STOCKPORT, UK. July 15, 2026 – Education technology company Gaia Learning has raised £400,000 in a new equity funding round backed by GC Angels, NESTA and a group of angel investors. The investment will support the company’s continued growth, strengthen its specialist services for neurodivergent children and accelerate the rollout of its new SEND platform, Bloom.
Established in 2019, Gaia Learning was founded to help tackle the lack of suitable educational options for neurodivergent children. The online education provider delivers specialist alternative provision for children and young people across the UK whose needs are not always met in mainstream education. It supports learners experiencing autism, ADHD, anxiety, school avoidance, mental health challenges and other additional needs by providing personalised learning environments designed around their individual circumstances.
The company previously raised £550,000 in 2024 in an investment round led by NESTA Impact Investments alongside GC Angels. Since then, Gaia Learning has grown its workforce to 24 employees across full-time and part-time positions while also building strategic relationships, including a collaboration with Pearson Edexcel.
Part of that earlier investment supported the creation of Bloom, a SEND infrastructure platform that enables schools and education providers to plan, monitor and evidence support for pupils with additional needs. The platform draws on Gaia Learning’s experience of working directly with neurodivergent learners, educators and support professionals.
With this latest funding, Gaia Learning plans to extend access to its specialist education services while continuing the rollout of Bloom. Pilot programmes are already taking place in Northern Ireland, with additional school pilots due to begin in September. The company’s long-term vision is for Bloom to become a central system that helps schools coordinate, deliver, monitor and evidence SEND provision, making support more effective while improving accountability and outcomes for children with additional needs.
Kate Heath, Founder and CEO of Gaia Learning, said: “Gaia Learning was born out of a passion for ensuring neurodivergent children can access education that is best suited to their unique needs. Our first funding round really helped us to get this idea off the ground, allowing us to grow our team and accelerate the development of Bloom. Most importantly, it has enabled us to support more neurodivergent learners and help more schools deliver effective support for children with additional needs.
“This latest funding round will help us to build on this success. By once again partnering with the teams at GC Angels and NESTA, we’re proud to be working with investors who share our commitment to improving educational outcomes for young people. This support will play an important role in helping us accelerate our plans and extend our reach.”
Marc Shirman, Head of Equity Investment at GC Angels, added: “Gaia Learning’s progress over the last few years has been outstanding. Kate and the team demonstrate the strength of innovation across the North of England, using technology to create more inclusive and accessible educational opportunities for neurodivergent learners.
“It has been a pleasure to support Gaia Learning throughout its growth journey, and we are excited to see the impact Bloom will have as it is introduced to more schools and education providers. We look forward to continuing our partnership as the team develops solutions that improve outcomes for children and young people with additional needs.”
