facilitators.

Accelerate enterprise transformations: Rapidly replicate interactive workshops that shift mindsets and behaviours across an organization at speed and scale.

Drive learning activation and retention: Reinforce mastery and application by adding structured group practice to existing learning programmes, turning one-off events into ongoing development habits.

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

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

Supplement live events: Design meaningful peer collaboration into conferences, learning days, and off-sites, extending the impact beyond the event itself.

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

Who uses it: Training providers, executive education programmes, consulting firms, 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: Sparkwise sessions follow designed learning arcs. 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 AI literacy, leadership, communication, collaboration, strategic thinking, or problem-solving skills at a pace and cost that facilitator-dependent training 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): L&D 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 L&D 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: Financial Times, Gates Foundation, Hatch Advisory Services, Booking.com, and Fortune 500s across virtually every sector.

Participant feedback: 95% of participants rate their session positively.

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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