Discover what lies behind our drive and passion
Numeracy for life (N4L) was born out of a passion to remedy the implications of poor adult numeracy. There are an estimated 8 million adults in the UK alone whose numeracy skills are below those expected of a 9-year-old.
As technology and digitalisation transforms the economy and business, numeracy is increasingly recognised as a necessary business and social skill. For individuals and organisations alike, improving adult numeracy skills boosts confidence, which in turn drives performance and productivity.
Unlike other skills, numeracy is a foundational skill set and a gateway to other skills and abilities. Numeracy develops a range of skills, such as analytical thinking and reasoning, problem-solving and critical judgement. Crucially, it also develops confidence which is essential in the workplace.
N4L’s mission is to drive up adult numeracy skills, so that the benefits are felt not only by individuals, but also organisations and the wider economy. We accomplish this by reducing the anxiety associated with learning, which contributes to improving individual confidence, motivation and resilience.
The Team
N4L’s founding team draws on extensive industry knowledge, commercial acumen, and practical experience across the Education, Technology, and Government sectors. They have won multiple awards spanning continents including Most Innovative Software Product Company (NASSCOM 2005), CogX Best AI in Education Product Sector (Market Entrant 2022), and were consulted as part of the UK Government's recent £600M Multiply adult numeracy programme (2022-2025).
CEO/Co-Founder
Neil founded PACE Soft Silicon, which was acquired by Nvidia Inc. in 2005. He has run a range of start ups as well as working with established technology businesses. The inspiration for N4L came whilst he was teaching maths full-time in the UK.
Neil Salvi
CTO/Co-Founder
Sumita comes from a software background and has spent the last 25 years teaching maths to young adults that have needed extra help. Her experience spans Europe and Asia and has developed best practice in the area.
Sumita Sengupta
CFO
A financial professional with 12 years of international experience with PWC. He has committed himself to a range of commercial/social entrepreneurial ventures.
Neil and he successfully set up PACE and built the template for European tech businesses leveraging Indian tech resources.
Tadhg Crowley
Advisor
Vishal has co-founded several companies, notably CloudCover (3x Google Cloud Partner of the Year), which was acquired by ST Telemedia in 2022, and his current baby, The Non-functional Company.
He is a serial entrepreneur firmly committed to using the latest tech for the good of humanity, especially in education and online privacy.
Vishal Parpia
Advisor
With a career spanning research, academics and technology (from graphics to supercomputing to AI) Jaya has not only been on the forefront of research and education – but, in her leadership role throughout her professional career, especially in Nvidia – at the forefront of today’s AI technology revolution.
Jaya (CTO), Neil (CEO) and Tadhg (CFO) were the key instigators of PACE Soft Silicon, one of the mobile video pioneers, founded in 1996 which was acquired by Nvidia in 2005.
Prof. Jaya Panvalkar
Advisor
Daniel is the Chief AI Officer at WPP, following its acquisition of his AI company, Satalia, in 2021. He is also an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at UCL and a Lecturer at The London School of Economics.
He is passionate about applying breakthroughs in technology to help individuals attain their highest personal goals. He guides N4L on its overall AI and ML strategies.
Daniel Hulme
