Interplay Learning

Doug Donovan is founder and CEO. Prior to Interplay, he founded and sold a workforce-development business, which gave him direct exposure to the inefficiencies in skilled-trades training. His operating history in the education-to-employment pipeline shaped Interplay's simulation-heavy approach rather than a traditional LMS model.

Interplay charges recurring subscription fees to enterprise employers and educational institutions. The pricing model typically scales with the number of active learners on the platform, aligning the company's revenue with its customer's headcount growth in technician roles.

The platform covers HVAC, plumbing, electrical, solar installation, facilities maintenance, and — since March 2024 — pool and spa service through a partnership with the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals. The simulation library is organized by trade and progresses from beginner diagnostics to advanced troubleshooting.

Interplay competes with traditional vocational textbook publishers, community-college lab programs, and newer digital training entrants. Its simulation-based architecture places it in a narrow competitive set that includes companies building VR training for industrial settings, though most competitors focus on manufacturing rather than residential and commercial service trades.

Interplay is a venture-backed operating company, not a family office. Its investors include S3 Ventures, Owl Ventures, and SJF Ventures, all of whom participated in typical venture equity rounds. The firm is sometimes misclassified because 'Interplay' is also a brand name used by a separate venture firm, but the Austin training company has no affiliation.

The firm publicly states it serves over 200,000 learners. This figure includes both individual technicians training through employer-sponsored accounts and students enrolled through educational-institution partnerships.

Interplay is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and delivers its platform digitally across the United States. The firm's enterprise customers and education partners are concentrated in North America, with no publicly disclosed international office presence.