Alchemy buys Ease Learning, adds leadership after Achieve Partners investment

What's the deal? AlchemyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a unit of Nectar, has acquired Ease LearningDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and taken a strategic investment from Achieve PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. It is positioning itself as a tech-enabled, product-led provider of career-connected learning and internship services for higher education.

What's the endgame? The deal pairs Alchemy's learning design and technology with Ease Learning's internship placement services. Its Curie platform helps organisations and higher education institutions design and deliver standards-compliant, career-connected learning.

The new leadership: Matt Gurney, previously chief product and strategy officer, has been named chief executive officer to drive an AI-driven approach to learning and internship placement. Lois Harrison, who led Ease Learning, joins as chief operating officer, and Brad Gibbs becomes senior vice president of growth and marketing, overseeing national expansion.

Who else joined? Alchemy added Achieve Partners founder and managing director Ryan Craig and higher education author Jeff Selingo to its board. The company brings more than 30 years of experience in digital learning.

Why now? Chief executive officer Gurney tied the timing to labour shortages. "The gap in trained workers across fields like semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and healthcare has never been more acute," he said.

The signal: Alchemy is betting that colleges want instruction tied directly to workforce outcomes, not just content delivery. By combining a learning platform with internship placement, it aims to close what Gurney called "the distance between instruction and real work."

Read more: Pulse2

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