We survived the AI disruption. And built a smarter way through it.
Collab365 is a small team from Telford, UK. For over a decade, we helped Microsoft professionals understand changing tools. Today, we build role-specific research systems that turn current workplace blockers into practical answers.
Who we are (and what happened).
Software Roots
We launched Collaboris as a software vendor, building and selling products like DocRead and DocSurvey for SharePoint. We sold enterprise software for years, but to market our tools, we started heavily experimenting with running massive global virtual conferences.
SP24 & Microsoft Headquarters
Discovering we were brilliant at gathering crowds, we launched SP24 in 2014: the very first 24-hour virtual conference focused entirely on Microsoft. By 2016, we had flown to Seattle to host a global conference live from Microsoft Headquarters on the exact day they announced Power Apps.
The Collab365 Academy
Recognizing the massive demand from our community, we split the company in two. In late 2020, we officially launched Collab365 Academy: a community-based, Microsoft 365 training platform. We quickly grew into one of the most respected learning businesses in the ecosystem, running a highly profitable operation out of Telford.
Generative AI Arrives
We realized very quickly that the era of teaching people how to navigate software menus was ending. The software was learning to use itself. The question was no longer "how do I do this?" but "what should I be doing with these tools to survive this disruption?"
Burning Down The Legacy System
We made a choice. We threw out our legacy system, our static video libraries, and the traditional LMS model. Instead of bolting a chatbot on top of our old business, we spent the next two years building a completely new architecture.
The philosophy behind our products.
We don't build generic certification libraries anymore. We believe that professionals learn best when they are actively unblocking something they face at work right now.
Jobs to be Done
No one wakes up wanting to consume a 4-hour course. They want to remove the blocker in front of them. We build for the blocker, not the topic.
Blocker-First Knowledge
We use AI-assisted research to understand current workplace blockers, then turn useful findings into Pulse updates, briefings, guided courses, and Blueprints.
Human Judgement
AI helps with speed and structure, but Collab365 is built around review, judgement, and practical usefulness before content reaches members.
The Team
Built in Telford. Operating globally.
When the AI disruption hit, we made hard changes. Two of our founding directors gracefully stepped back to give the company the runway it needed to pivot. Today, Collab365 is run by a small team using AI and automation to build a different kind of learning system.
Mark & Helen
Led by Mark Jones alongside Operations Director Helen, we use AI to punch massively above our weight. A team of two running zero-server architectures, orchestrating massive content ingestion, and delivering an enterprise-grade learning platform.
Read the unvarnished story.
If you want the full story of how we survived the AI disruption, the mistakes we made, and how we burned down 14 years of architecture to build Collab365 Spaces, we wrote it all down in a 10-part series. No fluff, just the raw truth.