How To Academy
How To Academy is a London-based event and ideas platform founded in 2013 that hosts live talks, debates, and tours featuring world-leading thinkers across UK and USA venues, paired with a subscription service (How To +) offering livestream access and an on-demand video library of 450+ talks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What How To Academy does
How To Academy is a London-based event and ideas platform founded in 2013 that hosts live talks, debates, masterclasses, and multi-venue tours featuring Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and other prominent scientists, artists, and political figures. The company operates as a hybrid live/livestream business, staging in-person events across 40+ UK venues (Royal Geographical Society, Cadogan Hall, Barbican, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Edinburgh Usher Hall) and in the USA, with simultaneous global livestream access. Its core product portfolio comprises the How To + subscription service (monthly/quarterly/annual tiers starting at £19.50 + VAT/month), individual livestream and live event tickets, the Parallax Debates series, podcasts (17 seasons), masterclasses in professional skills, and gift cards and subscription gifts, with book sales handled through partner Primrose Hill Books.
The technical architecture is deliberately commodity: Zoom-based livestream delivery (browser-accessible, no software download), Memberful for subscription management, Eventbrite for ticketing and event reminders, Stripe for payments, and Tixtrack/Artist-Tix for ticketing reconciliation. The platform's principal technology differentiator is the accumulated on-demand library of 1k+ recorded talks and 200+ livestream replays, which is monetized through subscription entitlements rather than as a stand-alone product. There is no proprietary AI, recommendation, or content-discovery layer.
The business model is a mix of recurring subscription revenue (How To +), transactional ticket sales for live events (typically £25-£65 per ticket, with a £15 subscriber discount), livestream-only tickets, gift cards and subscriptions, and corporate/workshop engagements. The go-to-market combines organic content marketing (newsletter, social, podcast), event-based marketing, and venue partnerships, with a leadership team of 13 employees including a Chairman, Managing Director, Creative Director, Head of Production, Events Producer, and International Events Programmer. The company is privately held, has no disclosed investors or funding rounds, and is independently operated from its Northburgh House headquarters in London.
How To Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- How To Academy
- Legal name
- How To Academy
- Website
- https://howtoacademy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- How To Academy is a London-based event and ideas platform founded in 2013 that hosts live talks, debates, and tours featuring world-leading thinkers across UK and USA venues, paired with a subscription service (How To +) offering livestream access and an on-demand video library of 450+ talks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
How To Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Events and Intellectual Content Platform
- NAICS
- All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Virtual Training, Workshops & Masterclasses (Interactive Sessions) (MPAGAOAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Lecture Capture, Live Streaming & Class Recording (EDAFABAD), Higher Education Lecture Capture & Course Media (EDAGALAB)
Keywords
Where How To Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
How To Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Revenue (How To +): Monthly, quarterly and annual subscription tiers providing on-demand video access, free livestream registration, and discounts to live events. Recurring revenue model with auto-renewal.
- Live Event Tickets: Ticket sales for in-person events at venues across UK and USA. Ticket prices vary by event and venue band. Includes speaker events, debates, and performances.
- Livestream Tickets: Individual livestream event tickets purchased via Eventbrite for those without subscriptions. Includes access to real-time stream and replay.
- Gift Cards: Monetary gift cards in £30, £60, £100, £200 denominations redeemable against any products. No expiry date.
- Gift Subscriptions: Pre-paid subscription packages available as gifts in 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month terms (physical or digital delivery).
- Book Sales: Books associated with events sold via partner Primrose Hill Books, with subscriber discounts. Pre-order for event collection.
- Masterclasses: Interactive professional skills masterclasses (leadership, public-speaking, decision-making, resilience) offered live and online at discounted rates for subscribers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Subscription - Best Value |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Quarterly Subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | 1-Year Gift Subscription (Physical) |
| Subscription | Annual | 1-Year Gift Subscription (Digital) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 6-Month Gift Subscription |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 3-Month Gift Subscription |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Cards |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Frank Miller Live Event Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Michael Portillo Live Tour Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Harry Enfield Live Tour Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Natalie Haynes Live Event Tickets |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
How To Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
How To Academy is a live events and ideas platform that produces and hosts in-person talks, debates, conferences and masterclasses featuring Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners and other world-leading thinkers across venues in the UK and USA. It distributes the same content globally via Zoom livestreams and offers an on-demand video library of 450+ talks under the How To + subscription service, which also provides discounts on live events and masterclasses.
Product overview
How To Academy is an event-based learning and ideas platform offering a portfolio of products centered around live events, educational content, and subscriptions. The core offering is the How To + subscription service, which provides free access to livestream events and an on-demand video library of 450+ talks. The company also produces in-person on-stage events across the UK and USA, interactive masterclasses in professional skills, the Parallax Debates series, podcasts, and published books and films. Physical and digital gift cards and subscription gift packages complement the product range as add-on purchase options.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- How To + Subscription Premium subscription service available on monthly (£19.50 + VAT/month with £9.99 first-month promo), quarterly (£15 + VAT/month), and annual (£14.60 + VAT/month, £175.20/year) tiers. Provides free access to all livestream events, on-demand video library of 450+ talks and 200+ livestream replays, £15 discounts on live event tickets, exclusive book discounts, masterclass discounts, and a fortnightly subscriber bulletin with guest announcements. Targeted at individual lifelong learners and corporate team subscribers.
- Live On-Stage Events In-person talks, debates, conferences, and stage shows featuring Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, politicians, scientists, and other world-leading thinkers. Held across 40+ UK venues including Royal Geographical Society, Cadogan Hall, Barbican, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Edinburgh Usher Hall, and USA venues. Tickets sold individually by venue with subscriber discounts.
- Livestream Events Live online broadcasts of talks, conversations, and discussions streamed globally via Zoom. Links delivered via Eventbrite 2 days and 2 hours before each event. Replays available 48 hours after events with no expiry (excluding FANE co-productions and masterclasses). Individual livestream tickets sold via Eventbrite for non-subscribers.
- Video Library On-demand archive of 450+ past livestream talks, conversations, and debates, plus 200+ livestream replays, available to How To + subscribers for unlimited viewing. Single tickets for individual replays are not currently offered.
- Masterclasses Interactive live and online sessions taught by experts in essential twenty-first century professional skills including leadership, public-speaking, decision-making, and resilience. Offered at discounted rates for How To + subscribers. No replay is provided for masterclasses to protect on-screen privacy.
- Podcasts Podcast series featuring backstage interviews with thinkers shaping the 21st century, spanning topics from politics to science to culture. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and SoundCloud. The series has run for 17+ seasons with ongoing episodes.
- Parallax Debates Debate series bringing together leading minds to discuss big questions of the day in a format designed to revive true democratic debate. Created by the team behind Intelligence Squared, combining intellectual and theatrical quality.
- Gift Cards Monetary gift cards redeemable against any How To Academy products including livestreams, live events, and masterclasses. Available in £30, £60, £100, and £200 denominations as physical or digital cards with no expiry date.
- Subscription Gift Packages Pre-paid subscription gifts available in 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month packages providing the recipient access to livestream events, video library, and discounts to live events and masterclasses. Available in physical or digital format, with physical products shipped in recyclable paper packaging.
- Books and Films Books associated with events, sold via partner Primrose Hill Books with subscriber discounts and pre-order for event collection. Books ship to UK addresses only. Films are produced to share insight and innovation around the world.
- Corporate Keynotes, Workshops, and Team Subscriptions Bespoke corporate keynotes, workshops, and team subscriptions for businesses seeking transformative strategies, future insights, and staff inspiration with internationally-acclaimed economists, psychologists, politicians, and thought leaders. Bulk team subscriptions provide staff and clients access to thought leadership content for professional development.
Quantifiable outcome
- Access to 1k+ on-demand videos and 200+ livestream archive
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use How To Academy
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
How To Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature3 records
How To Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FANE ProductionscoreCo-production partner for live events and tours. Some events staged in collaboration with FANE have time-limited replays and different reminder timing. FANE is the production partner behind Michael Portillo and Harry Enfield national tours.
- 5x15minorCo-production partner referenced for some events. Masterclasses and co-productions with 5x15 may have different reminder timings than standard events.
- Penguin LiveminorCo-production partner referenced for some events. Events produced in partnership with Penguin Live may have different reminder timing for livestream access.
- Primrose Hill BookscoreOfficial book partner for How To Academy events. Supplies books for pre-order and collection at events. Exclusive book discounts available to subscribers at checkout.
- ATG Entertainment / ATG TicketscorePrimary ticketing partner for live events at ATG venues across the UK including New Theatre Oxford, Victoria Hall Stoke, Milton Keynes Theatre, and others.
- Royal Geographical SocietycoreLondon venue host for flagship events including Frank Miller Storyteller. One of the key London venues for high-profile in-person events.
- St George's BristolcoreBristol venue partner for Natalie Haynes The Myth of Medea live event.
- Emmanuel Centre LondoncoreLondon venue partner for Natalie Haynes The Myth of Medea live event.
- Cadogan HallcoreLondon concert hall venue for Michael Portillo live event. Known for accessible booking via How To Academy directly.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
How To Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MasterClass: Premium subscription platform featuring world-class experts producing structured video lessons. MasterClass is comparable on the recurring-subscription-plus-premium-content-library model, though its content is pre-recorded rather than live-event-led.
- The School of Life: London-based intellectual and personal-development platform offering talks, courses, books, and videos. Comparable in audience (lifelong learners), content style (intellectual/psychological themes), and product mix (live events + subscription + books).
- Intelligence Squared: Closest direct peer: a UK/US debate and ideas platform running live Oxford-style debates. How To Academy's Parallax Debates were created by the team behind Intelligence Squared, and both target intellectual audiences with premium speakers and ticketed live events plus digital extensions.
- 5x15: UK live-talks series featuring authors, artists, and thinkers in short-format events. 5x15 is also a documented co-production partner of How To Academy, and both compete and collaborate in the same intellectual-events category in London.
- FANE Productions: UK live-events producer specializing in author and personality tours (including Michael Portillo and Harry Enfield tours that How To Academy also lists). FANE is both a co-production partner and a competitor for the same speaker-led touring economics.
- Hay Festival: Major global literary and ideas festival featuring ticketed live talks by leading authors and thinkers. Hay Festival is comparable on premium intellectual-event programming and speaker-led ticket economics, with significantly larger scale and multi-city footprint.
- Penguin Live: Publisher-run live events featuring authors, often combined with book sales. Penguin Live is a co-production partner of How To Academy and directly comparable as a ticketed, speaker-driven live-talks platform with associated book commerce.
Broad incumbents
- TED: Global incumbent in the ideas-and-talks category, hosting live events and distributing talks online. TED is the scale benchmark for the live-talks-plus-content-library model that How To Academy operates in, though TED is much larger and globally distributed.
Regional players
- Sydney Writers' Festival: Australia's flagship literary and ideas festival with ticketed live talks by authors and thinkers. Comparable format and audience, but operates primarily in the Australian market rather than competing directly with How To Academy's UK/US footprint.
Others
- How to Live a Good Life (NY Times / various authors): Eventbrite is a relevant infrastructure peer as the underlying ticketing and reminder platform How To Academy depends on for livestream sales. While not a direct competitor, Eventbrite's strategy and fees directly shape How To Academy's unit economics and distribution.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
How To Academy social profiles
Digital presenceHow To Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
How To Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
How To Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
How To Academy 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 How To Academy
What does How To Academy do?
How To Academy is a live events and ideas platform that produces and hosts in-person talks, debates, conferences and masterclasses featuring Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners and other world-leading thinkers across venues in the UK and USA. It distributes the same content globally via Zoom livestreams and offers an on-demand video library of 450+ talks under the How To + subscription service, which also provides discounts on live events and masterclasses.
Is How To Academy a public or private company?
How To Academy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was How To Academy founded?
How To Academy was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is How To Academy based?
How To Academy is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does How To Academy make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Subscription Revenue (How To +) is the primary driver. The others are live Event Tickets, livestream Tickets, gift Cards, gift Subscriptions, book Sales and masterclasses.
Who are How To Academy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MasterClass, The School of Life, Intelligence Squared, 5x15, FANE Productions, Hay Festival and Penguin Live. TED is listed as a broad incumbent. Sydney Writers' Festival is listed as a regional player. How to Live a Good Life (NY Times / various authors) is listed as an others.
Does How To Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for How To Academy.
What industry is How To Academy in?
How To Academy's product category is Live Events and Intellectual Content Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAOAJ, Virtual Training, Workshops & Masterclasses (Interactive Sessions), with a secondary code of EDAFABAD, Lecture Capture, Live Streaming & Class Recording. Its NAICS code is 61169 and its SIC code is 8200.