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Harnessing Technology to Build a Better World

Mike believes that advancements in technology and business methodologies enable profound change in our world for good, and opens wide the opportunity of eventual equality for all. Born in New York, USA, but growing up in rural West of Ireland, Mike's early entrepreneurialism led him to graduate from Harvard University with an MBA in 1994. Inspired by his mentor, the late American philanthropist Chuck Feeney to use his business talents for social good, Mike conceived the idea of Alison in 2005 and launched Alison as a free learning service in April 2007. Mike believes that using the freemium business models developed by Alison, all knowledge, skills and personal empowerment opportunities can be made freely available to everyone, anywhere, in any language.

“I knew that if we were going to enable the masses to access free education and skills training for the workplace, at every level, for anyone anywhere, in any language, we would have to build a business model that was self-funding and hugely scalable. I realised that the change necessary in education was not possible through philanthropy and charity alone.

My view was that education underpins all social progress, and by revolutionising access to education, we would not just personally empower what might one day be billions of people, but that through education, we could address some of the world’s greatest problems, from physical poverty, to political instability, to climate change. It was a worthy calling, if even we could only make a part contribution to the effort needed. That realisation made the Alison project, and its mission, something very exciting.”

“Education underpins all social progress. If we can improve the general education level worldwide, global poverty can be dealt with profoundly and our general standard of living can be massively improved.”

Mike Feerick

Founder & CEO of Alison

Reimagining Education For Everyone, Everywhere

“When I launched Alison in 2007, I had a vision that it would someday become one of the world’s largest websites; that in time we would see it educating anyone, anywhere, in any subject, at every level, in any language… for free — but the vision went further than that. If we could integrate free publishing, we could start a huge unprecedented transfer of knowledge and skill across the world, and free psychometrics for everyone could empower many with greater self-awareness and eventually, confidence in themselves. I strongly believed that, with free education and work-based learning, we could promote social progress and provide access to valuable skills; skills that could elevate anyone and help build purpose in everyday life” he says, identifying the 'sustainable' manner of Alison's operating model as the unique and critical tenet behind its success to date.

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Alison's Connection to The Declaration Of Human Rights

Mike was gifted with a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights when he received an Award from UNESCO in Paris in 2010. Article 26 of the Declaration is particularly important for Alison. Find out how it inspires our mission.

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International Awards

Mike has received many awards for his leadership and social entrepreneurship, some of which are listed below. At every opportunity, Mike reminds us that the awards he has won would not be possible without the support and abilities of the Alison Team - now close to 200 people working across 34 countries worldwide, and the many supporters and graduates we have across every country.

2010