Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 27, 2026

Mike Feerick

Mike Feerick, an Irish social entrepreneur and founder of Alison, an e-learning company based in Ireland. Forbes has described Alison as one of the earliest massive open online course (MOOC) platforms and referred to Feerick as the founder of the "first ever MOOC". He is an Ashoka Fellow, recognized for his involvement in online education, social entrepreneurship, and Irish diaspora initiatives.

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Mike Feerick
Mike Feerick in 2013
Born
New York, USA1
EducationMBA
Alma materHarvard University2
University of Limerick
Occupations
  • Founder, CEO of Alison3
  • Founder, former CEO of Yac.com4
  • Chairman of Ireland Reaching Out Project5

Mike Feerick, an Irish social entrepreneur and founder of Alison, an e-learning company based in Ireland.6 Forbes has described Alison as one of the earliest massive open online course (MOOC) platforms and referred to Feerick as the founder of the "first ever MOOC".6 He is an Ashoka Fellow,78 recognized for his involvement in online education, social entrepreneurship, and Irish diaspora initiatives.91011

As of 2022, Alison reported more than 25 million learners globally and over 4.5 million graduates, and described as one of the world's largest free empowerment platforms.12 Feerick is also the founder of Ireland Reaching Out, a "reverse" genealogy initiative intended to reconnect members of the Irish diaspora with their ancestral communities in Ireland.1314

Early life and education

Feerick was born in New York City and later raised in counties Galway and Limerick in Ireland.15 He studied business at the University of Limerick before completing an MBA at Harvard Business School.16 He completed an internship with philanthropist and early mentor Chuck Feeney.1718

Career

During the 1990s, Feerick was the acting managing director of Interactive Investor International and also held positions with Bertelsmann Music Group. He previously owned the franchise rights to JFAX Ireland, which was sold to Esat Telecom in 1999, an Irish telecommunications company.19 He later founded Yac.com, a unified messaging and communications company that was acquired by J2 Global Communications in 2007.2018

Following the acquisition, Feerick established an e-learning sub-contracting business for Microsoft,Advance Learning, an online education venture that developed into a specialist providing training for the ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) desktop training certification and later evolved into Alison.212223

Alison and online education

Feerick launched Alison in 2007 as a free online learning platform offering courses in workplace skills, technology, business, language learning, and health related subjects.2425 In outlining the basis of Alison's operation, he explained to David Bornstein of the New York Times that "education underpins all social progress.2627

Forbes described Alison as one of the earliest MOOC platforms and referred to Feerick as the founder of the "first ever MOOC".28 The Economist and The New York Times also discussed Alison in the context of the broader development of online education and open learning platforms.293031

Alison has operated using a social enterprise model that combines free course access with advertising, certification, and learner services.32

Independent coverage has discussed Alison’s use in workforce development, digital learning accessibility, and alternative education programmes.33 Feerick has cited Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as an influence on his views regarding access to education.153435

Awards and recognition

Feerick became an Ashoka Fellow in recognition of his work in accessible online education and social entrepreneurship.36

In 2012, Feerick received an Arthur Guinness Fund award for Social Entrepreneurship for the work undertaken with organising the Irish diaspora through the Ireland Reaching Out programme he founded in 2009.37

Alison received an Honourable Mention award at the UNESCO King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Prize for the use of Information and Communications Technology in education.3839 The platform and Feerick’s work have also been referenced by the WISE initiative of the Qatar Foundation in discussions relating to innovation in online learning and educational access.40

Social and community initiatives

Feerick founded Ireland Reaching Out (IrelandXO), a community initiative intended to reconnect members of the Irish diaspora with their ancestral communities in Ireland.4142 Feerick and Irish economist David McWilliams pitched the idea to the Irish government in 2010. Ireland Reaching Out welcomed its first returning group in July 2011.43

He has also been involved in projects relating to educational access and community based learning initiatives.44

Alternative Sentencing

Through Alison, Feerick has supported free learning as an alternative sentencing initiatives in the United States, where the judge does not wish to impose a custodial sentence. He has stated that educational programmes may provide an alternative approach to incarceration for certain non violent offences.4546474849

Affiliations and memberships

Feerick served as the founding chairman of the International Advisory Board of the Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick and later became a Director Emeritus of the University of Limerick Foundation.2550

In 1995, Feerick was appointed chairperson of the Irish Support & Advice Service in Hammersmith, London.5115 During his tenure, the organization developed outreach initiatives, funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies and the Mott Foundation, supporting elderly Irish emigrants in the United Kingdom.527

Views on education

Feerick has stated that traditional education systems can face challenges relating to cost, accessibility, and scalability, and has advocated for the use of technology to expand access to online learning opportunities.53 In an interview with The New York Times, he stated that improving global access to education could help address poverty and improve standards of living worldwide.26

References

References

  1. Ní Chonchúir, Sharon (12 July 2011). "Bring Them All Back Home". Irish Central. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  2. Glader, Paul. "Khan Academy Competitor? Mike Feerick of Alison.com Talks About The Future of Online Educations". Wired Academic. Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  3. Bornstein, David (11 July 2012). "Open Education for a Global Economy". New York Times. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  4. Grose, Thomas K. (28 September 2001). "Connect The Dots – YAC's personal online call service has got your number". TIME.
  5. Muldoon, Molly (26 June 2012). "Obama's Irish Cousin Henry Healy Lands New Job As Tourism Ambassador". Irish Central. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  6. "Lessons From The CEO Of The First Ever MOOC". Forbes. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  7. "Michael Feerick | Ashoka Globalizer". ashokaglobalizer.org. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  8. "Khan Academy Competitor? Mike Feerick of Alison.com Talks About The Future of Online Education | WiredAcademic". www.wiredacademic.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  9. "Mike Feerick". Ashoka. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  10. "Crowdsourced accreditation to challenge traditional education". The Australian. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  11. "Irish-based Global Learning Platform Announces Major Jobs Expansion in Galway - Enterprise Ireland". www.enterprise-ireland.com. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  12. "Alison.com's Mike Feerick: 'There's a huge, soft underbelly in the education business – the model is broken'". independent. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  13. Nicholson, Chris V. (18 July 2011). "In Tough Times, Irish Call Their Diaspora". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  14. "Reaching Out Can Raise Us Up". Eolas Magazine: Public Affairs. Eolas Magazine. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  15. "Mike Feerick: A meaningful career on the Internet since 1991". IrishCentral.com. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  16. "Alison CEO Mike Feerick Q&A on Digital Education". CIO. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  17. "He'd like to teach the world – for free". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  18. McNamara, Denise (11 June 2013). "The Galwayman with the Midas touch - and a social conscience - Connacht Tribune". Connacht Tribune. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  19. "Author Biographies". Schools. 11 (2): 348–350. 11 February 2014. doi:10.1086/678225. ISSN 1550-1175.
  20. "Mike Feerick Interview". Metis Strategy. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  21. "Lessons From The CEO Of The First Ever MOOC". Forbes. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  22. "Our main interest is to ensure education is available free to all". smartinvestor.business-standard.com. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  23. Gurden, Dean. "ALISON CEO Mike Feerick Q&A on digital education". CIO UK. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  24. "Alison CEO Mike Feerick Q&A on Digital Education". CIO. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  25. Bornstein, David (11 July 2012). "Open Education for a Global Economy". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  26. Vorhauser-Smith, Sylvia. "The New Era Of Learning Is Here, And It's Not Hype". Forbes. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  27. "Lessons From The CEO Of The First Ever MOOC". Forbes. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  28. "Online learning platforms reshape education". The Economist. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  29. "The Expansion of Free Online Education". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  30. "The attack of the MOOCs". The Economist. 20 July 2013. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  31. "Mike Feerick". Ashoka. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  32. "Lessons From The CEO Of The First Ever MOOC". Forbes. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  33. "Five Bright Ideas - Alumni - Harvard Business School". www.alumni.hbs.edu. June 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  34. "ALISON CEO Says – Unleash Online Learning to Address Global Inequality". College Blog News. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  35. "Mike Feerick". Ashoka. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  36. Doyle, Carmel. "10 social entrepreneurs get €700K from Arthur Guinness Fund". Silicon Republic. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  37. "Projects in Ireland and the Philippines receive honourable mentions in ICT in Education prize | Education". www.unesco.org. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  38. "UNESCO ICT in Education Prize". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  39. "Mike Feerick Biography". WISE Qatar Foundation. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  40. "Ireland Reaching Out seeks to reconnect diaspora". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  41. Nicholson, Chris V. (18 July 2011). "In Tough Times, Irish Call Their Diaspora". New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  42. Nicholson, Chris V. (18 July 2011). "In Tough Times, Irish Call Their Diaspora". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  43. "Mike Feerick". Ashoka. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  44. "MOOC Time Instead of Jail Time | Education Dive". www.educationdive.com. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  45. "Class time instead of jail time". Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  46. "News - US Offenders Punished with Galway Course – The Sunday Times". MoocLab - Connecting People to Online Learning. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  47. High, Peter. "CEO Of The World's First MOOC Provides Hope To Former Prisoners Through Education". Forbes. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  48. Bhagat, Rasheeda (9 January 2014). "Just about anyone can study in this v@rsity". The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  49. "Emeritus Directors - University of Limerick Foundation". University of Limerick Foundation. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  50. "Hammersmith's Local Community Web Site". www.hammersmithtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  51. "Forgotten Irish men and women who built Britain to be honoured in London". Irish Post. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  52. "Disrupting the Traditional Global Education System". Education Matters. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
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