What Osmosis does

Osmosis is a healthcare education platform owned and operated by Elsevier that provides visual video-based learning, practice questions, spaced-repetition flashcards, clinical decision-making tools, and personalized study schedules for healthcare students and professionals. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Kaysville, Utah (with Elsevier's parent headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands), the platform serves nine healthcare profession tracks: MD, DO, Nurse Practitioner, Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, Physician Assistant, Dental, Pharmacy, and Allied Health. Content depth includes 1,700+ basic sciences videos, 600+ clinical sciences videos, 2,700+ Step 1-style questions, 2,900+ Step 2-style questions, and parallel question banks for COMLEX, NCLEX, PANCE, INBDE, NAPLEX, UKMLA, and ABFM/ABIM exams. The platform is built on evidence-based learning science methods, including spaced repetition, active recall, the testing effect, and visual learning, organized through Osmosis's proprietary Learning Loop framework.

The platform combines a product-led growth motion targeting individual students (tiered subscription plans with 7-day free trials and annual billing across nine profession-specific SKUs) with institutional licensing for medical schools, nursing programs, and healthcare education institutions. Distribution runs through self-serve web (osmosis.org), iOS and Android mobile apps with offline capability, direct institutional sales, and integration into Elsevier's broader medical education ecosystem. A content and editorial operation is anchored by a Chief Medical Officer (Rishi Desai, MD, MPH) and a global network of more than 100 doctors, nurses, and health experts who produce and review content. In February 2026, Osmosis launched Osmosis AI, a conversational AI study companion grounded in Elsevier's trusted medical content that generates on-demand explanations, flashcards, practice questions, summaries, and mnemonics, and links responses to relevant Osmosis videos and topics.

Osmosis claims more than 8 million student users at over 10,000 schools across 200+ countries, with named institutional customers including University of Colorado, Georgetown University, Imperial College London, LSU Health New Orleans, Miller School of Medicine Miami, Penn State, and Touro University. Reported learner satisfaction metrics range from 89.3% (DO exam preparedness) to 94.8% (NP learning enjoyment), and an internal study found medical school candidates using spaced repetition were twice as likely to pass entrance exams. As a wholly owned Elsevier subsidiary, Osmosis operates as a private company without public revenue disclosure, with prior venture funding of approximately $7.65M raised between 2013 and 2021 across rounds led by Dreamit Ventures, TEDCO, SpringTide Ventures, and Felicis.

Name

Osmosis

Legal name

Osmosis

Website

https://osmosis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Osmosis, an Elsevier-owned healthcare education platform, delivers visual video learning, spaced-repetition flashcards, question banks, and an AI study companion to 8M+ medical, nursing, PA, dental, pharmacy, and allied health students across 200+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Education Software

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Medicine & Allied Health (Clinical) (EDAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Sciences & Nursing (EDAGABAF), MOOC & Open Course Platforms (EDAFAIAA)

Keywords

• Healthcare education platform
• Medical exam preparation
• Nursing study tools
• Spaced repetition learning
• Visual learning videos

Headquarters

HQ city

Kaysville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Individual Student Subscriptions: Tiered subscription plans for individual healthcare students based on their profession (MD, DO, NP, PA, RN, LPN, Dentist, Pharmacist, Health Professional). Includes 7-day free trial with annual and multi-year billing options.
2. Institutional Licensing: Site-wide licensing for medical schools, nursing programs, and healthcare education institutions with volume-based pricing for faculty and student access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

Osmosis is a healthcare education platform from Elsevier that delivers visual video-based learning, board-style practice questions, spaced repetition flashcards, study schedules, and AI-powered study assistance for medical, nursing, physician assistant, dental, pharmacy, and allied health students. The platform offers tiered individual subscriptions by profession as well as institutional licensing for medical schools, nursing programs, and healthcare training institutions worldwide.

Product overview

Osmosis is a comprehensive healthcare education platform from Elsevier providing visual video-based learning, practice questions, flashcards, and study tools across multiple delivery formats. The platform offers dedicated programs for medical students (MD, DO), nursing students (RN, NP, LPN), physician assistants (PA), dentists, pharmacists, and allied health professionals. Each program includes exam-specific preparation for USMLE, COMLEX, NCLEX, PANCE, UKMLA, ABFM/ABIM, INBDE, and NAPLEX. Core features include Osmosis AI (conversational study companion), Osmosis Quiz Builder (question bank), Osmosis Flashcards (spaced repetition), Osmosis High-Yield Notes, Osmosis Decision-Making Trees, Osmosis Medication Tables, Osmosis Study Schedule, and Osmosis Mobile App. The platform is built on evidence-based learning science methods including visual learning, spaced repetition, active recall, and the Testing Effect, organized through the Osmosis Learning Loop methodology. Served over 8 million students at 10,000+ schools worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Osmosis Platform (Core Subscription) A comprehensive healthcare education platform providing visual video-based learning, board-style practice questions, spaced repetition flashcards, high-yield notes, decision-making trees, study schedules, and exam preparation for medical, nursing, and allied health students globally. Includes 1,700+ basic sciences videos, 600+ clinical sciences videos, and thousands of board-style practice questions.
• Institutional Licensing Site-wide licensing for medical schools, nursing programs, and healthcare education institutions providing faculty and student access to the full Osmosis content library with volume-based pricing for institutional deployment.
• Osmosis AI A conversational AI study companion built into the Osmosis platform that provides trusted medical explanations on demand, generates flashcards, practice questions, summaries, and mnemonics, and links directly to relevant Osmosis videos and topics. Grounded in curated Elsevier medical content.

Quantifiable outcome

• 89.3% - 94.8% of learners report improved exam preparedness and learning efficiency
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• University of MinnesotaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Research partnership for gene therapy advancement toward Cockayne Syndrome treatment; University researchers hosting the 23rd Family and Scientific Conference alongside the Share & Care Cockayne Syndrome Network.
• Mayo ClinicminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Research partnership for gene therapy advancement toward Cockayne Syndrome treatment; Mayo Clinic researchers collaborating with University of Minnesota on rare DNA repair disorder research.
• Share & Care Cockayne Syndrome NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 February 2026Osmosis.org/Elsevier's medical education library hosts educational videos for Rare Disease Day 2026, including 'I Know a Zebra' and 'Year of the Zebra' to raise awareness of Cockayne Syndrome and related ultra-rare DNA repair disorders.
• ElseviercoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOsmosis operates as part of Elsevier's healthcare education portfolio. Elsevier provides the trusted medical content that powers Osmosis AI and all platform content. Osmosis content is integrated into Elsevier's broader medical education ecosystem.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pathoma: Pathoma is a leading pathology video and textbook resource for medical students preparing for USMLE. It overlaps with Osmosis's basic sciences and clinical sciences video content for the high-yield pathology segment of medical school curricula.
• UWorld: UWorld is the dominant subscription question bank for USMLE Step 1/2, NCLEX-RN/PN, and other healthcare licensure exams. It directly competes with Osmosis's Quiz Builder for board-style practice question share and is a primary substitute in most students' exam-prep stacks.
• AMBOSS: AMBOSS offers a medical knowledge platform combining a clinical reference library, USMLE/STEP question bank, and study tools for medical students. It competes head-to-head with Osmosis on integrated video, question, and knowledge content for medical school and board prep.
• Sketchy Medical: Sketchy uses visual storytelling and memory mnemonics to teach microbiology, pharmacology, and pathology to medical students. It directly competes with Osmosis's visual learning and spaced-repetition approach as a complementary or substitute visual study tool.
• Boards & Beyond: Boards & Beyond provides video-based USMLE Step 1 prep taught by Dr. Jason Ryan, widely adopted as a primary teaching resource. It competes directly with Osmosis's video library for medical student coursework and Step 1 prep.
• Lecturio: Lecturio offers video-based medical education, question banks, and concept pages for medical and health-professions students globally. It competes directly with Osmosis on visual learning content and international exam prep, including USMLE and UKMLA.
• Picmonic: Picmonic provides visual mnemonic-based learning for nursing, medical, and pharmacy students using spaced repetition. It competes with Osmosis's visual learning and flashcards for the same healthcare student personas across nursing, medicine, and pharmacy.

Broad incumbents

• Kaplan Test Prep: Kaplan is a large established test-prep company offering USMLE, NCLEX, and other healthcare licensing exam prep alongside broader test prep services. It overlaps with Osmosis's exam-prep offerings but as part of a much wider portfolio of standardized test prep products.

Emerging players

• TrueLearn: TrueLearn offers smart question banks for USMLE, COMLEX, PANCE, NCLEX, and other medical board exams. It competes with Osmosis's question bank product line, particularly for institutional customers and PA programs.

Others

• Elsevier ClinicalKey: ClinicalKey is Elsevier's broader clinical reference and learning platform serving medical professionals and institutions. As a sibling Elsevier product, it is an ecosystem partner but also represents potential internal competition for institutional medical education budgets that Osmosis also targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OsmosisMed
• YouTubeyoutube.com/osmosis
• Facebookfacebook.com/OsmoseIt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/osmosis-from-elsevier
• Instagraminstagram.com/osmosismed
• TikToktiktok.com/@learnbyosmosis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors18 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Osmosis