This is the biggest move we’ve made at Torch, and it marks something we’ve believed for a long time. A leadership development system designed to meet the pace, pressure, and complexity of modern leadership with real-time, contextual support.
Because Torch is committed to reimagining what coaching can be, this acquisition became an opportunity to build something that doesn’t exist anywhere else.
Leaders are under more pressure than ever to deliver in fast-moving environments. At the same time, companies are investing heavily in transformation across AI, culture, and operations without always having the leadership capacity to bring those strategies to life.
88% of business transformations fail. Not because the strategy is bad, but because leaders don’t have what they need when the pressure hits.
A bold step toward a different kind of system
That’s why we acquired Praxis Labs. Together, we’re building a connected leadership development system powered by people and AI. It brings together expert coaching, immersive practice, and real-time insight so growth doesn’t stop at reflection. It continues through everyday leadership challenges.
This system supports leaders when the stakes are high and the next step isn’t obvious. It helps them grow through the moments that shape teams, culture, and outcomes.
Why we made this move now
We’re at an inflection point. Leaders are under more pressure than ever to deliver in fast-moving environments. At the same time, companies are investing heavily in transformation across AI, culture, and operations without always having the leadership capacity to bring those strategies to life.
Leaders want to move faster, with more clarity and confidence. And they want support that’s relevant and usable, not just conceptual. That’s what this acquisition is about. A leadership system built for transformation at scale, where people and AI work together to help leaders adapt, align, and act with intention.
What Praxis + Torch makes possible
Praxis brings the critical piece. Adaptive practice that turns insights into action. Take a team lead navigating friction across departments. Deadlines are tight, teams are misaligned, and tensions are starting to show.
With Torch, they’re already working with a coach who brings real leadership experience and deeply understands their business context. Someone helping them zoom out, unpack the dynamics, and find a more productive path forward.
But now they can also practice those hard conversations with a simulated teammate. Try different language. See how it lands. Get feedback from the system. And return to their coach with sharper insight and more confidence.
That’s the advantage of combining human insight with adaptive AI. Not just more support, but support that’s continuous, contextual, and actionable.
Here’s what makes this combination so powerful:
- Deep partnership and contextual coaching that connects individual development directly to your business goals and organizational challenges, with coaches who truly understand your world.
- Exceptional coaches with real-world leadership experience who bring both coaching expertise and firsthand knowledge of navigating complex business challenges.
- Immersive practice and adaptive feedback that lets leaders rehearse pivotal moments in realistic scenarios and get personalized coaching technology that adjusts to their specific situations.
- Lasting capacity building and real measurement that goes beyond skills to develop fundamental leadership capacities, tracked through actual behavior change and organizational insights.
The story behind Praxis Labs
Praxis was born from a simple belief. Workplaces could work better for everyone, and leadership could be the key to making that happen. Elise Smith and Heather Shen founded the company in 2019, inspired by personal experience and a shared desire to build something more inclusive, practical, and effective than traditional training.
Companies like Amazon, Salesforce, and Uber use Praxis to build more inclusive, engaged, high-performing teams through research-backed simulations and measurable leadership development.
But for Elise and Heather, it was always about more than the technology. They believed that if leaders could practice the hard moments, not just talk about them, they’d be better prepared to lead across differences and through change.
When I first met Elise and Heather, I felt an immediate connection not just to the work, but to the heart behind it. We didn’t just share values. We shared a vision for something more complete, more human, and more powerful than either of us could build alone.
They had built something unique. Immersive simulations, adaptive coaching technology, and meaningful insight into how people actually grow. It was clear we were solving the same problem from different angles. And when we started to talk, it didn’t feel like a partnership to explore. It felt like something that was meant to be.
Torch has created contextual coaching that ties leadership growth to real business outcomes and builds the lasting capacities leaders need to navigate uncertainty. Praxis brought the practice layer—what happens in between sessions, in the moments leaders don’t always talk about but deeply feel.
Now, with Elise joining as Head of AI Growth and Heather as Head of AI Product, we’re bringing together not just our technologies, but our teams and shared vision for what leadership development can become.
How it works in practice
This isn’t just a feature addition. It’s a new system. One that gives leaders and organizations the ability to sense and respond in real time through what we call a continuous learning loop. We take the time to understand your world and integrate deeply with your goals.
The system combines expert coaching tailored to your context, delivered by seasoned leaders who’ve been there, with the true partnership approach that makes Torch different.
AI-powered practice and feedback between sessions so growth doesn’t stop when the call ends. Leaders can rehearse difficult conversations, practice giving feedback, or navigate complex team dynamics in realistic scenarios.
Real-time insights show where people are progressing, where they’re stuck, and what’s driving change. This goes beyond self-reported confidence to measure actual skill development.
Organizational intelligence that reveals how leadership is evolving and where support is needed next. Because we practice what we coach at Torch, we understand how individual growth and organizational systems influence each other.
We’re building something no one else has, a connected intelligence system for leadership growth where context flows in and insights flow out. Your company’s priorities, leadership expectations, and values get brought into coaching and practice. Continuous data on what leaders are facing, how they’re growing, and what’s getting in the way flows back to help you adapt faster.
The power of human connection and AI
Human coaches bring emotional intelligence, perspective, and nuance. They help leaders shift mindsets, grow capacities, and apply them in real time. At Torch, our coaches have the real leadership experience that makes the difference when navigating complex challenges.
AI brings consistency, responsiveness, and scale. Praxis simulations let leaders rehearse key moments, get feedback, and refine their approach between sessions, not just after the fact.
We’ve always believed human connection drives change. And AI should amplify, not replace, that impact.
Together, they create development that’s continuous, personalized, and measurable. Leaders can rehearse before high-stakes moments, not just reflect afterward. Teams align faster because feedback is timely and relevant. Organizations can spot friction and act on it as it’s happening, not months later.
What this changes for organizations like yours
We’re not replacing human coaching with AI. We’re giving leaders more ways to grow in their moments, on their terms. And we’re giving organizations clearer insight into what’s working, what’s not, and where to go next.
With Praxis, Torch becomes more than a coaching platform. It becomes your leadership development infrastructure. The system that links individual growth to team performance to organizational transformation.
If you’re rethinking how leadership happens inside your company, this is your first real look at what’s possible. We’d love to show you what we’re building and why it’s already shifting how our customers support their people.
Want to see how this works in practice? Schedule a demo and let’s explore what becomes possible when coaching, practice, and insight work as one connected system. Let’s talk.
Author spotlight
Explore what’s next in leadership development
Torch + Praxis is just one part of how we’re evolving leadership development. In this recent webinar, Beyond resilience: When leadership stops being a solo act, we explore what happens when leadership becomes a shared, team-level strategy—with insights from Dr. Vijay Pendakur and Torch’s Head of Coaching.