What Sageful AI does

Sageful AI is a private company founded in 2023 by Michael Papay (CEO) and Drew Batshaw (CTO), both previously co-founders of Waggl (acquired by Perceptyx and TCV in 2021). Headquartered in Sausalito, California, the company develops and commercializes "Sagey," a conversational AI coaching platform designed to address the learning transfer gap — the discrepancy between training attendance and sustained on-the-job behavior change. Sagey operates as an always-available AI coach embedded directly within employees' existing workplace communication tools (Slack, Microsoft Teams, and SMS), delivering personalized nudges, behavior reinforcement prompts, and real-time coaching support without requiring new apps or logins.

The platform combines natural language conversational AI, a recommendation engine for personalized nudges, and automated impact reporting that captures engagement, skill adoption, and performance metrics. Sageful AI's proprietary features include flow-of-work integration across messaging platforms, AI-driven micro-coaching prompts tailored to learner role and focus area, manager collaboration tools for development conversations, and real-time executive-level ROI dashboards. The company maintains SOC 2 Type II certification, signaling enterprise-grade security and compliance controls.

Sageful AI operates a hybrid go-to-market combining direct enterprise sales (with a 'Request a Demo' CTA) and a partner-led channel through learning providers including Tyson Group, YOL, Yellow Edge, TalentSmartEQ, and PairUp. Revenue is generated via annual subscriptions sold on a quote-based, per-organization or per-seat basis, supplemented by professional services for content curation and learning-journey design. On January 30, 2026, Sageful AI was acquired by Practicing Excellence, a San Diego-based healthcare workforce development company; Sageful now operates as an enablement and innovation hub within Practicing Excellence, extending its combined capabilities to 80+ health systems and medical groups.

Name

Sageful AI

Legal name

Sageful AI, Inc.

Website

https://sageful.ai

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sageful AI develops Sagey, an AI-powered conversational coaching platform that delivers personalized, in-the-flow-of-work learning reinforcement through Slack, Teams, and SMS, serving enterprise L&D teams and learning providers. Acquired by Practicing Excellence in January 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI Coaching Software for Corporate Learning

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

AI Tutoring Systems (Conversational Tutors, Homework Helpers) (EDAFAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Generative AI & LLM Solutions Services (RAG, Agents, Copilots) (BPAEAHAG)

Keywords

• AI coaching platform
• Learning transfer software
• Conversational AI coaching
• Workplace learning reinforcement
• Behavior change software

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. AI Coaching Platform Subscription: SaaS subscription access to Sagey platform, sold to organizations and through channel partners. Includes impact reporting and flow-of-work integrations. Licensed on a per-organization or per-user seat basis.
2. Professional Services: Implementation, content curation, and structured learning journey design. Sageful reviews and structures client materials for optimal AI coaching format and aligns touchpoints with desired business outcomes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sageful AI sells Sagey, an AI-powered conversational coaching platform that sits inside Slack, Microsoft Teams, and SMS to deliver personalized learning reinforcement, behavioral nudges, and automated impact reporting. It targets enterprise L&D teams and learning providers who need to turn one-time training events into sustained, measurable behavior change. The platform integrates with clients' existing content rather than replacing their LMS, scaling personalized coaching without proportional cost increases.

Product overview

Sageful AI offers a single unified product: Sagey, an AI-powered coaching platform designed to transform corporate training and change initiatives into measurable business results. Sagey acts as an always-available digital coach that reinforces learning after formal training ends, using conversational AI to provide personalized coaching, proactive nudges, and behavioral support directly within employees' existing workplace communication tools (Slack, Teams, SMS). The platform automatically captures and documents outcomes through impact reporting, enabling organizations to prove ROI and behavior change without manual data gathering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sagey: AI-powered conversational coaching platform designed to reinforce learning and change efforts in the flow of work. Integrates with Slack, Teams, and SMS to provide personalized coaching, nudges, and impact reporting.

Products and services

• Sagey AI-powered conversational coaching platform that delivers personalized learning reinforcement, behavioral nudges, and automated impact reporting through Slack, Microsoft Teams, and SMS for enterprise L&D teams, training companies, and healthcare organizations seeking sustained behavior change and measurable ROI from their training programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Only 12%–15% of training participants take meaningful action post-workshop without reinforcement — Sagey addresses this gap
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Virtua HealthminorOthers · 10 February 2026Virtua Health participated as a proof-of-concept partner in the My PE Coach pilot, validating AI-driven coaching embedded in clinical workflows prior to the acquisition of Sageful AI by Practicing Excellence.
• Ballad HealthminorOthers · 10 February 2026Ballad Health participated as a proof-of-concept partner in the My PE Coach pilot, validating AI-driven coaching embedded in clinical workflows prior to the acquisition of Sageful AI by Practicing Excellence.
• Practicing ExcellenceflagshipOthers · 30 January 2026Practicing Excellence, a San Diego-based healthcare workforce development company, completed the acquisition of Sageful AI on January 30, 2026. Sageful operates as an enablement and innovation hub within Practicing Excellence, maintaining its current client base and headcount. The combined entity serves PE's roster of 80+ health systems and medical groups with enhanced personalized training tools that address workforce development challenges during daily operations.
• TalentSmartEQcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2025Partnership announced May 1, 2025 to power TalentSmartEQ's AI-powered emotional intelligence coach, Sagey. The integration combines TalentSmartEQ's 20 years of EQ research with Sageful AI's coaching technology, delivering always-available personalized EQ support, proactive nudges, and measurable impact reports to TalentSmartEQ's clients (which include more than 75% of the Fortune 500).
• YOLflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 June 2024Partnership announced June 4, 2024 to transform YOL's corporate learning and wellbeing programs into personalized learning journeys. Sagey AI coaching is integrated into YOL's leadership and wellbeing offerings to reinforce learning, support behavior change, and deliver measurable outcomes. YOL serves enterprise customers including Amazon, Google, and Sephora.
• Yellow EdgecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 May 2024Strategic partnership with Yellow Edge (co-founded by Andrew Simon) for leadership development program integration. Andrew Simon, Co-CEO and Founding Director of Yellow Edge, noted that Sagey ensures accessible coaching for underserved employees supporting individual development at every level of an organization. Andrew Simon serves as an advisor to Sageful AI.
• Tyson GroupflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 May 2024Strategic partnership announced May 15, 2024 to integrate Sagey with Tyson Group's sales training content. The AI tool uses content from Lance Tyson's bestselling book 'Selling is an Away Game' to create a personalized development coach. The program includes virtual kickoff sessions, in-person training, and continuous application coaching through Sagey, with detailed reporting on metrics including learner engagement, skills enhancement, and business outcomes (closing ratios, sales-cycle time, deal sizes).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Second Nature: Second Nature provides AI-driven sales coaching and role-play simulations for enterprise sales teams. Closely comparable to Sageful's partnership with Tyson Group, where Sagey delivers AI coaching layered onto Lance Tyson's 'Selling is an Away Game' sales content; both firms combine conversational AI with content-specific sales training.
• Valence: Valence is an AI-powered coaching platform for teams and managers, delivered in the flow of work via Slack and Teams. Directly comparable to Sagey's conversational AI coach embedded in collaboration tools for workplace learning reinforcement.
• Plus (people.ai coaching): Plus delivers AI-driven sales and manager coaching using conversation intelligence. Comparable to Sageful in using generative AI for personalized, behavior-change-focused coaching at scale within enterprises, with a similar outcome-measurement orientation.
• Sana Labs: Sana is an AI-native enterprise learning platform combining a knowledge assistant with authoring and personalization. Comparable to Sageful as a peer-stage AI learning platform for corporate L&D with enterprise sales motion and similar workflow integrations.

Broad incumbents

• BetterUp: BetterUp is the largest dedicated enterprise coaching platform combining human coaches with AI-driven personalization. Operates in the same corporate coaching/learning-transformation category as Sageful but at much larger scale and with a human-coach-first model.
• CoachHub: CoachHub is a global digital coaching platform for enterprises, offering 1:1 and group coaching augmented by AI tools. Overlaps with Sageful's mission of scaling coaching impact but anchored in human coaching rather than AI-native delivery.
• Degreed: Degreed is an established enterprise learning and skill-development platform with AI-powered content discovery and learning experience. Adjacent incumbent in L&D that increasingly layers in AI coaching capabilities overlapping with Sagey.
• Docebo: Docebo is a publicly-listed enterprise LMS/L&D platform with AI-driven personalization, content authoring, and coaching features. Broad incumbent competitor for corporate L&D budget that increasingly overlaps with Sageful's AI-coaching value proposition.

Emerging players

• Arist: Arist delivers text-message based microlearning and AI-assisted learning nudges to frontline workers, sharing Sageful's flow-of-work (SMS/Slack) delivery and frontline workforce orientation. Comparable channel and use-case pattern at similar early-stage scale.
• 7taps: 7taps is a lightweight microlearning and training delivery platform focused on rapid course creation and mobile-first engagement. Adjacent emerging player for training reinforcement with overlapping L&D buyer profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Sageful AI