Lyceum AI, a Cincinnati-based AI learning platform and participant in the first cohort of Cintrifuse’s Venture Velocity program, has been acquired by Perceptyx, a leading AI company focused on employee experience. The acquisition marks the first exit from the Venture Velocity program,18 months after Lyceum completed the program and less than 2 years of company launch.
Lyceum, co-founded by Glenn Platt and Russ Hamer, previously professors at Miami University, developed an AI-native learning platform that transforms static training content into dynamic, personalized learning experiences, enabling organizations to verify skill development and knowledge retention across their workforce. The company’s technology addresses a growing need among organizations to connect employee insight with meaningful skill development and behavior change as AI rapidly reshapes how companies train and support employees.
The acquisition comes amid increasing consolidation in the HR technology sector, where larger platforms are seeking innovative AI-driven tools that help organizations translate workforce insights into real-world performance and capability building.
Lyceum was part of the inaugural cohort of Cintrifuse’s Venture Velocity program, an eight-week cohort-based program designed to help early-stage startups rapidly scale through capital investment, mentorship, and fundraising support. Through the program, Cintrifuse made the first institutional investment in Lyceum, leading the company’s early funding and helping facilitate introductions to investors that ultimately contributed to the company closing their pre-seed round.
Lyceum’s team built a niche platform for a massive market and made smart customer and positioning decisions. It’s rewarding to see their success translate into an acquisition so quickly; this is the big swing we want to encourage Cincinnati founders to take through programs like Venture Velocity.
For Lyceum AI, the acquisition represents both a milestone for the company and a reflection of the broader entrepreneurial community that helped shape its early growth.
Cintrifuse played a meaningful role in helping Lyceum accelerate our early growth. From early capital, fundraising support, and introductions across their venture network, the team helped us move quickly at a critical stage of the company’s development. We’re proud to have built Lyceum in Cincinnati and look forward to continuing to grow our presence here.
The team plans to maintain its presence in Cincinnati, strengthening the region’s growing cluster of HR technology startups, building among companies like Cloverleaf and VNDLY, which was previously acquired by Workday for $510M, and reflects the growing strength of Cincinnati’s startup ecosystem as it continues to launch and scale venture-backed companies.
These materials were prepared exclusively by Cintrifuse, and the opinions expressed herein are current as of the date of publication. Information prepared from third-party sources is believed to be reliable though its accuracy is not guaranteed. Opinions expressed in this commentary reflect subjective judgments of the author based on conditions at the time of writing and are subject to change without notice. Cintrifuse is an SEC registered investment advisor. Registration does not imply any level of skill or training.