AI training that
puts people first.

Vant Academy was established because we felt small businesses were being left behind when it came to AI training. Every owner and employee deserves to use AI safely and with confidence. Read on for our mission, values and the story behind Vant.

  • Small businesses are being left behind when it comes to AI training
  • Every owner and employee deserves to use AI safely and with confidence
  • Read on for our mission, values and the story behind Vant
A smiling food-kiosk owner with a long grey beard and red apron, leaning on his counter

Our mission

Supporting small businesses through the AI revolution.

A smiling food-kiosk owner with a long grey beard and red apron, leaning on his counter

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, but we worry they’re being forgotten about in the AI revolution that’s already under way.

As AI tools have been rolled out, training for small businesses feels like it’s become an afterthought — generic e-learning courses, or training tied to a single AI product. Not very helpful for a busy business owner, and not very adaptable when a new tool emerges that you haven’t been trained on.

We want to close that gap: practical, in-person, training designed specifically for small business owners, entrepreneurs and their teams. Teaching real AI skills applicable across a range of tools.

Two colleagues at a laptop, one standing beside the other and helping

Our values

AI that works for people,
not instead of them.

Two colleagues at a laptop, one standing beside the other and helping

We believe AI should be built around people. The best technology makes life better for the people who use it. It takes tedious jobs off their hands, gives them time back and opens up new possibilities. AI should be no different. Used well, it can give every owner and employee more time for the work that matters. Used badly, it chips away at the jobs, skills and livelihoods our communities depend on. We know which side we’re on.

For small businesses, that means using AI to grow: taking on more customers, launching new services and creating more jobs. That’s why we equip real people with real skills, rather than sell AI products. We give owners and their teams the skills and confidence to use AI themselves.

Who we are

Real training, delivered by people you can trust.

The internet is full of YouTube videos and online courses about AI. We do things differently. We deliver our training in person, because we believe that’s how people learn best. When MIT and Harvard studied their own online courses, they found that even among people who paid to take part, fewer than half went on to finish. In the room with us, you can ask questions as they come up, talk ideas through and hear how other owners, entrepreneurs and their team from businesses like yours are considering putting AI to work. At the end of each course we’ll signpost more free courses and materials you can use to deepen your learning, but we believe the best training starts in the classroom.

Daniel Patterson MBCS

Founder and Lead Trainer

Daniel Patterson, founder of Vant Academy, smiling

Daniel spent 13 years in the Civil Service, at the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office, working on policy and legislation, and training colleagues across government. That included working directly on the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR – the rules that decide how every business can use AI with its customers’ and staff’s data.

When he left, Daniel set up his own property development company, just as AI was beginning to emerge. What started as a passing interest grew into a vocation, and he began retraining so he could use AI in his own business.

In 2026, Daniel launched Vant Academy. Small businesses weren’t being well served by the AI training on offer, and so, with his mix of government, business and AI experience he set out to change that.

MBCS
Professional member, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
AET certified
Level 3 Award in Education and Training
Platform trained
Anthropic, Google and Microsoft
More about the trainer

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One course open for booking now, and three more on the way.

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