Synap
Synap is a Leeds-based B2B SaaS platform that delivers secure online exams, proctoring, and integrated learning to universities, certification bodies, and enterprise training teams, serving 300+ institutional clients and 500,000+ end users worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLeeds, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Synap does
Synap (legal entity Synap Learning Limited) is a Leeds-based B2B SaaS provider of an online exam and learning platform, founded in 2014 by medical school graduates Dr James Gupta (CEO) and Dr Omair Vaiyani (CTO). The company originally launched as a B2C student revision app and subsequently pivoted to a B2B model serving universities, professional certification and awarding bodies, and enterprise training teams worldwide. The platform supports the full assessment lifecycle — authoring, scheduling and delivery, proctoring and anti-cheat, automated grading, and analytics — and is sold as a multi-tenant web service hosted on AWS using a TypeScript/Ember.js frontend, Node.js (TypeScript) and Golang backend services, MongoDB, and OpenAPI 3.0 REST APIs, with documented capability for 10,000+ concurrent exam starts.
Synap generates revenue through a four-tier subscription (Standard at £149/month for 30 monthly active users, Pro at £379/month for 100 MAU, Business at £840/month for 100 MAU, and a custom Enterprise tier) supplemented by a credit-based pay-per-assessment model and optional professional services. Distribution is primarily direct sales with a demo-led conversion path and a 14-day free trial, augmented by reseller, affiliate, and content partner programs, plus LTI 1.3 integration distribution into Moodle, Canvas, and Blackboard. The Enterprise tier adds AI-based question generation, AI-based grading, white-labelled mobile apps, and regional data hosting in the EU and US.
At the time of available data, Synap employs 14 people, serves roughly 300 institutional clients (including University of Law, Oxford University Press, GRESB, MDU, and NASW-GC), has delivered more than 10 million tests and 275 million+ answered questions, and generates approximately £1.5 million in annual revenue against £1.1–1.2 million in operating costs. The company has raised cumulatively approximately £700,000 from angel investors led by Venturion, with the most recent material funding round disclosed in October 2019; it is privately held with no parent company and founders retain operational control.
Synap firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Synap
- Legal name
- Synap Learning Limited
- Website
- https://synap.ac
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Synap is a Leeds-based B2B SaaS platform that delivers secure online exams, proctoring, and integrated learning to universities, certification bodies, and enterprise training teams, serving 300+ institutional clients and 500,000+ end users worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Synap industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Assessment & Examination Software
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Gifted & Talented (G&T) / Advanced Learner Tutoring (EDANAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Tools & Platforms Training (Jira, Azure DevOps, MS Project, Smartsheet, etc.) (EDABAHAH)
Keywords
Where Synap is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leeds
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Synap business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Monthly Active User (MAU) Subscription: Subscription model billed per monthly active user. Users can take unlimited exams, practice tests and courses. Organizations pay based on the number of users who actively use the platform in a given 30-day period. Plans include Standard, Pro, Business, and Enterprise tiers with escalating features and support levels.
- Pay Per Assessment: Usage-based pricing where organizations pay per exam or course started. Credits-based system where unproctored exams cost 1 credit, Synoptic lockdown mode costs 2 credits, recreation and snapshots costs 5 credits, and video/audio recording costs 10 credits. Ideal for seasonal or intermittent usage patterns.
- Professional Services: Additional services offered including migration support, implementation consulting, and custom development. Available as add-ons for Enterprise tier customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard Plan - Core features for teams delivering exams and courses |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pro Plan - Scale with automations and integrations |
| Subscription | Monthly | Business Plan - For large organizations and complex needs |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise Plan - Bespoke integrations, implementation and support |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Pay Per Assessment - Flexible option for set number of exams |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Synap product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Synap is a B2B SaaS online exam and learning platform that enables organizations to build, deliver, and proctor secure online assessments at scale. The platform combines exam authoring, delivery, proctoring, automated grading, and analytics with LMS integrations and compliance features. It serves universities, awarding bodies, certification providers, and enterprise training teams globally.
Product overview
Synap is an online exam and learning platform offering a unified assessment solution with multiple integrated modules. The core Online Exam Platform powers the full assessment lifecycle including authoring, delivery, proctoring, grading, and analytics. Built-in and add-on modules include Synoptic (proprietary automated proctoring), Rosalyn (AI+human proctoring partner), and the Online Learning Platform for integrated course delivery. Pricing is structured across four tiers (Standard, Pro, Business, Enterprise) with varying feature access, plus optional add-ons for Synoptic proctoring and custom certificates. The platform offers APIs and LTI 1.3 integration for enterprise connectivity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Online Exam Platform Synap's core online exam platform enabling organisations to build, deliver, and proctor secure assessments at scale worldwide. Supports the full assessment lifecycle from authoring through proctoring, anti-cheat, grading, and analytics with accessibility features and integrations. Targeted at universities, awarding bodies, and enterprise training teams.
- Online Learning Platform Integrated course delivery platform within Synap for creating and delivering online courses with built-in tools for engagement, progress tracking, and exams. Supports video, presentations, documents, SCORM content, quizzes, assignments, and automated certificate issuance. Designed for educational institutions, training providers, and certification bodies.
- Synoptic Proctoring
- Rosalyn AI+Human Proctoring
- Synap API (REST APIs)
- Professional Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 300 institutional clients including universities and regulated sectors internationally
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Synap
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Synap technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration20 records
AI capability13 records
Feature6 records
Synap partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- RosalyncoreRosalyn is Synap's trusted proctoring partner providing AI + Human continuous video monitoring with human reviews for enhanced security. The partnership offers continuous webcam and screen video recording, AI detection, and traffic light priority review system. Works with any modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari) via Rosalyn application on MacOS or Windows.
- University of LawflagshipUniversity of Law selected Synap as their exclusive partner for providing the online learning platform. Innovation for the improvement of learning is central to ULaw's ethos and students expect the best and latest tools to enable them to achieve their goals.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Synap competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- TestGorilla: TestGorilla provides pre-employment assessment software with secure testing and anti-cheating features for HR and recruitment teams. It overlaps with Synap in recruitment assessment use cases and is an emerging peer in skills-based hiring.
- Mercer Mettl: Mercer Mettl is an online assessment platform focused on pre-employment skills testing, certification, and learning assessments. It overlaps with Synap in certification exam delivery and recruitment assessments, particularly in international markets.
Direct peers
- ClassMarker: ClassMarker is an online testing platform for businesses and educators offering quiz creation, secure exam delivery, and analytics. It is a direct peer at the SMB and mid-market end of Synap's customer base, with overlapping exam authoring and certification use cases.
- ExamSoft: ExamSoft provides secure online exam delivery primarily for higher education and professional certification markets, including offline and lockdown-browser capabilities. It is a direct peer serving universities and certifying bodies with comparable proctoring and analytics features.
- Examity: Examity provides online proctoring and identity verification for higher education and certification programs. It competes with Synap in the proctoring and high-stakes exam integrity segment, often partnering with or competing against assessment platforms.
- ProctorU: ProctorU is a leading live and AI-enabled online proctoring provider used by universities and certification bodies. It overlaps with Synap's Synoptic and Rosalyn proctoring offerings as both serve the same exam integrity use case, though ProctorU is more proctoring-only.
- Respondus: Respondus offers lockdown browser and online proctoring (Respondus Monitor) tightly integrated with LMS platforms like Canvas, Blackboard, and Moodle. Its LMS-native distribution and proctoring features make it one of the closest direct competitors to Synap in education.
- Questionmark: Questionmark is an established online assessment platform used by enterprises and certification bodies to deliver secure exams. It directly competes with Synap in authoring, delivery, and analytics for high-stakes assessments, with comparable features around proctoring and psychometric analysis.
Broad incumbents
- Instructure (Canvas): Instructure, the maker of Canvas LMS, provides native quizzing and assessment capabilities alongside its broader learning platform. While Synap integrates with Canvas via LTI, Instructure is a broad incumbent that could expand built-in assessment features to compete more directly.
- Pearson VUE: Pearson VUE is the dominant global computer-based testing and certification delivery network, serving professional licensing and certification bodies. It is a broad incumbent against which Synap competes for the same high-stakes certification customers, with a much larger footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Synap social profiles
Digital presenceSynap compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Synap financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Synap leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Synap funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Synap M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Synap
What does Synap do?
Synap is a B2B SaaS online exam and learning platform that enables organizations to build, deliver, and proctor secure online assessments at scale. The platform combines exam authoring, delivery, proctoring, automated grading, and analytics with LMS integrations and compliance features. It serves universities, awarding bodies, certification providers, and enterprise training teams globally.
Is Synap a public or private company?
Synap is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Synap founded?
Synap was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Synap based?
Synap is headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Synap make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Monthly Active User (MAU) Subscription is the primary driver. The others are pay Per Assessment and professional Services.
Who are Synap's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are TestGorilla and Mercer Mettl. Direct peers are ClassMarker, ExamSoft, Examity, ProctorU, Respondus and Questionmark. Broad incumbents are Instructure (Canvas) and Pearson VUE.
Does Synap have an API?
Yes. Synap offers REST APIs for integrating and managing exams. The platform provides Pro plan APIs for core user and result data management, and Business plan APIs offering full exam lifecycle control. APIs support automated candidate enrolment, seamless results sync, smart certificate issuing, headless setup, content creation from external systems, and flexible user/group management. Webhooks are also available for real-time data integration. LTI 1.3 integration is available for embedding exams into LMS platforms. Developer documentation is at docs.synap.ac.
What industry is Synap in?
Synap's product category is Online Assessment & Examination Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDANAKAC, Gifted & Talented (G&T) / Advanced Learner Tutoring, with a secondary code of EDABAHAH, Tools & Platforms Training (Jira, Azure DevOps, MS Project, Smartsheet, etc.). Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 7372.