The Multiverse blog

LONDON – 15th May, 2026 – Multiverse, the upskilling platform for AI and tech adoption, today announced it has raised $70 million in primary funding to drive growth across Europe. The funding was led by Schroders Capital, with participation from existing investors including General Catalyst, Lightspeed Venture Partners, D1 Capital Partners, Index Ventures, Bond, and StepStone Group. 

The investment will accelerate Multiverse's expansion across Europe, with the goal of ensuring that AI benefits the workforce, rather than displacing it. It lands amid accelerating company growth driven by UK enterprise adoption, and strategic acquisitions. Multiverse completed the acquisition of Berlin-based data and AI training company StackFuel in January 2026. 

The $2.1bn valuation, a $400m increase on the last funding round, reflects a company in its strongest position yet: revenue grew 50% yoy, and increased at an accelerating rate for the third consecutive year. For the first time, Multiverse had a cash-positive quarter from January to March 2026. Alongside this raise, all employees regardless of seniority have been offered equity and a long term stake in the company as a result of the funding round.

Defining a new category: the AI adoption layer 

Businesses and governments across the UK and Europe are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, with AI spend doubling since last year according to BCG’s 2026 AI Radar. Yet the much promised productivity gains remain elusive. The missing ingredient is not more technology tools, it is a skilled workforce capable of deploying them. Corporate AI trailblazers in the BCG report invest twice as much in upskilling their workforce as AI followers. 

Multiverse was built to ensure workers don’t get left behind by the rapid pace of technology. Today that means closing the gap between workers and tech, in effect acting as the AI adoption layer of the technology stack. Its platform diagnoses precise skills gaps, matching corporate goals against workforce capability to give leaders a holistic view and detailed recommendations for upskilling. Multiverse then equips workers at every level with the AI, data and digital skills to translate technology investment into measurable outcomes. To date, the company delivered more than £2 billion in verified ROI for over 1,000 employers, including critical national security with Babcock and household names like The AA, Capita and Addison Lee.

With 50% revenue growth last year, driven by new customers and continued demand from existing customers the strategic investment is intended to fuel further expansion. The last year has seen an increasing focus on strategic alliances, with tech platforms including Microsoft, Palantir, and Databricks partnering with Multiverse. Atlas, its AI coaching platform, tripled daily active users in the last year.   

"There are companies who desperately need the benefits AI can bring. There are AI companies. What has been missing is the layer that bridges the two," said Euan Blair, CEO and Founder of Multiverse. "This investment marks the moment Multiverse defines that category, and takes it across Europe. Getting outcomes from AI and unlocking productivity is not just a technology problem. It is a people problem. We exist to solve it."

Multiverse's thesis, that AI's greatest value lies in expanding human capability, not replacing it, is drawn from extensive employer experience. CEOs surveyed by Multiverse cited skills gaps as the second biggest barrier to AI adoption, ahead of regulation and data quality.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: “We want Britain to achieve the fastest rate of AI adoption of any country in the G7 - the productivity dividend we can get from AI will grow businesses of all shapes and sizes in the UK and ensure they stay competitive.”

“Multiverse is a fantastic example of a British company helping turn that ambition into reality. This investment will support its expansion across Europe, strengthening a UK firm that is competing globally and equipping people with the skills to make AI work in practice.”

Michael Mclean, Head of Private Equity Technology Investments, Schroders Capital, said: “The evolution of AI is creating transformative opportunities to drive productivity and growth across global economies,” “Multiverse is a leader in enabling this shift, helping organisations capitalise on these tailwinds. With growing momentum across Europe, Multiverse puts the focus on AI adoption, enabling employers to upskill their workforces and translate technology investment into tangible outcomes.

"High-quality businesses with the potential for transformative, sustainable growth and value creation are key fundamentals we look for. We're therefore delighted to have led this significant fundraise as Multiverse further accelerates its growth journey."

Growth has been driven in large part by deepening business with existing customers. 

Lynsey Valentine, Strategy Director at Babcock, said: “Multiverse has helped us tackle a growing complexity and volume of data by equipping our people with practical, real‑world data skills. Our teams are already applying what they’ve learned to automate processes, unlock insight, and drive meaningful improvements well before graduation.”

Lisa Pinfield, Group Director of Performance & Development at Capita, said: “At Capita, we chose Multiverse because they enabled us to build critical AI and data capability at scale, in a way that is practical, inclusive and closely aligned to real business needs. The partnership has helped us turn AI ambition into real impact, equipping colleagues with future‑critical skills while strengthening performance and decision‑making across the organisation.”

Patrick Gallagher, CEO at Addison Lee, said: "We are delighted with the impact of our partnership with Multiverse, which plays a vital role in Addison Lee’s ongoing digital transformation. It has been incredibly rewarding to see our colleagues at every level of the business respond with such resounding positivity toward this opportunity to learn and progress. As we navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly changing landscape, this collaboration ensures our workforce remains equipped with the essential skills to drive our business forward."

‍

The world of work is undergoing the most profound transformation in living memory. AI has supercharged the relentless advance of tech, software and systems, and has fundamentally changed what employers need from their teams. It has also supercharged how quickly both employers and employees need to evolve.

From Claude to CoPilot, the tools reshaping organisations are proliferating faster than traditional education and skills programmes can keep up with. Knowledge transfer is no longer the primary goal to aim for, because learning without impact no longer cuts it.

What today's employers need is people who can apply new data and AI skills to real challenges and drive measurable results. The way apprenticeship ROI is measured must take this into account.

That's why Multiverse's results-based training model focuses on more than whether learners finish the programme. That still matters, but we also emphasise the value they have created thanks to their training, for themselves and for their employers. And we celebrate their success against this more complete, deeper definition of achievement.

The modern era of upskilling demands modern measures of success

UK productivity has been stagnant for a decade. And yet, not only does the technology to reverse this trend already exist in the shape of AI-driven automation, data analytics and intelligent workflows, it is also now within reach of organisations of every size and in every sector.

But for these technologies to deliver the productivity gains the economy so badly needs, we need to build a critical mass of people with the right skills.

Training providers must teach more than theory and deliver more than simply qualifications. They must equip learners to apply new capabilities directly to their work — and quickly; from day one, not after 18 months of learning — and they must measure whether those capabilities are making an impact.

This is the standard of quality Multiverse holds itself to, and we're building the human and technological infrastructure to deliver this at scale.

Measuring what matters most

AI and modern data systems make it possible to connect learning directly to concrete business results. Multiverse's measurement approach embraces this new level of transparency, allowing the organisations we partner with to assess the ROI of apprenticeships against an accurate before-and-after picture of meaningful business outcomes.

The success of this approach is reflected in the results Multiverse tracks across its customer base:

• $2bn+ in confirmed ROI delivered to customers to date
• Approximately one working month per year saved per learner through productivity gains
• 45% of learners receive a promotion during or within 12 months of their programme
• 100%+ net revenue retention — customers consistently invest more with Multiverse after their first programme
• 98.4% pass rate among programme completers
• 97% learner satisfaction with coaching

What that impact looks like in practice

Behind each of these data points are individuals from our all-time cohort of 30,000+ learners who have used their new skills to solve real and urgent problems for their companies.

Across our customer base of more than 1,500 customers — including over a quarter of the FTSE 100, half of Russell Group universities, more than 100 NHS trusts and 50+ local councils — the pattern is consistent: learners acquire new skills, apply them to current workplace challenges and deliver results their employer can tangibly measure. Examples include:

Retail

A product manager at a national food and clothing retailer built an automated pipeline to report on available merchandise space, and turned a two-hour manual process into a 60-second cycle. The time saved allows for decisions to be made daily, based on actionable insights, instead of occasionally and based on guesswork.

Banking

A project manager built a GenAI workflow to automatically generate and distribute new bank account numbers, compressing processing time from 25 hours per 1,000 accounts to under 15 minutes, while virtually eliminating manual errors.

Healthcare

A service manager on the long-term conditions team used Copilot to analyse patient feedback following a continence product change, producing reports that enabled direct cost savings to be negotiated with the supplier.

Aerospace

An operations officer developed a compliance tracking dashboard for critical aircraft parts, saving eight hours a month and identifying potential compliance risks worth up to $1m a year in avoided penalties.

We're investing in traditional metrics — and always thinking about what comes next

In this era of rapid technological change, the ability to apply learning quickly and effectively is more important than ever. Metrics like course completion do matter, but they only measure whether a learner gets to a finish line. Taken alone, they offer an incomplete picture of the value a training programme delivers along the way.

That's why we are continually investing in improving our performance against traditional metrics, while also pushing the frontiers of what outcome-focused training can achieve.

The standard we hold ourselves to is straightforward: are our learners better equipped to drive value in their organisations because of their time working with Multiverse? And the evidence shows, consistently, that they are.

Read our latest Impact Report to discover how Multiverse is transforming the way people learn and work, and helping thousands of workers unleash AI's potential. Or get in touch to learn more about how Multiverse can support your workforce.

Staffordshire Police is teaming up with AI upskilling platform Multiverse to pilot a new apprenticeship scheme designed to upskill staff on AI. A total of 15 team members from across the organisation will learn how to use AI to enhance their processes and increase efficiency.

Individuals in the cohort were selected to participate based on the nature of their current role and responsibilities in force. The pilot is aimed at developing their understanding of the technology and harnessing data to strengthen existing ways of working.

John Bowler, Director of Digital, Data and Technology at Staffordshire Police, said: “From creating simple AI tools to support everyday tasks such as drafting and responding to emails, to helping teams deliver complex processes more effectively, this will be another practical tool in the toolbox for our people – both now and moving forward.

“By developing these skills in a safe and structured way, we can share knowledge and build confidence across the force, strengthening our data and digital capability and helping to build a workforce that is ready for the future.”

Rebecca Crellin, Apprentice Manager at Staffordshire Police, said: “This is an incredible opportunity for those involved in the trial to develop their skills and learn how best to use AI effectively. We had significant interest in the trial and hope that once this latest cohort completes their qualifications, there may be scope for further opportunities in the future.”

Katie Russell, Head of Learning and Organisational Development at Staffordshire Police, added: “This is an exciting opportunity for us as an organisation to further learn how best to harness AI to enhance efficiency and improve processes while developing our understanding of this ever-advancing technology.

“I am pleased we have been able to partner with Multiverse on this pilot and look forward to seeing the impact of the learning in the confidence of our learners and in improvements within our organisation.”

Gary Eimerman, Chief Learning Officer at Multiverse, said: “For public services like policing, the opportunity to use AI to automate administrative burdens and unlock deeper insights from data is transformative. By equipping these 15 pioneers with the ability to build and deploy AI tools responsibly, we are ensuring the force remains agile and effective in a digital-first world. We are proud to support the Staffordshire Police in leading the way for vocational, applied learning in this critical field.”

Multiverse is the upskilling platform for AI and tech adoption, which delivers personalised, on-the-job learning. Multiverse has trained more than 30,000 apprentices in AI, data and digital skills since 2016. 

Over 1,500 companies work with Multiverse to deliver a new kind of learning that’s transforming the workforce at scale. Programmes are targeted at people of any age or career stage.

‍

Europcar Mobility Group UK (Europcar), the global mobility player, is driving forward responsible digital and AI adoption through an AI Academy delivered by upskilling platform Multiverse. 

Europcar learners on the programme have already unlocked significant gains in productivity and innovation by embedding tools like Gemini into operational workflows. This has modernised reporting and enabled the team to map order processing more effectively.

Abigail Sly, Pricing Analyst at Europcar, is one individual who has seen benefits from the investment in training, harnessing AI to build a tool to validate rental vehicle details (SIPPs) used for customer reservations. This tool is projected to save 234 hours per year on a process that was previously completed manually. Another learner has improved the speed and accuracy of financial reporting through AI-driven analysis, helping the company to make informed decisions and ensuring customer needs are met effectively.

Discussing her experience with the Multiverse training programme, Abigail said: “Working with the Multiverse team through our AI Academy has been incredibly useful to build critical digital skills that we can apply across many different areas of our work. I’m already putting these skills to the test by improving our internal processes and can’t wait to see how our wider teams grow their digital know-how in other workstreams.” 

Mark Newberry, Transformation & Strategy Director (UK & Ireland) at Europcar added: “At Europcar, we’re committed to ensuring our customers get from A to B safely and efficiently. And we are determined to embrace future-focused technologies and harness AI capabilities that can be scaled across our business to help us fulfil this commitment. The partnership with Multiverse is playing a critical role in ensuring we can maximise the advantages of AI as effectively and efficiently as possible.”

The partnership has seen Europcar employees from the company’s administration, procurement, and operations teams enrolled on the training programme to help standardise AI use across the business and empower staff with the skills to streamline day-to-day tasks through AI. 

Gary Eimerman, Chief Learning Officer at Multiverse said: “"With over 75 years of experience in the motoring industry, Europcar is a business that understands the value of futureproofing employee skills to grow sustainably within a changing market. Our partnership marks the next step in this digital evolution. The time saved and processes transformed by these learners will ultimately be of direct benefit to Europcar's customers.”

Multiverse is the upskilling platform for AI and tech adoption, which delivers personalised, on-the-job learning. Multiverse has trained more than 340,000 apprentices in AI, data and digital skills since 2016.

Over 1,500 companies work with Multiverse to deliver a new kind of learning that’s transforming the workforce at scale. Programmes are targeted at people of any age or career stage

‍

Following successful pilot programmes that delivered measurable improvements across its operations, the University of Southampton is expanding its digital training initiative to a wider cohort of staff. The AI and Data apprenticeships programme with Multiverse has welcomed an additional 150 colleagues, marking the university’s largest cohort yet.

Initial participants were quick to apply their new skills and drive tangible business impact, with one learner mitigating room inspection failures through clearer data and the implementation of a new process tracker. Other learners made strides in reducing admin bottlenecks, with one significantly cutting down reporting time and another developing a Power BI dashboard which led to a major reduction in issues with student engagement monitoring.

Building on this success, the University has recently extended the programmes to a new cohort of staff, reflecting the demand for digital skills across the organisation and the value demonstrated by earlier cohorts in increasing accuracy and reducing the burden of manual activities.

Staff have enrolled into one of four Multiverse courses, including AI-centric programmes Level 3 AI-Powered Productivity and Level 4 AI for Business Value. These courses will improve confidence in ethical and effective AI tool adoption, including Microsoft 365 Copilot, helping teams to integrate these tools into tasks across their workflows.

The Level 3 Data & Insights for Business Decisions and Level 4 Data Fellowship programmes will improve data handling and automation in Excel, PowerBI and Tableau, and train staff in predictive and statistical modelling to tackle hands-on projects and handle real operational challenges effectively. 

Andrew Atherton, VP International and Engagement and Digital Strategy Sponsor at the University of Southampton, said: “Multiverse’s training programmes have shown what’s possible when staff are given the tools and confidence to apply digital thinking to their work. Having secured significant results already, we’re excited to equip even more of our people with robust skills in AI and data, helping us to deliver even better services for students and increase job satisfaction for employees.” 

Gary Eimerman, Chief Learning Officer at Multiverse said: “It’s fantastic to see the impact that Multiverse training has already had on the University of Southampton, whether it’s fewer room inspection failures or reduced reporting time. Expanding the training will give more staff the opportunity to innovate in their roles, creating a shared digital culture across the University.” 

Multiverse is the upskilling platform for AI and tech adoption, which delivers personalised, on-the-job learning. Multiverse has trained more than 20,000 apprentices in AI, data and digital skills since 2016.

Over 1,500 companies work with Multiverse to deliver a new kind of learning that’s transforming the workforce at scale. Programmes are targeted at people of any age or career stage.

Age UK, the leading charity for older people, is partnering with tech upskilling platform Multiverse to launch an AI and Data Academy. The initiative will equip 60 team members with critical digital skills, transforming how the Charity supports the millions of older people currently facing poverty and isolation.

As the UK’s ageing population continues to grow, the demand for Age UK’s services has never been higher. Nearly 2 million older people are currently living in poverty, often hidden from traditional support networks. This partnership moves beyond traditional charity operations, using technology as a force multiplier to reach more vulnerable people with its services.

The training initiative will empower the organisation to modernise their processes, secure data-led insights and adopt new technology. By strengthening digital skills across its teams, Age UK can reduce delays in live fundraising projects, identify future fundraising opportunities, and streamline critical tasks such as writing funding bids, which can take weeks of employee time to complete manually.

Donna Marshall, Chief People Officer at Age UK, said: “Our people are deeply committed to the meaningful work that they do, and this partnership with Multiverse is a significant investment in their growth and the future of the Charity. By launching this AI and Data Academy, we are empowering our team to work more effectively, so they’re able to focus on what truly matters.”

James Radford, Strategy and Transformation Director at Age UK, said: “To address the complex challenges of poverty and isolation in an ageing population, we must be as agile and data-informed as possible. That means developing data and AI capabilities across our teams to unlock insights that allow us to scale our impact and target our resources to reach more people that need our support. The Digital Academy is therefore a key part of our transformation strategy.”

Staff will be enrolled across five Multiverse training programmes, including the Level 3 programmes Data for Insights and Business Decisions and AI-Powered Productivity, which introduce learners to data and AI platforms, such as Microsoft Copilot and Power BI.

The Level 4 Data Fellowship delivers training in programming, data modelling and analysis skills, while the Level 4-6 Advanced Data Fellowship will deepen technical expertise in data storage, machine learning and data flow automation. 

Gary Eimerman, Chief Learning Officer at Multiverse said: “Charities like Age UK deliver critical support to those in need, and as the need for charity support grows, so do the demands on those delivering these services. To help meet these demands, Age UK is leading the way by removing digital barriers, streamlining processes and unlocking valuable time through data insights and responsible AI uses.”

Multiverse is the upskilling platform for AI and tech adoption, which delivers personalised, on-the-job learning. Multiverse has trained more than 20,000 apprentices in AI, data and digital skills since 2016.

Over 1,500 companies work with Multiverse to deliver a new kind of learning that’s transforming the workforce at scale. Programmes are targeted at people of any age or career stage.

Before Multiverse, what was the alternative for a 42-year-old whose role is being automated? An evening course? A YouTube tutorial? In too many cases, the answer was nothing at all.

I started Multiverse nearly ten years ago because I saw an acute problem: a huge gulf between the skills workers had and the skills the economy needed. Ten years on, that problem has got harder. Employer investment in training has fallen by nearly £10 billion in real terms. Hundreds of thousands of vacancies in the NHS, social work and teaching go unfilled. More than a quarter of all employer vacancies are skills-related. And now we face something genuinely existential: AI-driven displacement that will impact every worker, in every sector.

The OBR's March 2026 forecast shows a £90 billion swing in public borrowing depending on whether productivity improves - and names AI adoption as a key factor. UK output per person has flatlined since 2019. The cost of inaction is not abstract.

Last year, Multiverse accounted for more than half of all growth in apprenticeship starts across the entire system. That growth brings responsibility, and accountability where we fall short. So let me be direct about both.

On completion rates: ours are too low, and I want them higher. Our last published QAR (the government gathered metric for completion) sits at 52.6%. Our highest-level programmes complete at c.70%, our software developer programmes complete above 80%, and our data degree apprenticeship has topped the National Student Survey for satisfaction two years running. The gap elsewhere reflects deliberate choices that I stand behind, with caveats.

For our AI programmes, we chose an inclusive approach to enrolment. Employers asked us to reach frontline workers - the people who typically get passed over for formal training. The result is a 50/50 gender split on our two biggest AI programmes and genuine reach across the country. That approach comes with a real tradeoff on completion, but even among those who withdraw, 70% have already generated measurable value for their employer. One of our NHS apprentices reduced missed appointments in a hospital department by 30%. A pay rise or promotion during or after the programme is the majority outcome for our learners.

We also hit friction because the regulated apprenticeship system hadn't caught up with AI. The release of the first general purpose AI apprenticeship is now imminent; but nearly four years after ChatGPT launched. The right answer was never to simply ignore AI from an apprenticeship perspective - but we paid a price in our QARs for innovating ahead of the programmatic standards available. We're working to close that gap.

On whether we take more than we give: Multiverse has put $500 million of investment capital into the skills system — the largest non-governmental investment in the skills system anywhere in the world. Our learners have driven more than £2 billion in measurable ROI for their employers. Our AI coach, Atlas, now handles 15 million queries with a 98% satisfaction rate. Since 2020, we've contributed £102 million in Income Tax and National Insurance through our employee payroll alone.

And we train apprentices aged 16 to 70. That's not a mission drift — it's the most urgent expression of our mission. The cost of a Multiverse programme is a fraction of the cost of redundancy, rehiring, and starting again from scratch. Apprenticeships for a 45-year-old facing automation and apprenticeships for an 18-year-old who can't afford university are both responses to the same broken system. We shouldn’t pit them against each other; the country needs more of both.

On growing too fast: I accept that growth creates strain, and that in regulated markets innovation creates friction. We haven't always managed that strain as well as we should. We weren't prioritising formal careers advice for experienced workers, as an example - assuming they wouldn't want it from us. The regulator sees it differently, and we're now embedding it across all programmes. Where we've created friction, we'll own it and adapt.

But the apprenticeship system's core problem is not that providers have grown too fast. It's that the system hasn't grown at all. The NHS starts c.20,000 apprentices in a workforce of 1.4 million. Its own Long Term Workforce Plan targets 22% of clinical training through apprenticeship routes by 2031. It’s only 7% today. Funds available for apprenticeships expire unused every year. Total starts remain below pre-levy levels. We employ a sales team that is unashamedly relentless in trying to persuade every employer who will listen that educating their workforce is a good thing, and that it’s a worthwhile investment to make - both for them and for their workers.

In that context, growing too fast is not the right criticism. The right question is: why isn't everyone growing faster?

We are reinvesting everything we earn into building a reskilling infrastructure that didn't exist before. We are not going to stop. There is an alarming world where workers facing automation have nowhere to turn. They deserve a pathway, and we're proof that when you build one, people will take it. The skills gap is not inevitable. The question is whether we'll move fast enough, and boldly enough, to close it. And ten years on, there’s still a lot more for us to do.

— Euan Blair

‍

This week, we reported our gender pay gap for the 2024-2025 tax year. The report offers a snapshot of Multiverse's gender pay gap on 05 April 2025, the government's date for private sector reporting. At that time, we had 570 employees in the UK.

Headlines

• Our mean pay gap decreased in 2025 to 10%, which remains lower than the average gender pay gap in comparable sectors.
• Our mean bonus gap declined from 33.2% to 21.5%, and our median bonus gap remains low at 4.5%. With a similar proportion of men (77.5%) and women (78.2%) receiving a bonus during this period, this indicates that bonus distribution across the organisation is largely equitable.
• Women continue to excel in our Sales organisation, representing 80% of our top five highest-earning commission roles at the snapshot date, despite making up approximately 30% of the total Sales team.

The Gender Pay Gap explained

First - some technical bits. The gender pay gap is the difference between the average hourly pay of men and women within an organisation. The UK government requires businesses with 250 or more employees to report on the following metrics each year:

• Hourly pay gap - mean and median
• Bonus pay gap - mean and median
• Proportion of men and women receiving a bonus
• Proportion of men and women in different earnings quarters

The gender pay gap is distinct from unequal pay, which is illegal in the UK and has been since 1970. At Multiverse, we take active steps to ensure there is equal pay for equal work at all levels within our business, for example regular pay audits and benchmarking. Reporting on our gender pay gap is an important moment for us to reflect on the initiatives we introduce to embed fairness and equality of opportunity in our business, and whether these are successful.

A note - HMRC specifies that Gender Pay Gap data sets should only include people who identify as a man or woman. Multiverse employees can voluntarily complete a series of census questions through our HR Information System, including their gender identity. To align with HMRC's guidelines, we have excluded any employee who has self-identified as 'Non-binary' or 'Another gender identity', although this approach is not in line with our internal pay audit practices or overall approach to gender identity and equality.

Key Figures

As a reminder, this report is retrospective and covers the period between 6th April 2024 - 5th April 2025, with a snapshot date of 05 April 2025.

Pay Gap

In the UK, Multiverse's mean gender pay gap was 10%. This means that the average hourly pay of a man at Multiverse was 10% higher than the average hourly pay of a woman.

Multiverse's median pay gap was 13.3%. The median pay gap is the difference between the salary in the middle of the range of all employees who are men, compared to the middle salary among all employees who are women. At Multiverse, the median man earned 13.3% higher than the median woman. The reason we look at the median is because it reduces the impact of any outlier values.

According to the House of Commons Library (ONS), the 2025 UK median gender pay gap for reporting employers was 11% (source, p.12). Research also tells us that the mean gender pay gap in both the Technology and Professional Services sectors is approximately 15% (source), which are the sectors that offer the best comparisons to Multiverse. However, recent industry research suggests that for some areas of the UK technology sector, the gender pay gap is as high as 17.5%, with 42% of top tech firms seeing their gap rise or stay the same since 2021 (source).

Bonus Gap

In the reporting period, 77.9% of Multiverse's UK employees received a bonus - 78.2% of women, and 77.5% of men.

Our mean gender bonus gap declined from 33.2% in 2024 to 21.5% in 2025. This means that on average across the 12 months leading up to 05 April 2025, the bonus of a man at Multiverse was 21.5% higher than the bonus of a woman.

Our median gender bonus gap increased from -16.5% in 2024 to 4.5% in 2025. This means, the median man at Multiverse had a bonus 4.5% higher than the median woman. Our median bonus gap differs significantly from the mean gap because the median factors out some of the impact of outlier bonus amounts. There's higher year-on-year variability in the bonus gap because of the performance-related nature of our bonus and commission plans. We will explore this in greater detail, later in the report.

Across all reporting employers in 2025, on average, 38% of women and men received bonuses, and in 64% of reporting employers, median bonus pay was higher for men than for women (source, p.12-13).

Earnings Quarters

From 2024 to 2025, we saw an increased proportion of women in the middle quarters, and a decreased proportion of women in the upper and lower hourly pay quarters.

Overall we have more men in our highest paid roles and more women in our lowest paid roles. Over-representation of men in high-earning roles is a systemic driver of the gender pay gap; it is at these levels where the most significant pay gaps exist and they have been the slowest to narrow (source, p.31). While this remains true for Multiverse, we have made progress and continue to work towards a gender-balanced organisation.

Gender breakdown by pay quartile

Explaining our Data

We are pleased that our mean gender pay gap has decreased and remains lower than the average for the UK Tech and Professional sectors. In pursuit of this goal, we will continue to work on identifying the causes of our pay gaps and how we can close these. This section sets out some key factors which have influenced our pay gap data this year.

Impacts on Pay

Sales Commissions: Commissions and other bonuses paid in the month of April are included in our calculation of an employee's ordinary pay, as required by the UK government. At Multiverse, the only bonuses paid in April are Sales commissions. On the snapshot date, 72.5% of our Account Executives (the quota-carrying Sales roles) were men. However, 80% of our top 5 highest-earning Sales reps, based on April commission, were women. This reflects the overall industry picture; women make up approximately 30% of all Sales roles however have higher quota attainment (source). It is important to note that commission payments reflect individual in-year performance, and this picture can change year-on-year.

Distribution and Representation: In 2025, we saw decreased representation of women in both our upper and lower pay quarters. Typically, a reduction of women in the lower pay quarter is a positive driver for closing the gap, as it indicates fewer women are concentrated in the lowest-paid positions. This contributed to the decrease in our mean pay gap.

However, our median gender pay gap increased. This is because the decrease in representation of women at the upper pay quarter (which corresponds to Director level and above) was more significant than the reduction at the junior levels. This shifted the middle salary point, so that the median woman at Multiverse was paid less than the median man. While our Executive team remained gender-balanced in April 2025 - a benchmark we are proud of compared to the FTSE 350 average (source) - these roles are the highest-paid in the organisation. As outliers, they impact the mean but are excluded from the median calculation. Effectively, while we have improved the gender balance in our entry level roles, the reduction of women in the senior leadership layers immediately below the Executive level remains the primary driver of our median gap.

Impacts on Bonuses

Our mean bonus gap decreased to 21.5% in 2025. While moving in the right direction, it remains high due to the over-representation of men in senior roles where bonus potential is higher.

In contrast, our median bonus gap was 4.5%. As the median figures lessen the impact of outlier figures on each end of the spectrum, it provides a clearer picture for the typical Multiverse employee. There is an inherent variability in our bonus pay gap figures because of our "Pay for Performance" Reward philosophy. Because payouts are tied to individual performance ratings, we typically see more significant year-on-year changes in the bonus gap; this is expected and reflects the performance-driven nature of our plans.

However, a low median bonus gap suggests that at the mid-point of Multiverse, men and women are receiving similar bonus amounts. This indicates that for the typical employee, our performance framework and bonus policy is being consistently and equitably applied.

Our Approach to Closing the Gender Pay Gap

We believe that increasing rigour and specificity across our People processes is the most effective way to ensure fairness and transparency. By standardising how we evaluate performance and reward our talent, we aim to "level the playing field" and reduce the impact of unconscious bias in decision-making.

Starting in April 2025, we have undertaken a year-long review and evolution of our performance framework to further increase this rigour. While the implementation of this new framework - which covers everything from hiring to internal performance assessment - is outside the scope of this retrospective report, it represents our ongoing commitment to embedding equity into every People process.

We believe our data-driven approach to pay and performance across the 2024-2025 period has been key to our progress:

• Evidence-Based Reward: We have continued to mature our 'Pay for Performance' philosophy to ensure all compensation decisions are equitable and evidence-based. Central to this is our structured bonus model, which ensures each performance rating correlates to a single, standardised individual performance multiplier. By using a structured approach that removes individual discretion from bonus calculations, we reduce the risk of subjectivity and unequal payouts. We believe the impact of this consistency is reflected in our low 2025 median bonus gap.
• Robust Calibration: Our performance review process relies on multiple rounds of calibration across different levels of leadership to ensure ratings are applied consistently and fairly. Unlike many organisations, we do not use a forced distribution curve. Research indicates that forced rankings may penalise high-performing talent from under-represented groups (source). Instead, we use a shared set of criteria to provide a data-led foundation for measurement. The calibration process then allows us to integrate stakeholder feedback and self-input to ensure we have mitigated bias in the assessment process. This allows us to reward true high performance and identify where support is needed, without penalising employees through a purely formulaic approach.
• Data Oversight: During each cycle, we provide an additional layer of scrutiny by reviewing performance ratings against diversity data at a macro level to check for potential unconscious or structural bias. We move beyond a department-led view to specifically scrutinise outlier distributions and ensure that every area of the business has applied our criteria fairly and consistently. By maintaining this macro-level oversight, we ensure that performance outcomes are a true reflection of contribution, providing a more accurate foundation for pay and progression decisions.

Conclusion

While the 2024-2025 gender pay gap report provides an important annual snapshot, our focus on organisational fairness is a continuous priority. As we continue to scale and grow at pace, we are committed to the robust systems and processes that allow us to find and reward talent from all backgrounds, ensuring that fairness remains fundamental to how we operate at Multiverse.

The firm is advancing its AI strategy with Multiverse to drive operational excellence across its business.

Leading business process outsourcer Capita is accelerating its adoption of artificial intelligence by expanding its partnership with Multiverse, the upskilling platform for AI and tech adoption. After successfully equipping more than 500 employees with advanced AI skills, Capita is now enrolling a further 250 staff members onto Multiverse programmes to embed AI-driven efficiency across the organisation.

To date, Capita’s initial cohort has saved an average of 10 hours per week per learner, delivering over 400 applied AI projects and identifying 40 unique AI use cases. These efficiency gains represent a significant shift toward a data and AI-augmented workforce, where technical skills are used to remove manual administrative burdens and accelerate decision making.

This expansion is central to Capita’s AI transformation strategy, building practical AI skills that improve delivery and reduce cost-of-service. By spreading AI capability across its departments, Capita is enabling its workforce to focus on high-value, strategic work.

Richard Holroyd, CEO of Capita Public Service, and the programme sponsor of the expanded training, said: "Our early work with Multiverse has demonstrated that when you give talented people the right skills, the impact is clear.

“We’re now building on that success as we broaden this training, showing through our own transformation how responsible, practical AI adoption can improve how we work, strengthen our delivery, and set a standard our clients can trust. By getting this right internally, we create a blueprint for the innovative, high‑quality solutions we take to market.”

Euan Blair, CEO and Founder of Multiverse, said: "Capita is showing exactly what it looks like to put AI to work, giving its teams the skills to actually use it every day. Seeing hundreds of people move from curiosity to delivering real results—like saving ten hours every week—proves that when you give a workforce the right training, they can solve even the most complex problems."

Dave Collingwood, a Training Operations Manager and Multiverse learner at Capita, joined the programme to discover how AI could be applied to his daily responsibilities. He identified a major bottleneck in the training team’s booking process and built a solution that reduced the time required for a single booking from eight minutes to just 30 seconds. This single project saved 30 business days of manual work each year and created a more auditable, data-rich system.

Dave is now applying these skills to Capita Fire and Rescue, where he is developing an AI agent to provide 100% assurance on the 6,000 fire risk assessments completed annually, eliminating potential inconsistencies and enhancing public safety.

Dave said: "I'll admit I started the programme unsure of where I’d actually be able to apply AI skills to my day-to-day work. But through the process, I realised just how many of my workflows were bogged down by manual steps that could be far more efficient with AI. Now, I’m confidently building agents that automate that manual work, not only saving my team significant time but also drastically reducing the room for human error."

Capita’s initial cohorts were enrolled on the AI for Business Value, Level 4, programme, which teaches professionals to identify and execute high-impact AI use cases that solve business problems. The next cohort will join the AI-Powered Productivity, Level 3, programme, focusing on the practical application of Generative AI tools like Microsoft Copilot to enhance daily workflows.

Through this continued collaboration, Capita is establishing a new benchmark for operational excellence by turning high-potential skills into impactful business results. By equipping its workforce to lead the AI revolution, Capita is ensuring that it remains at the forefront of industry innovation.

New research from AI upskilling platform Multiverse has uncovered a significant perception gap in the UK’s white collar workforce. Currently, 59% of leaders believe their employees collaborate with AI every day, yet only 42% of employees report doing so, highlighting a critical lack of visibility into frontline operations.

The study suggests that many UK executives may be flying blind during this major technological shift. The disconnection is most pronounced in the realm of autonomy. While 23% of CEOs believe employees are already delegating entire tasks to AI, only 8% of employees say they are doing so.

The research also exposes a stark divide that further complicates the transformation landscape. Seniority alone accounts for a 30 percentage point gap in AI adoption: while 52% of mid-level workers collaborate with AI daily, only 21% of junior employees report doing the same. This disparity persists across management levels, with nearly half (48%) of middle managers using AI day-to-day, compared to just 20% of individual contributors.

Despite a bullish outlook on AI’s potential, the research indicates that leaders are insufficiently prepared to guide their organisations through this transformation. More than half (55%) of leaders have received less than five hours of formal AI training from their organisations. Instead, 58% are forced to rely on informal experimentation with tools like ChatGPT to self-teach the basics.

This lack of structured upskilling is directly contributing to adoption hurdles. Both leaders (53%) and employees (57%) cite resistance to change as a primary challenge, while roughly half of both groups point to a negative mindset toward AI as a barrier to progress.

The appetite for change exists, but it requires a shift from informal playing around to structured, long-term development. 85% of leaders and 78% of employees agree that more frequent training is essential to keep pace with the current rate of change.

Gary Eimerman, Chief Learning Officer at Multiverse, said: “AI is not a monolithic tool, and its application varies wildly between a junior developer, a middle manager, and a CEO. The 30% gap in adoption we see between seniority levels is a clear signal that the one-size-fits-all approach to AI is failing. To bridge this divide, businesses must move beyond generic training and implement custom AI upskilling paths tailored to the unique daily workflows of every individual.”

To truly land AI transformation, organisations must shift toward an applied learning strategy. By developing custom AI frameworks that address the specific needs of individual workers, leaders can move from flying blind to driving a cohesive, organisation-wide transformation.