What PEARLTECH UK LIMITED does

Pearltech UK Limited, trading as Pearl, is a Bournemouth-headquartered (Company No. 09833975) EdTech SaaS provider serving UK Further Education colleges, Independent Training Providers, Higher Education providers, QAA-recognised Access Validating Agencies, and awarding bodies. The company operates an integrated platform of six products: two learning management systems (Atom for Ofqual-regulated ASF, AEB and RQF delivery, and Pearl Access to HE for QAA-mapped Access to HE delivery), SAM for AI-assisted marking, an AI & Plagiarism Checker that flags AI-generated and plagiarised submissions at point of upload, a Content Library of 900+ qualification courses mapped to UK awarding-body standards, and Learner Find, a pay-per-enrolment learner recruitment engine. The platform is purpose-built for UK FE regulatory requirements (Ofsted, Ofqual, DfE, QAA, ESFA) and hosted on UK Cyber Essentials infrastructure with WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility compliance; SAM offers API connectivity to third-party LMSs. As of AY 2024-25, 4.4M cumulative learners have been taught through Pearl platforms, 14 QAA-recognised AVAs use Pearl A2HE, and 23+ FE colleges and ITPs are visible customers including Shrewsbury College, Runshaw College, Leeds City College, Hull College, City of Liverpool College and others.

Pearl monetises through four revenue streams: subscription-based access to Atom and Pearl A2HE LMS platforms (institutional, quote-based), SAM AI marking subscriptions available standalone or bundled, Content Library licensing on SCORM/xAPI-compatible terms, and Learner Find on a transaction-based pay-per-enrolment model with no retainer or minimum spend. Distribution is primarily direct enterprise sales to UK institutional buyers, augmented by self-serve product demonstration subdomains (sam.e-pearl.co.uk, atom.e-pearl.co.uk, a2he.e-pearl.co.uk, checker.e-pearl.co.uk, library.e-pearl.co.uk, find.e-pearl.co.uk) that support a product-led growth motion and bottom-of-funnel conversion via an interactive ROI calculator. The company has issued three sector insight whitepapers (Rethinking Access, December 2025; The Adult Skills Squeeze, January 2026; The Modular Readiness Gap, June 2026) targeting policy-driven demand ahead of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement module rollout scheduled for January 2027. Pearl maintains mutual content/compatibility relationships with Pearson, City & Guilds, NCFE, Active IQ and QAA. Ownership is private with no disclosed investors, funding rounds, or executive team composition in the available data.

Name

PEARLTECH UK LIMITED

Legal name

Pearltech UK Ltd

Website

https://epearl.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pearltech UK Limited operates Pearl, an integrated UK EdTech platform combining two regulated LMS systems (Atom and Pearl Access to HE), AI marking (SAM), plagiarism detection, a 900+ course content library, and a learner recruitment engine for FE colleges, ITPs, HE providers and AVAs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Technology — Learning Management Systems

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Standards, Packaging & Interoperability Tools (SCORM/xAPI/cmi5/LTI) (EDAFAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Certification & Exam Prep Course Marketplaces (EDAFAIAJ), AI-Powered Tutoring & Study Assistant Platforms (EDANAGAD), Learning Data Infrastructure & Interoperability (LRS, xAPI/LTI/OneRoster, Data Pipelines) (EDAFAFAJ), Vendor/Authorized Certification Training (Microsoft/AWS/Cisco, etc.) (BPAEANAA)

Keywords

• Learning management system
• AI assessment marking
• Further education software
• Learner recruitment platform
• Regulated qualification delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Bournemouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. LMS Subscription (Atom & Pearl): Subscription-based access to Atom LMS and Pearl Access to HE platforms for FE colleges, ITPs, HE providers, and AVAs. Pricing appears quote-based for institutional contracts.
2. SAM AI Marking Subscription: AI-powered marking tool offered as a platform layer, reducing assessor marking time. Sold as part of LMS bundle or standalone with API connectivity.
3. Learner Find (Pay-per-Enrolment): Learner recruitment engine where colleges pay only when a vetted learner actually enrols. No retainer, no minimum spend, no contracts locking providers into forecasts.
4. Content Library Licensing: 900+ off-the-shelf qualification courses available for licensing. SCORM and xAPI compatible for use across platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pearltech UK Limited sells an integrated EdTech platform for UK Further Education, comprising two regulated learning management systems (Atom for Ofqual-regulated qualifications and Pearl Access to HE for QAA-mapped Access to HE diplomas), an AI-powered marking tool (SAM), an AI and plagiarism checker, a 900+ course content library mapped to UK awarding body standards, and a pay-per-enrolment learner recruitment engine (Learner Find). The platform is purpose-built for ASF, AEB, apprenticeship and RQF delivery, with native IQA, EQA, ePortfolio and ESFA-ready evidence workflows, and is sold primarily through subscription contracts and transactional recruitment fees to FE colleges, ITPs, HE providers, AVAs and awarding bodies.

Product overview

Pearltech UK Limited offers a unified platform of six integrated products for UK Further Education, ITPs, and HE providers. The platform comprises two LMS products (Atom for Ofqual-regulated qualifications and Pearl Access to HE for Access to HE delivery), SAM for AI-assisted marking, an AI & Plagiarism Checker, a Content Library of 900+ courses, and Learner Find for learner recruitment. All six products are designed to interoperate natively, with Atom and Pearl serving as the core LMS platforms and SAM, the AI Checker, Content Library, and Learner Find operating as integrated modules. The platform is purpose-built for UK FE delivery, meeting Ofsted, Ofqual, and DfE requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Atom: LMS for Ofqual-regulated qualifications, built for ASF, AEB and RQF delivery with ePortfolio, IQA sign-off, and ESFA-ready evidence.
• Pearl Access to HE
• SAM
• AI & Plagiarism Checker
• Content Library
• Learner Find

Products and services

• Atom LMS Atom is a Learning Management System purpose-built for UK Further Education, ITPs and awarding bodies delivering Ofqual-regulated qualifications through ASF, AEB and RQF pathways. It includes ePortfolio, IQA sign-off, EQA workflow, ESFA-ready evidence trail and ILR-compatible reporting, and is SCORM and xAPI compatible for legacy content. It runs natively with SAM, AI and Plagiarism Checking, Learner Find Portal and the Pearl Content Library. Sold to FE colleges, ITPs and awarding bodies on a subscription basis.
• Pearl Access to HE LMS Pearl Access to HE is a Learning Management System specifically designed for Access to Higher Education diploma delivery, featuring QAA-mapped unit and credit structure, integrated EQA workflow and standardisation, and transcript outputs recognised by universities. Built with QAA-recognised AVAs rather than retrofitted for Access. Sold to AVAs and Access to HE providers on a subscription basis, with the option to run alongside Atom for providers with mixed delivery.
• SAM (AI Marking Tool) SAM is Pearl's AI-powered assessment and marking platform that reads learner submissions against custom rubrics and assessment criteria, proposes grades (Pass, Merit, Distinction) and assessor-ready feedback, while preserving the assessor's final mark decision and the existing IQA workflow. Reduces assessor marking time by up to 67%, hosted in the UK on Cyber Essentials infrastructure. Sold as part of the LMS bundle or standalone with API connectivity to any third-party LMS. Targeted at assessors and quality leads in FE colleges, ITPs and HE providers.
• AI and Plagiarism Checker The AI and Plagiarism Checker flags AI-generated and plagiarised learner submissions at the point of upload, returning confidence scores and highlighting the specific passages that triggered detection flags so assessors can act on the evidence. Integrated natively with Atom and Pearl LMS platforms. Targeted at FE and HE institutions needing defensible AI and plagiarism detection for Ofqual-regulated qualifications.
• Content Library The Content Library is a catalogue of 900+ off-the-shelf qualification courses across FE, ITP and HE delivery, mapped to UK awarding body standards including Pearson, City & Guilds, NCFE and Active IQ. SCORM and xAPI compatible for deployment in any LMS. Sold as licensable content to FE colleges, ITPs, HE providers and awarding bodies needing ready-to-teach qualification content.
• Learner Find Learner Find is a vetted learner recruitment engine for UK colleges and ITPs running AEB, ASF, apprenticeship and HE intakes. It matches intent-qualified applicants against eligibility, programme and intake criteria, with colleges paying only when a vetted learner actually enrols — no retainer, no minimum spend, no contracts. Targeted at FE colleges and ITPs seeking to reduce cost per enrolment and remove recruitment risk.

Quantifiable outcome

• 67% reduction in assessor marking time
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PearsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPearson is referenced as an awarding body whose qualifications are supported by Pearl's Content Library. Courses include L3 Business Studies, L2 Functional Skills Maths. This is a content/compatibility relationship where Pearl's platform delivers Pearson- regulated qualifications.
• City & GuildscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity & Guilds is referenced as an awarding body supported by Pearl's Content Library. Courses include L3 Retrofit Coordinator. Pearl's platform delivers C&G-regulated qualifications.
• NCFEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCFE is referenced as an awarding body whose qualifications are supported by Pearl's Content Library. Courses include L2 Health & Social Care. Pearl's platform delivers NCFE-regulated qualifications.
• Active IQcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive IQ is referenced as an awarding body for Pearl's Content Library courses. Pearl's platform delivers Active IQ-regulated qualifications such as L3 Personal Trainer.
• QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQAA is the quality assurance body for UK higher education. Pearl Access to HE is specifically designed for QAA-mapped unit and credit structure with integrated EQA workflow. 14 QAA-recognised AVAs use Pearl. Pearl A2HE is QAA-recognised.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Moodle: Open-source LMS widely used across UK FE and HE. Directly comparable to Atom as an LMS backbone, with a broad plugin ecosystem that overlaps Pearl's xAPI/SCORM and content delivery value proposition.
• Turnitin: AI writing detection and assessment integrity suite used across UK FE/HE. Directly comparable to Pearl's AI & Plagiarism Checker and increasingly to SAM's AI-assisted marking, with bundled LMS integrations.
• Canvas (Instructure): Cloud LMS with significant UK FE/HE presence. Competes head-to-head with Atom on LMS functionality, learning analytics, and interoperability standards (LTI/xAPI).
• Gradescope (Turnitin): AI-assisted marking and assessment platform. Directly comparable to SAM in automating rubric-based grading with instructor review, particularly for structured assignments.
• Satchel One: UK-based learning platform serving schools and colleges with homework, behaviour and LMS functionality. Comparable to Pearl as a UK-focused EdTech for institutional education buyers.

Broad incumbents

• D2L Brightspace: Global LMS incumbent with UK FE/HE footprint and AI-powered assessment tools. Overlaps Atom and SAM at the platform layer, though it is not UK-FE-specialised.
• Microsoft Education (Teams for Education): Microsoft's education bundle providing LMS-style workflows, AI assistance, and collaboration tools widely used in UK FE/HE. Represents a bundling threat to Atom LMS and SAM via Microsoft 365 inclusion.
• Blackboard: Established LMS with broad UK HE/FE presence and assessment tools. Competes with Atom at institutional scale and offers adjacent AI integrity features overlapping SAM and Pearl's AI Checker.

Regional players

• Arbor Education: UK-based education management information system (MIS) provider for schools and MATs. Comparable as a UK-specialist EdTech serving institutional education buyers, though focused on MIS rather than LMS.
• Tribal Group (now RM plc): UK heritage education software provider for schools, FE and HE covering MIS, timetabling and student information. Comparable as a UK-focused education technology incumbent overlapping with Pearl's FE buyer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pearl-tech

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 PEARLTECH UK LIMITED