What Learnexus does

Learnexus operates a specialized, cloud-based marketplace that connects enterprise Learning & Development (L&D) teams with a curated network of pre-vetted independent L&D professionals — including instructional designers, eLearning developers, LMS administrators, and learning consultants. The platform's core product is a two-sided marketplace where clients post projects, receive video proposals, and engage consultants through an integrated dashboard with milestone-based payments. Its AI Talent Finder applies a recommendation algorithm across 47+ structured variables (technical requirements, industry experience, project complexity, engagement preferences) to match clients with consultants in approximately 48 hours, materially compressing the 68-day average L&D hiring cycle. The platform differentiates through domain specialization (L&D only, versus generalist freelancing platforms), a top 1% talent vetting process, and video-first proposals that enable cultural-fit assessment before engagement.

The company monetizes primarily through a 27% platform service fee deducted from each payment released to practitioners, supplemented by subscription access for enterprise clients and adjacent professional services (e.g., LearnOps Academy). Enterprise pricing ranges from $40–$200+/hour for L&D talent and $5,000–$75,000+ for project-based eLearning engagements, with 85–90% of payments flowing directly to consultants. Go-to-market combines a product-led motion (free job posting, 14-day risk-free trial, 48-hour matching) with enterprise field sales (demos, scoping calls) targeting Fortune 500 L&D teams.

In June 2026, Learnexus was acquired by Toronto-based Cognota, a learning operations platform serving ~200 enterprise clients — marking Cognota's first acquisition and extending its offering from L&D planning software into execution software. The marketplace has been rebranded as Cognota Assist™ Marketplace, and Learnexus now operates as a Cognota company. At the time of acquisition, the company contributed 'a couple million dollars in revenue' and a network of ~3,000 vetted freelancers. The founder and CEO, Peter Enestrom (Yale & Columbia, ex-Microsoft), led the company through backing from Lerer Hippeau, Stage 2 Capital, and strategic founders at Warby Parker, Allbirds, Trilogy Education, Laureate Education, and GLG.

Name

Learnexus

Legal name

Learnexus Inc.

Website

https://learnexus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Learnexus operates a curated, AI-assisted marketplace connecting enterprise L&D teams with pre-vetted independent instructional designers, eLearning developers, and learning consultants, monetizing through a 27% platform fee on project-based engagements with Fortune 500 clients; it was acquired by Cognota in June 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

L&D Talent Marketplace

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning Technology & LMS/LXP Implementation (BPACANAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)

Keywords

• L&D talent marketplace
• Instructional design hiring
• ELearning development
• Freelance L&D consultants
• Learning talent platform

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Platform Service Fees (Marketplace Commission): Cognota charges 27% of the Gross Project Value as a Platform Service Fee for each payment released to a Practitioner. This is the primary revenue stream from the marketplace transaction. Credits are pre-purchased by clients and applied against project values as work is approved.
2. Subscription Services: Enterprise clients hold active subscriptions to Cognota's Subscription Services, which include access to the platform and professional services. The marketplace is available exclusively to clients with active subscriptions.
3. Professional Services: Advisory services, coaching, facilitated programs such as the LearnOps Academy, and services made available through the platform generate additional revenue alongside platform access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Learnexus operates a specialized online marketplace that connects enterprise Learning & Development (L&D) teams with pre-vetted independent L&D professionals—instructional designers, eLearning developers, LMS administrators, and training consultants. The platform uses AI-powered matching, video proposals, milestone-based project management, and a credit-based payment system to help clients find, hire, and manage freelance L&D talent in 48 hours rather than the 68+ days typical of traditional hiring.

Product overview

Learnexus operates as a specialized L&D talent marketplace, rebranded as 'Cognota Assist™ Marketplace' following its acquisition by Cognota. The platform connects enterprise clients with a curated network of pre-vetted instructional designers, eLearning developers, and learning consultants through an AI-powered matching system. The core offering consists of the marketplace platform itself, augmented by the AI Talent Finder for intelligent matching and Consultant Management Tools for project oversight. The platform also features video-first proposals to enable cultural fit assessment before hiring, and operates on a credits-based payment system with a 27% platform service fee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cognota Assist™ Marketplace (formerly Learnexus Marketplace) A cloud-based B2B marketplace platform that connects enterprise L&D clients with pre-vetted independent instructional designers, eLearning developers, LMS administrators, and learning consultants for project-based and fractional engagements. Includes project posting, video proposal review, milestone tracking, integrated payments, and a 14-day risk-free trial.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% faster hiring (from 11 weeks to under 2 weeks)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CognotacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Toronto-based Cognota acquired Learnexus in June 2026, marking Cognota's first acquisition. The deal enabled Cognota to expand beyond planning software into execution software by connecting its ~200 enterprise clients with external L&D professionals through Learnexus's marketplace. Learnexus technology, employees, and 'a couple million dollars in revenue' joined Cognota's team of ~40.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Upwork: Upwork is the largest generalist freelance marketplace with broad L&D and instructional design supply at lower price points. Learnexus explicitly positions against Upwork on quality and L&D specialization, and Upwork Enterprise represents the most significant incumbent competitive threat to the curated L&D marketplace model.
• Degreed: Degreed is an enterprise learning experience platform (LXP) that curates and tracks skill development across internal and external content sources. It overlaps with Learnexus in serving enterprise L&D leaders with skill development and capability-building use cases, though Degreed focuses on content aggregation rather than expert staffing.
• Workday Learning: Workday Learning is an enterprise LMS/LXP embedded in Workday's HCM platform, serving large enterprises for content delivery and learning management. It is not a talent marketplace but represents a broad incumbent in enterprise L&D technology that competes for the same buyer budget Learnexus targets.
• Cornerstone OnDemand: Cornerstone OnDemand is a long-standing enterprise talent and learning management platform serving large global organizations. While broader than a curated talent marketplace, it competes for the enterprise L&D budget and represents a potential partner or acquirer for specialized marketplaces like Learnexus.

Direct peers

• Hone: Hone is a live cohort-based corporate training marketplace that matches enterprises with vetted instructor-led trainers across leadership, management, and DEI topics. It directly competes for the same enterprise L&D buyer segment with a similar curated-talent and speed-of-matching value proposition.
• Toptal: Toptal operates a curated freelance talent marketplace with top-3% vetting across multiple specialties, connecting enterprises with vetted independent professionals on a project basis. Like Learnexus, it monetizes via marketplace fees and emphasizes quality, speed, and pre-vetted talent over generalist platforms like Upwork.
• Catalant: Catalant (formerly Business Talent Group) is a marketplace connecting enterprises with vetted independent consultants and subject-matter experts for project-based engagements. It shares Learnexus's positioning of curated, on-demand expert talent for enterprise buyers seeking alternatives to traditional staffing agencies.
• GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group): GLG operates the world's largest expert network marketplace connecting professionals with subject-matter experts for paid consultations and projects. While broader than L&D, GLG's vetted-expert curation model, enterprise sales motion, and marketplace fee structure are highly analogous to Learnexus's approach in the L&D vertical.
• Toptal Talent Marketplace: (Removed duplicate of Toptal entry above; included to avoid redundancy.)

Emerging players

• Maven: Maven is a cohort-based learning and live course marketplace for professional and leadership development, connecting enterprises with vetted expert instructors. It overlaps with Learnexus in the L&D training delivery layer and competes for the same enterprise L&D budget, though it focuses on cohort programs rather than bespoke project staffing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/learnexus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 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 Learnexus