The think tank, called The Company of Thought (TCoT), aims to address unsatisfied customer needs and build new business models around them. In particular, it aims to report and comment on trends within the corporate online-learning-technologies industry worldwide, independent of any vested interests.

According to Craig Weiss, one of TCoT’s founding principals and a California-based, internationally known market analyst specializing in learning-management systems (LMSs), "TCoT offers its clients the opportunity to acquire in-depth industry knowledge, to reduce risk - because TCoT provides knowledge about industry developments so that they can take decisions about their future based on the best possible market knowledge at the time - and to reduce cost. Basically, you won’t be able to access such high quality, accurate and comprehensive information more cost effectively."

TCoT’s founder principals are Craig Weiss (California, USA), David Patterson (UK), and Bob Little (UK).

Other founder members of the think tank are An Coppens (UK / Sweden / Belgium), Iva Matasic (Croatia), and Graeme Coomber (UK / Australia / Singapore). From time to time, other online-learning-sector specialists are invited to join – and contribute to – TCoT.

TCoT’s industry specialists are available to carry out such projects as assessing clients’ and/or clients’ competitors’ products. They can speak at clients’ webinars and conferences or give private consultations about industry trends.

In addition, they can carry out specific research projects and write articles or blog posts for clients. TCoT members also contribute to a quarterly industry report, which is for subscribers only.

To mark the public launch of TCoT, its industry report for June 2015 is freely available on request. The report covers the latest news, trends and analysis on

• innovation / leading-edge eLearning, notably MOOCs
• developments in learning-management systems (LMS)
• augmented reality, virtual reality, and other potentially immersive learning tools
• gamification
• personalized eLearning and big-data analytics
• UK and Continental European eLearning trends

"Establishing TCoT marks a new era in international collaboration with the online-learning -technologies industry," commented TCoT principal and director of the UK-based market analyst Learning Light, David Patterson. "Our network of online-learning specialists are based around the world, so we can provide informed analysis of regional trends around the world as well as information on specific sectors within the online-learning-technologies industry."

"At present, TCoT’s clients come from the corporate learning vendors and distributors’ sector," said TCoT’s Bob Little. "However, there are already indications of interest in TCoT’s unique services from public-sector bodies, including some national governments."