About Us
Our Story
Edify started as all good ventures do – late one night on a dance floor in Inverness. While attending a tech conference in the Scottish city, Martin McDonnell and Chris Bryson realised that they had a lot in common besides growing up in the same neighbourhood of Glasgow. Edify grew out of their shared, fundamental belief that everyone should have access to lifelong training opportunities and be able to level up their skills while working and that immersive technology should be used to deliver this training.
As serial entrepreneurs with backgrounds in immersive content and technology, Chris and Martin were ideally placed to make this vision happen. The result: Sublime Digital, which would become Edify.
From 2017-19, Sublime Digital built bespoke VR training solutions for enterprise clients in Saudi Arabia and across the MENA region. In 2018-19, Sublime was awarded £1m by the UK government to collaborate with the University of Glasgow on Project Mobius, which investigates the use of VR in Higher Education and enterprise settings.
As COVID-19 lockdowns began in the early months of 2020, it became clear that new ways of working were needed. This spurred Chris and Martin to take Sublime to market as Edify.
With immersive solutions spanning from academic application to enterprise, Edify is a learning and skill training platform working to drive wider social change with particular focus on providing Environment, Strategy and Governance (ESG) solutions.
Edify has HQs in Dubai and in Glasgow, and a team that spans the world. As a Work from Anywhere company, Edify has built a truly global and richly diverse team, drawing on creativity and talent from across the globe. Edify's diversity is a real asset in building the future of lifelong learning and skills training.
Edify’s story
Chris Bryson and Martin McDonnell meet late one night on a dancefloor in Inverness, Scotland. They don’t know it yet but they’re about to found Edify.
2016
Edify builds bespoke VR and AR solutions for clients in Saudi Arabia and across the MENA region.
2017-19
Edify is awarded £500k by Innovate UK to start Project Mobius, a long-term partnership with the University of Glasgow researching VR in Higher Education.
2018
As COVID-19 lockdowns begin, it becomes clear that new ways of working are needed. This spurs Chris and Martin to take Edify to market, with a focus on enterprise and ESG solutions.
Early 2020
Edify launches its Early Adopters programme: there are 158 applicants from five continents.
Mid-2020
Class of Your Own Partnership for AEC in Education
Mid-2020
Edify’s BETA programme launches to 200 applicants and 60 institutions.
Late 2020
Edify signs a 5-year Memorandum of Understanding with Heriot Watt University.
2021
Edify has HQs in Glasgow, Scotland and Dubai, employees working around the world, and a global network of partners.
Now
Who We Are
Leadership
Martin McDonnell
CEO + Co-Founder
3D Pioneer/Entrepreneur
Martin is a pioneer in serious gaming and 3D immersive content. In 2000, he founded Soluis Group, now one of the largest content studios in the field of designing, engineering and construction.
After stepping out of day-to-day management of Soluis in 2017, he worked to bring the initial investment, team and tech into Edify.
His role at Edify is leading the management team and acting as the main spokesperson for Edify.
Chris Bryson
COO + Co-Founder
AR Tech Pioneer/Entrepreneur
Chris is a technology startup veteran, who was an early employee / co-founder of two successful semiconductor companies, achieving exits of over $250m.
He has extensive global commercial experience, having lived in both Taiwan & the UAE and has consulted for several leading immersive technology companies.
At home in both technical and commercial roles, Chris's role is to oversee sales & marketing, as well as leading Edify’s international expansion.
Chris Freeman
Chief Product Officer
AR/VR Enterprise Innovator
Chris has been at the forefront of immersive technology development, serving as the AR/VR lead at the UK Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, collaborating with Boeing, Rolls Royce, and many more.
He has helped Edify secure over £1.35m in R&D grant funding and currently leads teams covering UI/UX, Education, Digital Pedagogy and Project Management.
Robert McMillan
CTO
Game Engine R&D Leader
Robert has had a 30-year career in software development, focusing on game engine technologies.
He led the team that designed and built the world’s first animated newsreader – one of the first digital avatars – in the late ‘90s.
Robert’s role is to define the system architecture for Edify and to recruit and mentor a world-class software development team.
Mark Anderson
Non-Executive Chairman
EdTech Veteran
Mark worked for Pearson for some 22 years in two stints – in the latter as Managing Director of Pearson UK.
He has been Chair of London Metropolitan University since 2016 and has worked with a number of edtech businesses in non-executive and advisory capacities, including Macat, BibliU, Higher Education Partners, Created Academy, Squla and EDIA.
He is a Fellow of Hughes College Cambridge and author of The Leadership Book: How to Deliver Outstanding Results (2e, 2013).
Advisory Board
Alison Watson MBE
CEO + Founder
Class of Your Own
Class Of Your Own works with leading industry and education partners around the world to provide recognised progression routes into work experience, skilled apprenticeships, further and higher education through their award-winning ‘Design Engineer Construct!’ Learning Programme.
Alison is committed to ensuring that the built environment is seen as an exciting, challenging and technologically stimulating place to learn and work.
Neil McDonnell
The Lord Kelvin Adam Smith Fellow
for Virtual and Augmented Reality
for Virtual and Augmented Reality
University of Glasgow
Dr Neil McDonnell returned to academia from a senior role at 3D visualisation leader Soluis, to undertake a PhD in Philosophy.
Neil has since led on the development of a unique XR unit and fellowship at the University of Glasgow, focusing specifically on Virtual and Augmented Reality.
Neil jointly established Project Mobius and has been central to the launch of Edify.
Our Team
As a Work from Anywhere company, Edify has built a team that spans the globe, with colleagues contributing remotely from across the world, as well as from our headquarters in Dubai, Riyadh and Glasgow, Scotland. This makes Edify a truly diverse and inclusive team. Edify’s diversity and inclusivity is a real asset in building the future of lifelong learning and skills training. How will you Edify?
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Careers At Edify
Help the world learn without limits: join the team working to build the world’s best VR and AR learning platform.