Science of People

What Science of People does

Science of People is a behavioral science-based education company founded by Vanessa Van Edwards in 2012 (per the company history source; firmographics list 2008) and headquartered in Sacramento, California. The company translates peer-reviewed behavioral research into practical training on communication, body language, charisma, and interpersonal influence, serving working professionals, managers and leaders, professional coaches and trainers, and personal-development seekers. Its product portfolio is structured as a tiered learning ecosystem: free top-of-funnel content (860+ blog articles, YouTube, social media) drives leads into a self-serve "Blind Spot" assessment and a 72-question People Skills Index, which feed into paid People School tiers (Accelerator at $997, Executive at $2,495), a $9,995 People Coach Certification with $500 annual renewal, and unit-priced mini-courses ($39–$397). Three Penguin Random House books — Captivate (2017), Cues (2022), and Conversation (October 2026) — anchor the brand and have sold 1M+ copies across 18 languages and 100+ countries.

The underlying technology stack combines proprietary behavioral frameworks (D3 Lesson Loop, PEOPLE Framework, Conversation Blueprint) with the ProSocial practice app, which delivers voice role-plays and microexpression scoring, and a SHRM-accredited continuing education offering (33.5 PDCs). The business model is primarily direct-to-consumer digital education with an adjunct enterprise channel: corporate training engagements with Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Comcast, Walmart, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, the U.S. Navy and Air Force, McKinsey, and Accenture generate episodic high-margin revenue, while speaking keynotes (SXSW, MIT, Stanford) serve as both brand marketing and enterprise pipeline development. Distribution is digital-direct via the company website and skills.scienceofpeople.com subdomain, supplemented by Amazon, Audible, and major retailers for books.

The company is privately held, entirely founder-owned, and bootstrapped — no external funding rounds, parent company, M&A activity, or institutional investors are disclosed. Headcount is reported at 1–10, indicating a highly leveraged content-and-brand business where Vanessa Van Edwards' personal brand, content output, and instructional capacity are the primary scaling constraints. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Science of People

Legal name

Science of People

Website

https://scienceofpeople.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Science of People is a behavioral science-based education company that sells online courses (People School at $997–$2,495), a $9,995 professional certification, mini-courses, and bestselling books (1M+ copies, 18 languages) teaching communication and people skills to working professionals, managers, coaches, and individuals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Soft Skills Training

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Science Tutoring (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth/Environmental) (EDANAAAB), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

Keywords

• Behavioral science training
• Communication skills coaching
• Body language training
• Soft skills courses
• Professional development training

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. People School Training Programs: Online courses sold as one-time purchases or subscription. Accelerator at $997 provides self-paced 12-module curriculum with bonuses. Executive at $2,495 adds coaching, community, and SHRM credits. Both tiers include 7-day refund guarantee.
2. People Coach Certification: Professional certification program at $9,995 tuition with $500 annual renewal. Includes live coaching sessions, proprietary materials, AI tools, and community access. Targets coaches, managers, and organizational leaders.
3. Mini-Courses: On-demand video courses laser-focused on specific outcomes. Prices range from $39-$397. Includes Speak With Authority ($47), Interview to Hired, and Difficult People Decoded courses.
4. Book Sales: Three bestselling books (Captivate, Cues, Conversation) sold through Amazon, Audible, and major retailers. Books translated into 18 languages. 1M+ copies sold. Vanessa reads audiobooks herself for enhanced quality.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Science of People sells science-backed training programs, professional certifications, mini-courses, and books focused on people skills, communication, body language, and human behavior. The flagship product is People School, a 12-module program offered at two price tiers (Accelerator and Executive), alongside the People Coach Certification for professionals and a portfolio of standalone mini-courses on specific skills such as public speaking, interviewing, and managing difficult people.

Product overview

Science of People offers a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on behavioral science research for communication and people skills training. The core offerings include People School (with Accelerator at $997 and Executive at $2,495 tiers), the People Coach Certification program ($9,995), and three mini-courses (Speak With Authority, Interview to Hired, Difficult People Decoded). The company also provides ProSocial, a practice app featuring the People Skills Index assessment, and the free People Skills Blind Spot Test. The product portfolio is supported by three bestselling books—Captivate, Cues, and the upcoming Conversation (October 2026)—all authored by Vanessa Van Edwards and available in 18 languages. The company serves 5M+ students across 18 languages with content trusted by organizations including Google, Microsoft, and Harvard.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• People School: The flagship science-based people skills program developed with 10,000+ students. Offers 12-module curriculum for career-communication and social performance training at two levels: Accelerator ($997) and Executive ($2,495).
• People Coach Certification
• ProSocial

Products and services

• People School Accelerator A self-paced 12-module online curriculum covering foundational people skills from first impressions to influence. Includes a workbook, PSI profile, 51 bonuses, a Certificate of Completion, and 30-day private rehearsal room access. Targeted at self-starters seeking a science-based people-skills foundation at $997 (or 3 monthly payments).
• People School Executive The full People School curriculum plus weekly group coaching with an assigned coach, monthly office hours with Vanessa Van Edwards, five bonus mastery courses (valued at $1,083), mock interview and negotiation preparation, peer feedback from an executive cohort, and 33.5 SHRM Professional Development Credits. Priced at $2,495 with 12 months of membership access. Targeted at high achievers wanting accountability and continuing-education credits.
• People Coach Certification A professional certification program for coaches, trainers, managers, and organizational leaders. Includes the proprietary D3 Lesson Loop methodology, Science of People frameworks, live coaching sessions, AI tools, workshop kits, and licensed practitioner status. Application-based enrollment at $9,995 tuition with $500 annual renewal and a payment plan option.
• Speak With Authority A 4-lesson on-demand mini-course teaching voice science, opening techniques, and meeting strategies for speaking with authority and being heard in important moments. Priced at $47 with instant lifetime access.
• Interview to Hired A 10-lesson on-demand mini-course covering interview preparation, including opening techniques, STAR stories with numbers, and day-of rituals for landing ideal offers.
• Difficult People Decoded A 9-lesson on-demand mini-course on decoding difficult people using the Platinum Rule, Big Five personality matrix, and five scripts for managing challenging interactions.
• ProSocial A personalized practice app that pairs the People Skills Index assessment with voice role-plays, microexpression scoring, charisma calibration, a conversation starter library, and coaching tailored to individual strengths and gaps. Targets users who want practice-before-stakes role-play outside of structured courses.
• Captivate Vanessa Van Edwards' international bestseller book revealing hidden formulas used by captivating people to make powerful first impressions, read people accurately, and communicate with magnetic charisma. Sold through Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, and independent bookstores.
• Cues Vanessa Van Edwards' national bestseller book teaching how to control and leverage tiny signals including stance, facial expressions, word choice, and vocal tone to improve personal and professional relationships. Sold through major online and physical retailers.
• Conversation A practical, science-backed playbook for confident conversations and meaningful connection that introduces the Conversation Blueprint, a three-level framework (Put People at Ease, Connect Deeply, Create Meaning) for building meaningful relationships. Published by Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2x increase in career payoff for people skills over one generation (Edin et al., 2022)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience of People's People School Executive program is SHRM-accredited, offering 33.5 Professional Development Credits (PDCs) toward SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP recertification. This accreditation provides professional credibility and continuing education value for HR professionals and organizational leaders.
• Penguin Random House (Portfolio imprint)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience of People publishes books through Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Random House. 'Conversation' is scheduled for October 2026 release. This partnership provides publishing distribution, editorial support, and mainstream retail placement for all book titles.
• Harvard UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerVanessa Van Edwards serves as a Harvard University instructor, teaching the Conversation Blueprint and communication frameworks at Harvard. This relationship establishes academic credibility and serves as a reference client for enterprise sales.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dale Carnegie & Associates: Long-established training company specializing in people skills, leadership, communication, and interpersonal effectiveness for professionals and enterprises. Highly comparable to Science of People's People School and corporate training offerings.
• Mindvalley: Online personal-development education platform selling premium courses, certifications, and memberships across transformation, career, and relationships. Closely matches Science of People's product-led, course-plus-certification model.
• The School of Life: Education business focused on emotional intelligence, relationships, communication, and self-understanding via courses, books, videos, and workshops. Overlaps directly with Science of People's interpersonal-skills curriculum.
• Toastmasters International: Global organization teaching public speaking, communication, and leadership skills. Comparable audience (working professionals seeking communication skills) and curriculum overlap, though delivered via in-person clubs rather than online courses.
• Brendan Burchard / High Performance Academy: High-performance coach offering online courses, certification programs, books, and live events targeting professionals and entrepreneurs. Directly comparable in audience, product mix (courses + certification + books), and premium pricing.

Broad incumbents

• BetterUp: Enterprise coaching and leadership-development platform serving large organizations. Comparable in targeting the same manager/leader segment for soft-skills development, though delivered via 1:1 coaching rather than courses.
• MasterClass: Premium online education platform offering celebrity-instructor video courses across personal and professional development. Comparable in premium-pricing, instructor-led, and content-marketing-driven model.
• LinkedIn Learning: Enterprise-skills video library covering communication, leadership, and soft skills, sold primarily to organizations via LinkedIn. Overlaps with the People School enterprise offering though at lower price points and broader scope.
• Skillshare: Subscription-based online learning platform with course libraries covering communication, leadership, and personal development. Comparable product-led online course model for self-improvement learners.

Emerging players

• CoachHub: Enterprise digital coaching platform combining AI and human coaches for leadership and communication development. Comparable in targeting enterprise L&D buyers for communication and leadership training.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vvanedwards
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@vvanedwards
• Facebookfacebook.com/vvanedwards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/vanessavanedwards
• Instagraminstagram.com/vvanedwards
• TikToktiktok.com/@vvanedwards

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Science of People