DataCamp, the leading online learning platform for data and AI skills, has announced the acquisition of Optima, a Dubai-based AI-native learning platform designed to personalize data and AI education. The deal marks a significant step in DataCamp’s strategy to expand its AI-driven learning capabilities while accelerating its path toward crossing $100 million in annualized recurring revenue (ARR) by 2026.
As part of the acquisition, Optima founder and CEO Yusuf Saber will join DataCamp as Chief AI Officer, leading the company’s global AI operations from the UAE. The rest of Optima’s team will also join DataCamp, integrating their advanced adaptive learning technologies into the company’s existing infrastructure.
Optima’s AI-native learning engine adjusts lessons in real time, tailoring pacing, explanations, and feedback to each learner’s unique profile. The platform, already used by major Middle Eastern tech brands such as Talabat and Careem, is recognized for helping organizations stay ahead of the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Its technology is now embedded into several DataCamp courses, and full integration across the platform is expected within six months.
With this acquisition, DataCamp reinforces its position as a global leader in AI and data upskilling. The company currently serves 18 million learners and over 6,000 enterprise customers, representing employees from 80 percent of the Fortune 1000. DataCamp’s corporate clients span major sectors, including technology (Google, Uber), finance (the top four largest U.S. banks), retail and manufacturing (Nike, Stanley Black & Decker, Rolls-Royce), and pharmaceuticals (Roche, Pfizer).
DataCamp’s growing B2B business continues to expand at nearly 30% year-over-year. The company is also cashflow positive and poised to achieve the $100 million ARR milestone before the end of 2026, reflecting strong demand for practical, human-centered AI learning solutions.
Executives from both companies emphasized the close alignment of their visions for the future of online learning. They emphasized that the combination of DataCamp’s global platform with Optima’s adaptive AI capabilities will redefine how individuals and organizations learn, adapt, and thrive in an AI-driven world.
KEY QUOTES:
“Optima was built to embed intelligence directly into the learning experience, so we can intuitively adjust each lesson to who a learner is and what they already know. From our first conversation with the DataCamp team, it was clear how much our visions aligned. By bringing Optima’s AI-native learning experience into DataCamp’s global platform, I think we have the opportunity to set a new standard for how people learn online.”
Yusuf Saber, Founder and CEO of Optima
“DataCamp is turning the page on an era of online learning defined by static and generic content. The field of data and AI is evolving faster than ever, and DataCamp is focusing on dynamic, human-centered learning to help people and organizations thrive amid upheaval. With the Optima team now part of DataCamp, we’ve never been better placed to redefine how organizations move their people along the learning curve.”
Jonathan Cornelissen, Co-Founder and CEO of DataCamp
