The disruptors are not just LMS providers; they encompass a range of other learning systems.
Three knowledge management platforms, not your typical LMS or two, and even an LXP.
How did I go about finding these disruptors?
What do I see as a disruptor versus one that isn’t?
Why does Dairy Queen refuse to offer almond or coconut milk Blizzard shakes?
I mean, when you can’t enjoy a heath bar mashed up with Almond milk “dairy”, then you are losing out on a significant audience worth of sales, err, customers.
There is a lot to digest here, and rather than go about it in a traditional sense of a post, I went the Q&A route.
I surmise there will be plenty of people who think, “What about blah blah?” To which I respond, “Who is blah blah?”
A system named blah blah (literally blah blah) would get a view to see what is blah blah.
Q: What is a disruptor in the industry?
A: I went about looking at it from three different perspectives and ways.
First
A well-known vendor with a considerable reputation, numerous clients, substantial capital, and a strong marketing budget is not a disruptor.
They can be in one way – let’s say AI or skills, for example, but across the industry, they wouldn’t slide into my disruptor category.
A vendor who has a shiny UI/UX isn’t a disruptor in the sense of the word.
Yes, you want a slick UI/UX (especially the latter, which vendors often ignore), but having those items alone doesn’t take you into the force of a disruptor.
A disruptor is a vendor that has something – let’s call it panache – that, if leveraged successfully, would take the industry by storm.
I’ve seen disruptors in the past.
They either end up in two categories – you know where this is going.
a. Fail – They disrupted early on – led a segment – was known for it, and then for whatever reason, failed as the market adapted.
I shouldn’t say “whatever” reason, as I tend to see the “Rabbit Hole” effect taking place.
This is where the vendor’s roadmap or feature set is influenced by a major client or a group of clients (not everyone), and then the vendor adjusts rather than deviates.
By the time they realize it, they are no longer disrupting – instead, they try to play catch-up.
They never get there; yes, they land clients, but disruption isn’t a short fix or a quick “tada”.
Tech is full of disruptors that failed to leverage – and failed to push forward.
b. Outpace. Some people will say they lack the capital, funding, staff, or other resources to continue disrupting.
I say poppeycock.
This industry has always had early adopters.
That isn’t new.
The industry has always had disruptors – again, not new.
But at some point, a vendor or two will catch up if the disruptor sits on its laurels and believes by reputation, or number of clients, or who its clients are, or another factor, it ignores the competition.
The dot-com industry was full of disruptors.
A lot of them dropped back – not because of ignoring a bubble, but instead because they never paid attention to the smaller vendors in the back of the room.
They saw only whom they wanted to see.
They – the vendors – ignored the warning signs of – watch what this vendor is doing.
Then whammo – the disruptor vendor becomes a has-been, and in the dot com world ended up with stock worth about one dollar and twenty-six cents (for 40,000 shares).
I should have framed that check.
Actually, the additional shares they found and the sending of a check for twenty-four cents should have been framed.
Anyway, from being the leader of the pack, to being swallowed up by not paying attention.
There are plenty of vendors in our industry that have a gold nugget or two staring them in the face, but instead of powering that as a UVP, let alone a USP, they look at the usual and push that narrative.
That’s not a disruptor; that’s just not understanding the market and what you can tap into to set yourself apart.
A USP means Unique Sales Proposition – it is a must for any vendor in any industry, and in our case, this industry.
You can’t survive, well, you can, without having a USP.
Nevertheless, again, too many push the same USP as everyone else has, and then can’t figure out why competitor J has more clients than they do.
The reason?
Lack of UVP – which is Unique Value Proposition.
You, as the prospective buyer, are looking for that UVP, without necessarily knowing it.
When I look at disruptors, they have that “it” – the UVP.
As a buyer, the biggest issue – the reason folks pick the wrong system is they fail to see the UVP, because either the vendor lacks it (most often the case) or the UVP isn’t being tapped as it should be.
Overall, about the LXP market.
At one time, they truly had the USP and UVP; however, over a short period, they lost the UVP due to a functionality they introduced to the space – “assigned learning.”
Later on, the word LXP – as a whole went sideways from what it was designed to be and do, and what it became.
One of the vendors in my disruptor list is an LXP – what it was designed to be, but at the same time, changing the format enough, the approach that, with some fine-tuning, is going to disrupt.
Q: Are all disruptors perfect systems?
A: No. I do not believe there is a perfect system out there, hence no one scores 100%. All systems can be better.
Q: Do disruptors have the potential to break out even further, truly?
A: Yes. The industry is full of those folks. Docebo started as open source. Nobody knew who they were – at least IMO.
Then they went commercial, did a few of this and that, and hello – early disruptor.
Others on the “never saw them coming – early disruptors included”
- ExpertusOne – original incarnation. First vendor to have geolocation in their mobile app – even today, you find systems that lack that, heck even trade show apps – I mean, how can I find the Cornerstone booth in section 309, when I have no idea what section I’m in, because your signage is awful – attend a LTUK show – and you will know first hand.
- Litmos – Original version – not the version you see today. Strong UI/UX out of the gate and proof that you could be streamlined yet very effective in understanding your audience.
- Cobent – (RIP) – 100% all compliance platform. Disruptor – they couldn’t adapt enough for compliance
- Training Orchestra – Training management system – it is all about even management and scheduling here – you want the best? Here you go.
- Growth Engineering – Truly a gamification platform that understands what is achievable by disruption. Sadly, they couldn’t sustain. Still playing catch-up.
- Blue Volt – First gamified platform – and first to really target blue-collar workers.
- Degreed – The behemoth of LXP. I’d add EdCast here too – both disruptors early.
- Xyleme – an LCMS that was worth its weight. Disruptor – just failed to understand the market (although one vendor, not X here, thinks LCMS is back – no, it’s not)
I could go on, but you get my drift.
Even today, there are dominant players in their respective segments who disrupted the market as a whole – but again, for this list, it’s a bit different.
Secondly
How are they disrupting – and does anyone realize it?
One of the vendors has been around for a while but has pivoted to a more effective target segment, and thus has the real potential to disrupt as a result.
Sometimes, a change in leadership and direction can do that.
A new set of eyeballs – and those that lead that segment better be paying attention.
Thirdly,
Technology change.
Knowledge Management Platforms are a perfect example.
They have been around for more than two decades, but the KM of then is not the same as now, and along the way, the KM segment flattened out and just sputtered along.
It required AI for all things to revitalize the KM side, and I can state unequivocally that you will see more KM features in learning systems to come, not just the standalones I will be referring to.
If ever there was “disruptor alert,” – look, look – this is one of them – the KM side.
Disruptors
Let’s get to the list.
The list Abbreviation
- Type of system (LMS – Learning Management System, LXP – Learning Experience Platform, KM – Knowledge Management Platform/System)
- PR – Product Review – Coming by Nov 25. The specific month is shown.
Each vendor presented – click on their name and it takes you to their website.
I added some text for each vendor, but this will not be an extensive analysis – just the highlights and what I see as the disruptor.
Knowledge Management Platforms
For a system to be defined as a KM, it needs the following (bare basics)
- Answer Engine – it drives the entire platform. The AE is using Gen AI – the basics are that the learner asks a question, and a response is presented. The learner can click text or a word, and it goes right to that article, content, or video that exists within the platform. Includes cites.
That’s the basics.
As with any AI function, they can create fake or false information, and thus, you should always verify that the information is correct rather than assuming.
One KM displays the content where the response is located, and nothing else. The usual approach is to show the specific line, etc., and then display the entire document or video as well.
An AE (answer engine) can also answer a question or a series of questions.
Using a KM is only as good as knowing what to enter into a prompt.
Being specific is far better than being ambiguous.
Some KM can already tap into multimodal, which means you can add a PDF right in the AE window, and the platform chat assistant, if you will, scans it and summarizes or does what you ask.
You will get to see this firsthand with
Capacity – Which sells an entire system on other customer support stuff, but they do sell the Answer Engine as a separate piece, which is what I am referencing here – i.e., the AE.
Of all the KMs I have seen, capability-wise, Capacity’s Answer Engine does the best job. CAE – my acronym, not theirs, is made up of the former lucy.ai solution.
Could you add CAE to your learning system? Yes.
Could it be used in conjunction? Yes
Can it be solely a standalone, and does it replace your entire learning structure?
Not really, unless you are only using your learning for this type of knowledge on the go.
There are numerous use cases where I can see a CAE excelling, especially with deskless workers and others who cannot access a desktop or prefer not to.
Hence, the on-the-go approach.
However, its power across the board is primarily for the L&D side of the house, particularly in terms of employee onboarding.
Why tap them in with your top person for some OJD when you can have them tap into a KM to solve similar or likely questions without taking your top talent away from their job?
Of all the KM platforms – the new versions here – Capacity to me – is the most mature, and that isn’t saying much – it just means it has more out of the gate than say what I have seen in the past or currently with other KMs.
The best way to think of a KM is to think up and beyond – and this is why I believe that KMs are going to make a huge impact, plus wise in the industry.
Product Review – Capacity Answer Engine coming in October!
Two other KMs
Joggle Learning – A true newbie out of the gate. Different in appearance compared to Capacity, but still enough intrigue for me to want to know and see more.
Part of the challenge with KMs is their inability to effectively describe what they are for the general population, which is why you see the marketing aspect all over the map.
Knowledge Management on the go is what it is, or say Knowledge Management and leave it at that.
Ardoise is a take on what the capabilities of a KM entail, as it incorporates the development of skills through practice scenarios. However, being new to the space, the vendor that is, the scenarios need some help, as practice is one thing, but reality is another.
No.
I was impressed by how the “Avatar” voice matches their lips – a true lip-sync even at a lower speed, when I tested it.
The Ardoise platform also comes with a “content creator component,” and yes, as a result, an output of some content.
The AI drives this unquestionably.
And they – Ardoise shows their methodology in the learning angle, which I found intriguing. Hypertextual learning – prescribed. (I added the last part to make it sound more impressive – i.e., prescribed)
LXP
Like the dinosaur, the LXP market is a dying breed – in terms of what it used to be, what it is now, which is really ubiquitous to an LMS, let alone a learning platform.
To stand out then, you need a way to leverage two parts: the LMS aspect with enough legit LXP juice and some AI (I note this, although AI is becoming common every day – quality-wise, it’s a different story).
Bealink, which notes itself as an LXP, is the combo of the two with an AI piece. The content is there. The UI/UX is there, and nobody outside of Western Europe realizes that Bealink has some real potential here.
Before just going “Degreed” for your LXP needs, if you want that, Bealink is enough of a disruptor to get you thinking, “hmm, I never thought about this, this way.”
What is nice about Bealink is that it has everything you need without going for a piecemeal approach, which the original LXPs attempted to go for – and, well, sometimes that isn’t the right strategy to take.
When an LMS is not an LXP
Let me tell you a funny story.
It’s about this vendor with a great learning story to tell, one that pushes gamified learning, which, to me, is far different from gamification.
They have a clever name, a unique journey, a fun front end – which is out of the box with the system, tweaked for each client (included BTW), adds some flair, and screams let’s get it.
Despite having LXP in their name, they definitely are not that – you can ask them why it appears, and it has to do with a domain thing, I won’t bore you.
This is a combo system for L&D and customer training/learning. You could even add this to the association space, and people would like it.
The moment I saw LemonadeLXP.
I thought to myself, ‘total USP plus UVP, plus I want my learners to use it – if I were running training, L&D, HR, or whatever department.’
They, for whatever reason, initially focused on Financial Services, but they are pivoting. This is designed for all verticals/market segments and types of learners.
It shows that you do not have to use a system that looks as though the Louvre oversaw its museum’s sterile design.
It’s also a key reason it’s a disruptor – oh, that, and its functionality, of course, plus the love surrounding gamified learning.
Product Review coming in October.
Checks all the boxes for those wondering.
HALiGHT – A system that also pulls enough weight that all you can have it with cake, too, pushes it off.
Name me another vendor that can have “snippets” which are snippets of video or images, ala Instagram, in appearance for the learners – created and uploaded on the home page?
Please show me a system where the learners are truly the drivers of their own learning engagement and empowerment, tapping into retail frontline/deskless workers as the core audience.
Product Review coming in Oct/Nov.
LMS for the Blue-Collar Workforce
I hear about so many systems that will name a client who is in the blue-collar industry, and therefore, they target blue-collar workers, even though a large percentage of their learners are in the office workforce.
They are not in the construction segment, nor manufacturing on the floor, only, and the list can go on.
There have been those and continue to be those who play here and there, but when you push the narrative of construction as a segment, for example, and more importantly, the idea that learning for a blue-collar workforce can be designed in such a way that it still delivers what learning should be, with a user interface/experience to boot. Knowledge Anywhere is here to greet you.
After years in the desert, when they were solid, KA has found its proper footing and is a disruptor in the way it understands the blue-collar workforce. The challenges, whereas companies sadly see their non-office workforce as limited in terms of dedication – i.e., they can’t take an hour away from the floor to train – that so many have missed.
Every L&D person I have met who has a blue-collar workforce wants them to have the same availabilities for learning as their office workforce, yet the L&D folks run into the C-suite person who doesn’t see everyone as the same in terms of what is available and time.
Knowledge Anywhere, though, gives those C-suite folks who think the blue-collar is secondary (without saying it out loud), that this is a system for your workforce out on the job site or on the shop floor with enough key areas to disrupt.
Product Review coming in Oct/Nov.
Bottom Line
The Disruptors of 2025
LemondadeLXP, Ardoise, Capacity, Joggle, Bealink, Knowledge Anywhere, and HALIGHT.
E-Learning 24/7
This blog is dedicated to the memory of a close friend, who started as my boss, then became my mentor, and ultimately became a disruptor in the association management segment: Joe Lynch.
