Leadership Coaching Platform Torch Acquires Praxis Labs

Led by Heather Conklin(CEO), Meena Bhatia(CTO), Catherine Allen(Chief of Staff), Kathryn Coyle(Head of Coaching Experience), Jeff Nichols(CFO), and Lauren Grau(Chief Marketing Officer), Torch acquires AI-Powered Leadership development platform Praxis Labs for an undisclosed amount. Praxis Labs, founded by Elise Smith and Heather Shen, is an AI learning platform that helps unlock critical human skills to power businesses at scale with research-backed practice simulations, AI coaching, and skills assessments.

Torch connects individual coaching to organizational priorities through a dynamic feedback loop that surfaces change readiness, cultural barriers, and execution gaps. With Praxis integrated, coaching adapts to business context, reinforces skill-building, and delivers real-time insights to guide targeted interventions and improve organizational health.

Torch’s combined platform helps enterprises scale leadership in the AI era by uniting human connection, structured practice, and data-driven insight. By aligning leadership growth with strategic goals, it transforms development from a cost center into a business growth engine.

Praxis Labs co-founders Elise Smith and Heather Shen have taken on executive roles at Torch as Head of AI Growth and Head of AI Product, respectively. The full Praxis team is joining Torch to accelerate the AI product roadmap and expand the platform’s capabilities and impact.