Manchester’s Gaia Learning secures £550k venture capital funding

A North West-based online learning provider for neuro-divergent children has announced its biggest venture capital funding round to date. Gaia Learning received the £550,000 investment from Nesta Impact Investments, which led the round, and GC Angels.

As a global leader in neuro-divergent education, working with children across the UK, Manchester's Gaia offers live classes, content and courses for children aged eight to 16, who have been diagnosed with ADHD, autism and other learning challenges. The programmes deliver much-needed support that traditional schools cannot always provide.

Gaia Learning has seen great success since 2019, going from being a small, specialist tuition business to an award-winning Cambridge Registered International School Online. The company was the first online learning provider to be awarded the ADHD Friendly School award from the ADHD Foundation in 2023.

Kate Longworth, chief executive of Gaia Learning, said: “We’re so pleased to have our new investment partners on board and them acknowledging the potential in all we do at Gaia Learning to help school partners, learners and their families. We have tripled our learners this academic year, grown our team to 12 staff members and seen huge demand from children who are struggling in mainstream education.

“Now, more than ever, schools need flexible, digital solutions that can scale within budget supporting each neuro-divergent child’s needs.”

Nesta is an early-stage investo