Seed21 June 2022

Neol secures £4.2m in seed funding co-led by kyu Collective and Global Ventures to develop its learning platform

The seed round was co-led by kyu Collective and Global Ventures to support product and partnership growth.

£4.2MSeed

Neol operates a decentralised learning and on-demand talent platform powered by a global creative community. The company uses Web3 infrastructure to foster equitable value creation and collaboration.

London-based learning and talent platform Neol has secured £4.2m in a seed funding round co-led by kyu Collective and Global Ventures. The round also drew participation from Learnstart, FJLabs, Paribu Ventures, and a group of prominent angel investors including Tony Xu and Tim Brown. Proceeds from the financing will be directed towards product, brand, and partnership development as the company expands its reach across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.

Founded by Kerem Alper and Akar Sumset, Neol combines cohort-based learning with a decentralised talent network designed to connect independent creatives with forward-thinking organisations. The fresh capital arrives as the platform scales its community-driven ecosystem following a successful initial testing phase that featured multiple cohorts and active enterprise customers.

From the founder

"We’re proud to announce Neol’s successful seed funding round. To receive backing from such esteemed VC firms and angel investors is a massive testament to our business strategy and vision. At Neol, we believe creative individuals are the core to driving meaningful growth in the world. And we will be relentlessly building Neol to be the platform where they can connect, learn and shape while also participating as owners of the very platform they are part of."

Kerem Alper

Co-founder and CEO at Neol

Investor perspective

"kyu’s purpose is to be a source of creativity which propels the economy and society forward. As we face ever-increasing complexity and volatility in the world, we also see opportunities for creative thinking and collective action to develop new, innovative ways of learning, connecting and collaborating on challenges that truly matter. As a collective of industry-defining global creative organisations, we believe in the value of community-powered systems. Our investment in Neol is based on this belief and the track record of Kerem and the team who have pioneered community-based innovation systems to great effect."

Farah Ramzan Golant

President, kyu Collective