School of Life

What School of Life does

School of Life, trading through Campus London Limited (LLP registered in England and Wales), is a London-based mental wellbeing and emotional intelligence platform founded in 2008 by philosopher Alain de Botton. It serves individual consumers seeking self-knowledge, calm, and relationship guidance, alongside corporate clients purchasing workplace emotional-skills programmes. The company operates a mobile-first platform built around dedicated iOS and Android applications that deliver a curated content library of 2,000+ articles, 50+ courses (valued at £600+), 1,000+ videos, 20+ Conversation Card Sets (valued at £300), and weekly new content, supported by personalised recommendations and progress tracking tools.

The company monetises through a two-tier annual subscription (Content Membership at £49.99/yr and Community Membership at £79.99/yr), both with a 7-day free trial, supplemented by an e-commerce shop selling books and physical products at a 10% member discount, ticketed in-person and online events (including the 300-capacity annual Festival of Ideas priced £210-£360), an online psychotherapy service (individual, CBT, couples, career, and relationship therapy), and a B2B division called School of Life at Work. Distribution combines self-serve mobile and web channels with Eventbrite ticketing, direct B2B sales, and capital-light brand licensing to third-party operators in Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, and São Paulo, with payment acceptance in GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, and AUD. Marketing relies on Alain de Botton's brand equity, a 2,000+ article content-marketing engine, paid acquisition across Google and Meta, email newsletters, podcasting, and event-driven member acquisition.

The business is privately held, has 51-100 employees, discloses no funding rounds, and is closely identified with its founder, who remains the principal draw for the Community tier and the Festival of Ideas. The platform has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no named enterprise customers, and no institutional investment, positioning it as a founder-led lifestyle and education brand rather than a venture-backed technology business.

Name

School of Life

Legal name

Campus London Limited

Website

https://www.theschooloflife.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

School of Life is a London-based mental wellbeing and emotional intelligence platform founded by Alain de Botton, serving individual subscribers and corporate clients with a mobile app, 2,000+ articles, courses, videos, community events, e-commerce shop, online therapy, and B2B workplace programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Wellbeing and Emotional Intelligence Education

NAICS

Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Course Bundle Subscriptions & Learning Membership Marketplaces (EDAFAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Learning & Course Subscriptions (CRAFAIAD), E-book Subscription & Bundling Services (MPAJAMAB)

Keywords

• Emotional intelligence education
• Mental wellbeing platform
• Subscription content library
• Online psychotherapy services
• Corporate wellbeing programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Content Membership Subscription: Annual subscription providing unlimited access to the digital content library including articles, videos, courses, and conversation cards. Billed at £49.99/year for Content tier.
2. Community Membership Subscription: Premium tier including all Content benefits plus access to member events (online and in-person), exclusive gatherings, and live sessions with Alain de Botton. Billed at £79.99/year.
3. E-commerce Shop: Physical products including books, journals, card sets, and gift items sold through the online shop (shop.theschooloflife.com). Members receive 10% discount.
4. Event Tickets: Revenue from ticketed events including Festival of Ideas (tickets from £210-£360), Speed Meeting (£50), Book Clubs, Psychological Disco, and other member-exclusive gatherings.
5. At Work / B2B Services: Corporate partnerships and workplace wellness programs providing emotional skills training to employees at client businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The School of Life sells annual membership subscriptions (Content at £49.99 and Community at £79.99) granting access to a digital library of 2,000+ articles, 50+ courses, 1,000+ videos, and conversation card sets via iOS/Android apps. The company also sells physical products (books, journals, card sets) through its own e-commerce shop, operates online psychotherapy and career counselling services, hosts ticketed in-person and online events (including the annual Festival of Ideas), and provides B2B workplace wellbeing programs through its At Work division.

Product overview

The School of Life is a mental wellbeing and emotional intelligence platform offering a dual-tier membership model: Content Membership provides digital access to a library of 2,000+ articles, 50+ courses, 1,000+ videos, 20+ conversation card sets, and exclusive podcasts with Alain de Botton, accessible via a mobile app; Community Membership extends this with access to in-person and online events, community spaces, and exclusive gatherings with Alain de Botton. The company also operates an e-commerce shop selling books and physical products, provides online psychotherapy and career counselling services, and offers corporate B2B services through its At Work division. The annual Festival of Ideas is a flagship in-person event bringing together members for workshops and community connection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Content Membership Annual digital subscription providing unlimited access to the School of Life content library including articles, videos, courses, conversation card sets, exclusive podcast with Alain de Botton, personalized recommendations, and 10% shop discount. Priced at £49.99/year.
• Community Membership Premium annual subscription at £79.99/year including all Content Membership benefits plus access to online and in-person community events, free monthly live online events, four exclusive sessions per year with Alain de Botton, and member-exclusive ticketed in-person gatherings.
• Online Psychotherapy Services Range of online therapy services including individual psychotherapy, CBT, couples therapy, career counselling, and relationship therapy delivered through a network of qualified therapists.
• At Work Corporate Services B2B corporate partnerships and employee wellbeing programs applying therapeutic ideas to workplace challenges, helping individuals and teams overcome professional challenges, achieve goals, and develop emotional skills.
• Festival of Ideas Annual in-person day-long flagship festival devoted to community, friendship and meaningful connection, guided by Alain de Botton and the School of Life faculty. Capacity of 300 guests, featuring workshops, creative experiences, conversation sessions, and the Psychological Disco.
• The School of Life Shop Online retail store selling books, conversation card sets, journals, and emotional intelligence products with member-exclusive 10% discount applied at checkout.
• In-Person Events Member-exclusive ticketed in-person events including weekly conversation evenings, monthly speed meetings, creative workshops, dinners, and reflection circles. Primarily held in London.
• Live Online Events Monthly online events including book clubs, therapy workshops, and exclusive sessions with Alain de Botton (four times per year for Community Members). Included free in Community Membership.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10% discount on all shop orders for members
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Brand Licensees (Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, São Paulo)minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerThird parties to whom the School of Life brand is licensed, operating internationally in Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and São Paulo. The company shares Website Technical Data from the relevant webpages with these licensees. These are separate legal entities operating under licensed brand rights.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Mindvalley: Personal development and learning membership platform offering courses, masterclasses, and a community app. Closely comparable to The School of Life's combination of structured courses, articles/videos, membership tiers, and community-led learning.
• MasterClass: Premium video-based learning subscription with celebrity instructors and a content library model. Comparable to The School of Life's premium instructor-led content (e.g., Alain de Botton), subscription pricing, and video-led library.
• Headspace: Consumer mental wellbeing app with subscription content, courses, and an enterprise B2B channel. Directly comparable on the digital wellbeing subscription plus corporate wellbeing B2B model that overlaps with The School of Life's Content Membership and At Work.
• Calm: Premium mental wellness subscription app with content, courses, and corporate wellbeing. Comparable to The School of Life's subscription content library, mental wellbeing positioning, and At Work corporate channel.
• BetterHelp: Online therapy platform offering individual, couples, and relationship counselling through a network of licensed therapists. Directly comparable to The School of Life's online psychotherapy, CBT, couples therapy, and career counselling services.
• BetterUp: Enterprise coaching and wellbeing platform selling to HR/People teams. Comparable to The School of Life's At Work division in selling emotional skills development to corporate clients at higher ASPs than consumer subscriptions.
• Talkspace: Online therapy platform offering individual and couples therapy plus enterprise EAP services. Comparable to The School of Life's therapy vertical on individual/couples/career therapy and B2B delivery model.

Emerging players

• Insight Timer: Free meditation and wellbeing app with a large free content library and paid teacher tools. Comparable on the consumer wellbeing subscription-plus-content-library axis, though with a meditation rather than philosophy/emotional intelligence focus.
• Happify: Digital emotional wellbeing platform with courses, games, and B2B offerings. Comparable to The School of Life's course-based emotional intelligence learning and enterprise wellbeing use case, but smaller scale and narrower content focus.

Broad incumbents

• Penguin Random House: Global trade book publisher with extensive self-help, philosophy, and personal development catalogues. Comparable on the book-publishing and physical/ebook retail arm of The School of Life's e-commerce shop, though at vastly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheSchoolOfLife
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@theschooloflife
• Facebookfacebook.com/theschooloflifeglobal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business
• Instagraminstagram.com/theschooloflife
• Pinterestpinterest.com/theschooloflife

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 School of Life