One to Watch series: online learning management system LearnUpon (video)

8 Oct 2012

Brendan Noud, CEO, LearnUpon

LearnUpon, a new online learning platform for training companies, is our One to Watch this week. The company is aiming to offer a better alternative for training companies to manage their online learning and training courses.

LearnUpon, a cloud-based platform, was founded in early 2011 and now has five team members – three developers and two employees who work on the business side of the start-up.

According to CEO Brendan Noud, LearnUpon came about after its founders – e-learning professionals – spotted a niche in the online learning market that wasn’t being serviced by existing platforms for training companies.

“Between us we have 20 years’ industry experience in the e-learning space, so we are aware of the failings of traditional learning management systems and were keen to address these problems when it came to designing and building LearnUpon,” he explains.

“Our focus is on providing an easy-to-use platform that’s quick to set up and which allows training companies to sell, deliver and track online courses to their clients,” says Noud. “They can also build online exams and award certificates to learners once they complete courses.”

Because LearnUpon is a cloud-based platform, Noud says companies can be delivering online training courses to their clients within a day of signing up.

To date, LearnUpon has been funded by its founders, while it also got some microseed investment from the NDRC when it took part in its LaunchPad programme. As well as this, the company was recently awarded funding under Enterprise Ireland’s Competitive Start Fund.

As for the company’s growth plans, Noud says LearnUpon has signed up customers in Ireland, the UK and the US.

“We are hoping to continue to grow our presence internationally over the coming year. Longer term, our aim is to become the leading learning management system for training companies globally.”

Check out our video interview with Brendan Noud here:

LearnUpon is supported by Enterprise Ireland, the Irish Government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. Its High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) team provides support and advice to entrepreneurs and early stage companies that are considered by Enterprise Ireland to have an innovative product, service or technology, and have the potential to achieve exports sales and create employment. Further information here.

The One to Watch series is made possible through the support of NDRC, HBAN and Enterprise Ireland

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com