Pelican Capital invests in Steplab as teacher professional development platform plans expansion

The deal is Pelican Capital’s tenth platform investment and will support Steplab’s hiring, research, product development, and international growth plans.

Pelican Capital has invested in Steplab, a teacher professional development platform used by more than 200,000 teachers

Pelican Capital has invested in Steplab, the teacher professional development platform used by more than 200,000 teachers, as the company looks to expand its team, deepen its research base, develop its product, and grow internationally.

The investment was announced by Pelican Capital on LinkedIn and marks the private equity firm’s tenth platform investment. It follows Pelican Capital’s investment in EMS in March this year.

Pelican Capital said its backing will support Steplab’s next phase while preserving the impact-driven culture behind the business.

Steplab is a professional development platform for schools, teachers, teaching assistants, pastoral staff, and leaders. Its tools cover instructional coaching, group professional development, lesson drop-ins, secure video capture, analytics, implementation planning, and training support.

Pelican Capital also confirmed that Greg Watson has joined Steplab as Chairman, John Wild has joined as Non-Executive Director, and Troy Harris-Speid from Pelican Capital will join the Steplab Board.

Pelican backs Steplab growth plans

Steplab describes itself as a complete professional development platform for whole-school continuing professional development. Its platform includes evidence-informed teaching techniques, classroom video models, study modules, coaching tools, group training session builders, lesson visit tools, and school-wide analytics.

According to Steplab’s own materials, the platform is used by more than 200,000 teachers and 60 percent of the highest performing schools in England, based on Progress 8 for schools serving high numbers of disadvantaged students in 2023.

The platform is designed to help schools build professional development around specific teaching techniques, real classroom examples, coaching conversations, and implementation roadmaps. It also includes a secure Steplab Record app for capturing teaching practice and supporting feedback.

Claire Hill, Managing Director of Steplab, said: "This is an exciting moment for Steplab and, more importantly, for the schools and teachers we serve. The demand for what we do has grown faster than we ever anticipated, and Pelican's investment gives us the grounding and expertise to go further, faster. For schools currently using Steplab, this means even more of what's working."

New board appointments bring education technology experience

Pelican Capital said Greg Watson and John Wild bring experience from senior roles at GL Education and CPOMS.

Watson was previously CEO of GL Education, known in the UK as GL Assessment, which provides benchmarking, formative, and diagnostic assessments to schools in the UK and internationally. He also holds Chair roles at Wordwall and The Gesualdo Six, as well as previous education governance and trustee positions.

Wild was previously Managing Director at CPOMS Systems Limited from March 2018 to September 2024.

Harris-Speid, Partner at Pelican Capital, wrote on LinkedIn: "Thrilled that Claire Hill, Joshua Goodrich and the Steplab team have chosen to partner with us for this next chapter. We look forward to supporting the business on its mission to provide meaningful impact for both teachers and students globally.”

Platform includes coaching, analytics, and school-wide professional development tools

Steplab sells professional development software for schools and trusts, with tools covering instructional coaching, evidence-informed teaching steps, classroom video examples, study modules, lesson drop-ins, analytics, and implementation support.

That product mix is central to the investment. Pelican Capital is backing a platform that sits across teacher CPD, coaching, school improvement, and trust-level professional development, rather than a standalone content library.

Steplab’s Group PD Builder allows schools to create training sessions from its library, using success criteria, video models, and rehearsal tasks. Its analytics dashboards track individual teacher progress and wider trends across schools and multi-academy trusts.

The platform also supports implementation through hub schools, masterclasses, Steplab Associates, and events. Steplab’s materials point to a research base around instructional coaching, modelling, and professional development mechanisms linked to teacher practice and student outcomes.

Pelican Capital’s investment gives Steplab funding and board-level support as it looks to expand its team, research base, product, and international activity. The investment value has not been disclosed, and Steplab has not set out a timetable for its next product launch or market expansion.