What Towards Maturity does

Towards Maturity is a UK-based learning and development (L&D) benchmarking and research organization, founded in 2003 and operating as a trading name of Emerald Learning Limited within the Emerald Group since June 2017. The company's core product is the Learning Health Check, a free online benchmarking questionnaire that enables L&D professionals to compare their organization's learning strategy against peer organizations across process, practice, and performance dimensions, generating a personalized dashboard report. An enhanced paid tier, Learning Health Check Plus, offers deeper data analysis, while three advisory service lines — Strategic Intelligence, Learner Intelligence, and Art of the Possible — provide consulting engagements for enterprises seeking evidence-based learning strategy and culture transformation.

Name

Towards Maturity

Legal name

Emerald Learning Limited

Website

https://towardsmaturity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Towards Maturity is a UK-based L&D benchmarking and research organization that provides the Learning Health Check assessment tool, longitudinal research reports, and enterprise advisory services to help learning and development leaders benchmark and transform their learning strategies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Learning & Development Benchmarking and Research

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Learning benchmarking
• L&D research
• Workforce learning insights
• Learning strategy consulting
• Training impact research

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Benchmarking Services: Free Learning Health Check benchmarking for individual organizations, with premium 'Learning Health Check Plus' providing additional richer data for purchase.
2. Strategic Intelligence Services: Paid consulting services including Strategic Intelligence, Learner Intelligence, and Art of the Possible programs delivered to enterprise clients.
3. Research Reports and Content: Free and sponsored research reports available for download; some premium content requires account creation or is sponsored by partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Towards Maturity is an L&D benchmarking and research organization that runs the Learning Health Check, an online questionnaire comparing organizational learning strategies against a global peer dataset built from 7,500+ professionals and 55,000+ learners across 83 countries. It sells three advisory engagements (Strategic Intelligence, Learner Intelligence, Art of the Possible) and publishes longitudinal research reports for enterprise learning leaders seeking evidence-based strategies.

Product overview

Towards Maturity operates as a research and benchmarking organization providing a portfolio of advisory services and research publications for L&D professionals. The core offering centers on the Learning Health Check (including the enhanced Health Check Plus), which provides benchmarking capabilities that compare organizational learning strategies against peer organizations globally. This core assessment tool is supported by a suite of research publications including Annual Benchmark Reports, In-Focus Reports, and Pulse Reports that deliver longitudinal insights. Advisory services encompass Strategic Intelligence, Learner Intelligence, and Art of the Possible, which help organizations develop evidence-based strategies and optimize learning performance. The organization also maintains a Research Library and Sector Groups membership program. Together, these offerings form an integrated ecosystem enabling L&D leaders to assess maturity, benchmark performance, and access guidance for transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Learning Health Check An online benchmarking tool that enables L&D professionals to review their current learning strategy, compare their approach with top-performing organizations globally, and receive personalized insights through a participant dashboard.
• Annual Benchmark Reports Annual longitudinal research reports providing insights on effective implementation of learning innovation, based on data from thousands of L&D professionals and learners worldwide, including the Transformation Journey series.
• In-Focus Reports Detailed research reports exploring specific L&D topics such as demonstrating impact, compliance training, modern learning content, and work-based learning, providing targeted insights for learning leaders.
• Pulse Reports Data-driven reports providing recent trend analysis in the L&D landscape, offering timely insights into emerging patterns and practices for learning leaders.
• Strategic Intelligence An advisory service that helps L&D professionals develop evidence-based learning strategies using insights from benchmark data to align learning initiatives with business objectives.
• Learner Intelligence A deep-dive analysis into learner data that helps organizations optimize performance by understanding how employees learn and identifying opportunities for improvement in learning delivery.
• Art of the Possible A strategic service that helps organizations align with a shared vision for learning by exploring what is achievable and the best practices used by high-performing organizations.
• Sector Groups Membership Sector-specific membership groups that provide tailored benchmarking and insights for organizations in particular industries, enabling peer comparison within specific sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organisations who embrace learning see 24% increase in productivity and performance
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Emerald GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2017Towards Maturity joined Emerald Group in June 2017 as a trading name of Emerald Learning Limited. Emerald is a global provider of research and learning resources, strengthening Towards Maturity's position as a leading learning benchmarking organization.
• LinkedIn LearningminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmbassador partner in Towards Maturity's ecosystem, influencing and promoting the annual Health Check and research.
• Mind ToolsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmbassador partner providing insights on future trends and practices for Towards Maturity research.
• CIPDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmbassador partner collaborating on research including professionalizing L&D and the new Profession Map.
• SkillsoftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research partnership revealing the impact of leadership development technology on organisational success, published November 2018.
• LEOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmbassador partner and sponsor of the 'In-Focus: Making an Impact' report on demonstrating L&D value.
• CognicianminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital coaching company; CEO Patrick Kayton cited Towards Maturity's insights as instrumental in their decision to expand globally. Joined Ambassador Programme.
• Growth EngineeringminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLearning technology Ambassador partner influencing Towards Maturity's Health Check and research.
• KPMGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmbassador partner contributing to the Towards Maturity research ecosystem.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Degreed: Learning experience platform that produces thought-leadership research and benchmarks (e.g., 'The Power of Learning Agility') for L&D buyers. Serves the same enterprise persona with a mix of technology, content, and benchmarking, and is itself a Towards Maturity Ambassador
• Chief Learning Officer (CLO) Media: Media and research brand targeting enterprise CLOs with industry benchmarking, awards, and learning technology coverage. Similar audience and content cadence to Towards Maturity's Health Check reports

Direct peers

• Bersin by Deloitte: Provides independent L&D and HR research, benchmarking, and maturity assessment to enterprise buyers. Both run longitudinal studies on the learning function and sell advisory to L&D leaders; in 2024 the research is now offered by Workday under 'Workday Learning Insights'
• Brandon Hall Group: Long-standing research and analyst firm focused on L&D and talent management, producing research studies, surveys, and benchmarking reports alongside the HCM Excellence Awards. Highly comparable to Towards Maturity's annual benchmark and award programs
• Training Industry, Inc. Research and advisory firm covering L&D with research reports, vendor evaluations (Top 20 lists), and buyer intelligence. Comparable benchmarking and content-led model targeting L&D leaders and learning technology buyers

Regional players

• Elearning! Media Group: North America–focused research and event operator running industry benchmarking and the eLearning Awards (where Towards Maturity's case studies have won). Comparable content and award-led model targeting L&D leaders and learning technology vendors

Broad incumbents

• CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development): UK professional body for HR and L&D, producing research, the Profession Map, and standards that shape enterprise L&D practice. Already an Ambassador partner of Towards Maturity, demonstrating direct overlap in serving UK and global L&D leaders
• Association for Talent Development (ATD): The largest professional association for L&D globally, producing the annual State of the Industry report and extensive research content. Serves the same L&D buyer persona with benchmarking and research, though as a member-led association rather than a commercial benchmark vendor
• Workday Learning Insights: Workday's research/advisory arm that absorbed Bersin and now produces L&D maturity benchmarks and executive advisory for enterprise buyers. Broad incumbent with overlapping benchmarking product targeting the same enterprise L&D persona
• LinkedIn Learning / Workplace Learning Report: Publishes the annual Workplace Learning Report with longitudinal L&D survey data while operating a commercial learning platform. Direct competitor on benchmarking content and a partner (Ambassador) of Towards Maturity, creating both overlap and symbiosis

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TowardsMaturity
• Instagraminstagram.com/towards_maturity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/towards-maturity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Towards Maturity