Alchemy, a unit of Nectar Learning, has expanded its executive leadership team and board following its acquisition of Ease Learning and a strategic investment from Achieve Partners. The company is positioning itself as a tech-enabled, product-led provider of career-connected learning and internship services for higher education.
The combination brings together Alchemy’s learning design and technology capabilities with internship placement services. Its Curie platform enables organizations and higher education institutions to design and deliver career-connected, standards-compliant learning.
Matt Gurney has been named CEO after previously serving as Alchemy’s Chief Product and Strategy Officer. The company said Gurney will lead its push toward an AI-driven approach to career-connected learning and internship placement.
Lois Harrison, who previously led Ease Learning, has joined Alchemy as COO. Brad Gibbs has been appointed Senior Vice President of Growth and Marketing and will oversee national expansion of the company’s learning and internship offerings.
Alchemy also added Achieve Partners Founder and Managing Director Ryan Craig and higher education journalist and author Jeff Selingo to its board.
The company brings more than 30 years of experience in digital learning and plans to combine its technology with internship services to help colleges and universities connect instruction more directly with workforce outcomes.
KEY QUOTES:
“Alchemy and its predecessor companies have been leaders in designing and delivering digital learning for over 30 years. Now, it is time for a new chapter that enables us to leverage both our technology and people expertise to be the leaders in connecting learning to real work. We want the world to say YES to interns! Our new and expanded leadership team enables us to pair our internship services with our learning solutions, especially our platform, Curie, which powers organizations and higher education institutions to design and deliver relevant, career-connected, standards-compliant learning.”
Carrie O’Donnell, Founder and Chair of Alchemy
“The education-to-workforce ecosystem is shifting under demographic and societal pressures, and the gap in trained workers across fields like semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and healthcare has never been more acute. The time is right for a company that doesn’t just deliver learning experiences, but closes the distance between instruction and real work. Alchemy is purpose-built for this moment, and our new leadership team and board are exactly the right collaborators to make it happen.”
Matt Gurney, CEO of Alchemy
