Founded in 1994 AthenaOnline is one of the originators of microlearning and one of the first cloud-based, SaaS (Software as a Service) companies in the learning industry. Athena started delivering video over the Internet before YouTube was launched and had one of the first solutions for mobile learning (m-learning), which became an Apple iPhone staff pick in 2008. Our breakthrough approaches in e-learning have won numerous industry awards over the years and have been written about in many publications, including Fortune and WIRED magazines.
AthenaOnline was founded with the concept that people learned a lot in classroom environments, but they were inconvenient to attend and covered more than most learners could retain. Books were a clear alternative, but few people read business books. Realizing that technology might help bridge the gap between those who have business expertise and those who need it Athena's founder, Jon Peters, started AthenaOnline with support from Boeing, McKesson, Chubb, NYNEX and The Institute for Management Studies.
As the Internet became more robust and was able to deliver a more compelling experience than simple text pages Athena shifted gears, first with its award-winning interactive courses based on video game principles (gamification) and later with a focus on bite-sized learning content. The MyQuickCoach microlearning platform was officially launched in September of 2001.
The name of the company comes from the Greek Goddess Athena, who was born fully grown from Zeus's head. She is the goddess of wisdom and craft. She is a powerful woman of reason. Yes, she is also a god of war, but we prefer to focus on the wisdom side of things. The AthenaOnline logo is based on her ever present companion, Athena's sacred owl.