A Chat with Dan Buckley, CEO at AI-Powered SaaS Company: Cognexo

Tell us about Cognexo

 

Cognexo is transforming how businesses approach employee development and engagement. As an AI-powered enterprise SaaS solution, we combine real-time surveys, targeted assessments, communication tools and knoweldge reinforcement capabilities.

Our mission is simple: to help companies build a highly skilled, engaged and fulfilled workforce. 

What’s driving our mission?

Disengagement is a growing crisis. Our 2024 State of the Employee Experience report found 64% of UK employees feel unmotivated to go to work and global figures suggest it’s as high as 85%. Alarmingly, 54% are dissatisfied from day one, starting with onboarding.

Cognexo addresses this from the ground up. Our light-touch surveys surface issues early and escalate them to the right people before they become bigger problems. To drive continuous growth, we identify individual knowledge gaps through real-time assessments and close them with daily, two-minute question-based learning, delivered right where people work: Teams, Slack, email, or our app.

And with Cognexo’s broadcast tool, leaders can instantly deliver and track critical updates, ensuring their workforce not only receives communications, but acknowledges it and understands it.

 

 

What do you think makes this company unique? 

 

Cognexo is unique in its ability to unify the full spectrum of employee engagement needs.

By combining light-touch sentiment checks, targeted daily knowledge reinforcement, real-time assessments and workflow-integrated broadcasts, Cognexo ensures every employee stays informed, supported and continuously improving. This intelligent integration of feedback, learning and communication empowers organisations to build a culture of clarity, capability and care – where people feel valued, aligned and equipped to succeed.

What sets us apart is our focus on employee-centricity. Employees today expect more than just a paycheck, they want to grow, feel valued and be part of a culture that listens. By combining actionable insights with personalised development, we’re enabling organisations to create workplaces where people genuinely want to stay and contribute.

 

 

What is your advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

 

Starting a business is easy; building one that lasts is the challenge. It all begins with a strong idea, but that idea is only as good as the execution behind it. The key is to challenge assumptions, test relentlessly and refine continuously.

One of the biggest roadblocks for new entrepreneurs is fear of failure. Too often, great ideas go untested because founders and leaders hesitate to take risks. The truth is, failure isn’t the opposite of success – it’s a crucial part of the journey. The best entrepreneurs learn from setbacks, iterate quickly and stay agile.

Aspiring entrepreneurs should surround themselves with mentors, peers and a support network that can offer guidance and honest feedback. And above all, keep your focus on solving real problems. The most successful companies aren’t the ones that just build products – they’re the ones that make a meaningful impact through changing people’s lives daily.

 

What most excites you about Cognexo? 

 

The future of Cognexo is incredibly exciting because we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible. In the next few years, we’ll be expanding our use of generative AI to enhance automation, refining our data analytics capabilities and leveraging more sophisticated machine learning models to provide even deeper insights. We’re also actively exploring strategic collaborations and expanding into new markets. That said, our most important and impactful collaborations are those with our customers whose input and feedback keeps us on point with industry trends and pioneering approaches.

Beyond the tech, what excites me the most is the impact we’re having. Seeing companies reduce turnover, increase employee satisfaction and build cultures of continuous learning is what drives us. When employees thrive, businesses thrive – and that’s a mission worth pursuing!

 

How has the company evolved since it was set up? 

 

Cognexo started life as Cognito Learning back in 2018 with a clear mission: to solve a major business challenge with knowledge retention following training or e-learning. Companies were spending significant time and money on employee training, yet much of that investment wasn’t translating into lasting knowledge or improved performance.

Our original solution leveraged the science of spaced repetition to help employees retain critical information. As the business grew, we recognised a deeper issue: engagement and learning couldn’t be treated as separate problems. Employees needed both continuous development and a way to provide feedback in real time.

That realisation led to our evolution. In 2024, we rebranded as Cognexo, expanding from a knowledge-retention tool to a comprehensive employee experience platform. Today, we’re focused on the full employee lifecycle – helping businesses build more engaged, capable and fulfilled teams.

 

What can we hope to see from Cognexo in the future?

 

We have ambitious plans for the future. Our roadmap includes:

• Advancing AI capabilities: We’re integrating more powerful automation and predictive analytics to help businesses take proactive action on employee sentiment and learning needs based on indicators – rather than waiting to react.
• Expanding global reach: We’re focusing on key international markets, with a particular emphasis on the US, where we see significant demand for our solutions.
• Deepening strategic partnerships: Collaborating with HR tech and L&D providers, such as ADP and Workday, to create a seamless ecosystem that enhances employee experiences at scale.

Ultimately, our goal is to set a new standard for the employee experience, where organisations don’t just react to workforce challenges but anticipate and solve them before they arise. We’re excited for what’s ahead and can’t wait to bring even more innovation to the space!