Train Visual
Train Visual operates the HOW2 Platform, a SaaS-based professional development tool delivering evidence-informed teaching techniques and an AI assistant to further education colleges, higher education institutions, and now NHS trusts across the UK, US, and Canada.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBrentwood, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Train Visual does
Train Visual, operating under the brand HOW2, is a UK-based software company that operates the HOW2 Platform, a cloud-based SaaS application delivering evidence-informed professional development and continuing professional development (CPD) for educators. The platform serves primarily further education (FE) colleges, with secondary presence in higher education, schools, workplace training providers, and — most recently — NHS healthcare organisations. Customer evidence indicates deployment across 60+ institutions in the UK, US, and Canada, with named customers including Hull College, South and City College Birmingham, Wigan & Leigh College, York College, West Thames College, City College Plymouth, Middlesbrough College, Claremont Graduate University, Eastern Florida State College, Georgian College Ontario, and North West Ambulance Service.
The product combines a library of visual, step-by-step teaching technique guides (HOW2s) with an integrated generative AI Assistant (launched in expanded form in January 2026, currently in beta) that helps educators adapt evidence-based strategies to specific subjects, lesson topics, and teaching environments. Supporting tools include Sets (curated technique collections), Notes, Nudges, Skills Exchange (progress tracking from "Considering It" through "Embedded It"), and a formal accreditation framework (Blue Badge, Gold). The platform is delivered as a web application hosted on AWS (eu-west-2), accessible via standard browsers, with no mobile app. AI capabilities are text-based, processing curriculum specifications and schemes of learning uploaded by educators to generate lesson plans and teaching resources.
The company generates revenue through per-user annual subscription licenses to the HOW2 Platform, supplemented by optional professional services (bespoke on-site training, monthly support webinars, induction, and implementation planning). Customers are acquired primarily through direct enterprise field sales led by a Director of Partnerships, supported by a self-service "Book a Demo" funnel, community-led growth through the HOW2 Leads champions network, annual face-to-face events, webinars, and content marketing via case studies and a blog. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or institutional investors identified in the source material.
Train Visual firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Train Visual
- Legal name
- TeachingHOW2s Ltd
- Website
- https://teachinghow2s.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Train Visual operates the HOW2 Platform, a SaaS-based professional development tool delivering evidence-informed teaching techniques and an AI assistant to further education colleges, higher education institutions, and now NHS trusts across the UK, US, and Canada.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Train Visual industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Technology / Educator Professional Development Software
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Onboarding Program Design, Enablement & Train-the-Trainer (EDABAOAL)
Keywords
Where Train Visual is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brentwood
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Train Visual business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- User Subscription Licenses: Core revenue stream from per-user subscription fees. Organisations purchase User Subscriptions that entitle Authorised Users to access and use the HOW2 Platform. Subscription fees are defined in Subscription Forms and renewed annually with 30-day payment terms.
- Additional Professional Services: Optional additional services including bespoke onsite training days, monthly support webinars, on-site support, off-site support, induction, and implementation planning. Fees determined at time of request.
- Additional User Subscriptions: Organisations can purchase additional User Subscriptions during the Subscription Term. Additional fees payable within 30 days of invoice.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | User subscription with platform access, admin support, and feature/content updates |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Train Visual product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Train Visual (legal entity: TeachingHOW2s Ltd) operates the HOW2 Platform, a cloud-based SaaS professional development platform for educators in further education, higher education, and workplace training sectors. The platform provides a library of evidence-informed, visual step-by-step teaching technique guides, an integrated AI Assistant for contextualised lesson planning and coaching, collaborative tools (Notes, Nudges, Skills Exchange, Sets), and an accreditation framework. It enables institutions to deliver consistent, on-demand CPD across entire teaching bodies, replacing reliance on external consultants.
Product overview
Train Visual operates the HOW2 Platform, a unified SaaS-based professional development platform for educators. The core offering consists of the HOW2 Platform combining visual teaching technique guides with an integrated HOW2 AI Assistant for contextualized coaching support. The platform also includes supplementary resources through the HOW2 Learning Centre. Key tools within the platform include Sets (curated technique collections), Library, Skills Exchange, Nudge, Notes, and Reports. The product serves Further Education colleges, Higher Education institutions, schools, and workplace training organizations across the UK, US, Canada, and beyond.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- HOW2 Platform Cloud-based SaaS professional development platform for educators providing on-demand, personalised CPD via visual step-by-step guides to evidence-based teaching techniques, an integrated AI Assistant for contextualised support, collaborative learning tools (Sets, Notes, Nudges, Skills Exchange), accreditation framework, and progress tracking for individuals and organisations. Sold on a per-user subscription basis to further education colleges, higher education institutions, NHS trusts, US community colleges, and workplace training providers.
- HOW2 AI Assistant Integrated AI-powered coaching tool embedded within the HOW2 Platform that provides real-time, context-specific support for lesson planning, resource generation, teaching technique adaptation, and professional development guidance. Generates lesson plans aligned with teaching intentions, creates practical classroom resources, and processes uploaded schemes of learning or curriculum specifications to deliver tailored content. Recommends HOW2 techniques aligned to individual or organisational priorities.
- HOW2 Learning Centre
Quantifiable outcome
- 15% improvement in achievement rates over three years at South and City College Birmingham
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Train Visual
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Train Visual technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature7 records
Train Visual partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- North West Ambulance ServicecoreNew partnership bringing HOW2's practical, on-demand professional development platform to educators and trainers at North West Ambulance Service, one of the NHS's largest ambulance trusts. Supports professionals developing clinical, operational, and support staff across the organisation. First major healthcare sector partnership.
- Luke ZwalfminorLuke Zwalf engaged as Teaching and Learning Consultant to support the HOW2 team and partner institutions in driving sustained and effective use of the HOW2 Platform. Brings first-hand experience of embedding HOW2 at scale at York College supporting 450+ teachers.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Train Visual competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Arbor Education: UK education technology company providing MIS, analytics and engagement tools to schools and MATs. Comparable given UK education customer base and SaaS delivery model, though focused more on operational data than teacher CPD.
- Tapestry: UK-based online learning journal and educator platform widely used in schools and early years. Comparable as a SaaS educator workflow tool, though focused on observation/documentation rather than CPD technique development.
- Century Tech: AI-powered learning platform combining tutoring, assessment and teacher dashboards. Comparable in its AI-enabled educator workflow and school/college customer base, though more learner-facing than HOW2's teacher-development focus.
Broad incumbents
- Pearson: Global education publishing and assessment business with significant professional development and workforce training offerings. Comparable insofar as it sells educator training and CPD at scale, but as a much broader incumbent across the education value chain.
- RM plc: Long-established UK education technology provider (assessment, MIS, learning platforms) serving schools, colleges and international markets. Overlaps with HOW2 in the UK FE/schools customer base but operates as a broad portfolio incumbent rather than a specialised CPD specialist.
- McGraw Hill: Major US-headquartered education publisher and digital learning provider with professional development offerings for educators. Overlaps with HOW2 on teacher training and content licensing, particularly in the US community college market.
Direct peers
- Evidence-Based Education: UK-focused provider of evidence-informed teacher training and CPD programmes grounded in cognitive science. Highly comparable value proposition (evidence-informed teaching, CPD for educators) with overlapping customer base in UK FE and schools.
- IRIS Connect: Professional development platform for educators using video, collaboration and coaching tools to improve teaching practice. Directly competes with HOW2 on educator CPD workflow, coaching, and observation/learning-walks use cases.
- BlueSky Education: UK-based provider of professional development and teaching & learning resources specifically targeted at the further education and skills sector. Closest direct comparable given overlapping FE-skills customer base, CPD/training focus, and UK-centric GTM.
Others
- Chartered College of Teaching: UK professional body for teachers that provides CPD resources, publications and accreditation. Adjacent peer in the evidence-informed teacher CPD space and a potential ecosystem partner or substitute for accreditation pathways.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Train Visual social profiles
Digital presenceTrain Visual compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Train Visual financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Train Visual leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Train Visual funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Train Visual M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Train Visual
What does Train Visual do?
Train Visual (legal entity: TeachingHOW2s Ltd) operates the HOW2 Platform, a cloud-based SaaS professional development platform for educators in further education, higher education, and workplace training sectors. The platform provides a library of evidence-informed, visual step-by-step teaching technique guides, an integrated AI Assistant for contextualised lesson planning and coaching, collaborative tools (Notes, Nudges, Skills Exchange, Sets), and an accreditation framework. It enables institutions to deliver consistent, on-demand CPD across entire teaching bodies, replacing reliance on external consultants.
Is Train Visual a public or private company?
Train Visual is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Train Visual founded?
Train Visual was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Train Visual based?
Train Visual is headquartered in Brentwood, United States, in the North America region.
How does Train Visual make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. User Subscription Licenses are the primary driver. The others are additional Professional Services and additional User Subscriptions.
Who are Train Visual's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Arbor Education, Tapestry and Century Tech. Broad incumbents are Pearson, RM plc and McGraw Hill. Direct peers are Evidence-Based Education, IRIS Connect and BlueSky Education. Chartered College of Teaching is listed as an others.
Does Train Visual have an API?
No public API is recorded for Train Visual.
What industry is Train Visual in?
Train Visual's product category is Education Technology / Educator Professional Development Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABAOAL, Onboarding Program Design, Enablement & Train-the-Trainer. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.