Sana acquired by Workday for $1.1B: Congratulations to Joel and the team

I’m a firm believer that lifelong learning unlocks opportunities—it certainly has for me. And as technology reshapes how we learn at work, the need for scalable, personalized training has never been greater. That’s why, when I launched enablinginsights five years ago, I was drawn to learn more about a small Stockholm-based startup called Sana that was reimagining how AI could transform learning at scale.

What was special about Sana?

In 2019, founder Joel Hellermark (a fellow physicist!) asked me to critique Sana’s sector strategy, focus, USP, and positioning. Even at that early stage, I was struck by:

• The clarity of their mission—to use AI to personalize workplace learning.
• The boldness of their ambition—to build the “AI platform for learning” and transform how enterprises train and reskill their people.
• Their early technical edge—in adaptive learning and conversational AI.
• Their product velocity and continuous innovation—exploring AI assistants and AI agents years before they became mainstream.
• The caliber of the team that Joel was assembling—ambitious, pragmatic dreamers who combined vision with excellence in every part of their execution.

I also recognized the common challenges they faced—deciding which sectors to prioritize, how to sharpen their USP, and how to position themselves credibly against much larger players. Those are the kinds of challenges I relish, so I was delighted to help.. 

Workday acquires Sana Labs for $1.1B

Fast forward to today, and it’s extraordinary to see how far Joel and the team have come. Sana has grown from a promising startup into one of the most respected innovators in enterprise learning, with a suite of products spanning adaptive learning, AI assistants, and AI agents. Their impact has been so significant that Workday has now acquired Sana Labs for $1.1B to accelerate its own transformation in AI-powered learning.

This achievement is a testament to Joel’s leadership, the strength of the team he has built, and their relentless drive to deliver world-class AI for learning.

What has been the role of enablinginsights

Sana was enablinginsights’ first client. Joel asked me to critique their sector strategy, focus, USP, and positioning. My influence was surely very modest, but Joel generously acknowledged my support (see What leaders say about growth with enablinginsights).

I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Joel and his team of extraordinary visionaries, and proud that, in some small way, I was able to help shape the foundations of a company that has now achieved such an extraordinary milestone.

If you’re interested in another example of how I’ve helped an early-stage edtech refine its strategy and scale, see my blog on Perlego’s $50M Series B raise.

Need help?

If you’re an edtech startup with a bold ambition and need help sharpening your strategy, roadmap, go-to-market, or investment story, please reach out.