The Colibri Group

What The Colibri Group does

The Colibri Group is a private professional education company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri (legal entity McKissock Investment Holdings, LLC), founded in 1998 as McKissock Learning and built through a sustained acquisition program. The company operates a portfolio of more than 30 brands, including Becker Professional Education (CPA and CMA exam prep), OnCourse Learning (mortgage, banking, and credit union education), TRC Healthcare, McKissock Learning (appraisal), Colibri Real Estate, Securities Training Corporation, XCEL Testing Solutions, Boston Institute of Finance, TeachNow, and Contractor Training Center. These brands collectively deliver licensing exam preparation, continuing education, and professional development across more than 50 regulated professions spanning healthcare, accounting, financial services, real estate, construction and trades, valuation, and teacher education. The company reports 3 million students served per education cycle, 15 million alumni, and 10,000+ hours of educational content.

Underlying the brand portfolio is a web-based and mobile-enabled learning management system that delivers self-paced online courses, exam preparation, and continuing education. The platform has been augmented with AI capabilities including the Rubi learning assistant, Newt AI tool, an Intelligent Purchase Adviser for course recommendation, an AI for MLOs Certificate program, and Audirie's conversational simulation and assessment technology (acquired June 2026), which together support personalized study guidance and skill-practice dialogues primarily in healthcare and financial services.

Colibri generates revenue through three primary streams: (1) direct-to-consumer online sales via brand-specific websites to individual professionals purchasing exam prep, pre-licensing courses, and continuing education memberships; (2) B2B enterprise sales to employers, brokerages, associations, universities, and sponsoring organizations that pay for employee or member training; and (3) strategic partnerships, including with the Appraisal Foundation and NABA, which generate referral and co-developed program revenue. Pricing spans one-time exam prep packages (e.g., $999.97 for the Massachusetts Electrical Exam Prep with Access-Until-You-Pass Guarantee) and recurring continuing education subscriptions, with the B2B channel structured as enterprise contracts. Growth has been driven by more than 10 disclosed acquisitions since 2012, a November 2023 minority investment from Neuberger Berman, and the recent addition of a CEO (Shravan Goli, formerly of Coursera) and CFO (Nipun Soni) to professionalize the platform ahead of an anticipated next phase.

Name

The Colibri Group

Legal name

McKissock Investment Holdings, LLC, dba Colibri Group

Website

https://colibrigroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Colibri Group is a private professional education company operating a portfolio of 30+ brands that deliver licensing exam preparation, continuing education, and professional development to individuals and enterprise clients across more than 50 regulated professions, including healthcare, accounting, financial services, real estate, and construction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Education and Licensing Exam Preparation

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Software Publishers (5132), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific Technical & Certification Prep (e.g., Construction, Manufacturing, Energy) (EDAGANAN)

Keywords

• Professional education
• Licensing exam preparation
• Continuing education
• Workforce training
• Online learning platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Education and Exam Preparation: Colibri generates revenue through the sale of professional education courses, exam preparation materials, and licensing exam review programs. This includes CPA exam prep, continuing education for various professions, and pre-licensing courses across healthcare, accounting, real estate, and other regulated industries.
2. Continuing Education Credits: Revenue from providing continuing education (CE) credits required for license maintenance in regulated professions such as healthcare, real estate, accounting, and financial services.
3. Corporate Training and Enterprise Solutions: Revenue from B2B relationships with employers, brokerages, associations, universities, and sponsoring organizations who pay for employee or member training programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Colibri Group is a private professional education company that delivers licensing exam preparation, continuing education, and professional development courses through a portfolio of more than 30 trusted brands serving over 50 regulated professions. Its offerings span healthcare, accounting, financial services, real estate, construction, valuation, and teacher education, delivered via web-based and mobile-enabled learning platforms enhanced by proprietary AI learning assistants (Newt and Rubi) and simulation technology (Audirie). The company sells to both individual professionals and enterprise customers (employers, associations, universities) on a mix of one-time purchase and recurring subscription models.

Product overview

The Colibri Group is a professional education company offering a multi-brand portfolio of learning solutions across more than 50 professions. The portfolio operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture, combining acquired education providers with proprietary AI tools. Core acquired brands include Becker Professional Education (CPA/CMA exam prep), McKissock Learning (appraisal education), Colibri Real Estate, OnCourse Learning (mortgage education), TRC Healthcare, Securities Training Corporation, XCEL Testing Solutions (insurance), and Boston Institute of Finance. AI-enhanced features include the Rubi learning assistant and Newt AI integrated across platforms. Services span licensing exam prep, continuing education, professional development, and workforce training for healthcare, accounting, financial services, real estate, construction, valuation, and teacher education sectors. The company serves over 3 million learners annually across 15 million alumni.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Newt: AI learning tool integrated into Colibri's educational platforms.
• Rubi

Products and services

• Becker Professional Education Global leader in CPA exam preparation, CMA exam review, and continuing professional education for accountants, working with partners in nearly 40 countries including top 100 U.S. accounting firms.
• OnCourse Learning Mortgage Education Mortgage education provider offering SAFE Act exam preparation, mortgage licensing courses, and continuing education for loan officers; has trained more than 300,000 mortgage professionals nationwide.
• McKissock Learning Appraisal Education
• TRC Healthcare Education Healthcare education provider serving over 1 million clinicians and numerous hospitals and pharmacies with diversified education solutions for pharmacists, nurses, physicians, and other healthcare practitioners.
• Colibri Real Estate Education
• Securities Training Corporation (STC)
• XCEL Testing Solutions Insurance Education
• Boston Institute of Finance
• TeachNow Teacher Certification
• HomeCEU Healthcare Education
• Contractor Training Center Electrical Exam Prep
• Audirie Simulation Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3 million professionals trust Colibri every education cycle for career management and advancement
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The IIA (Institute of Internal Auditors)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2025Becker and The IIA launched a new partnership to provide internal audit education and certification preparation programs.
• The Appraisal FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 January 2023The Appraisal Foundation announced McKissock as Host of Foundation Asynchronous Courses in March 2025. This partnership positions Colibri's McKissock brand as the official provider of The Appraisal Foundation's asynchronous continuing education courses for appraisers.
• NABA (National Association of Black Accountants)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 September 2022Becker and NABA partnered in the relaunch of CPA Bound, a program supporting diverse candidates pursuing CPA certification.
• Buffini & CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2022Buffini & Company and Colibri Real Estate partnered to help new and aspiring real estate agents succeed through combined training and education resources.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Coursera: Large-scale online learning platform offering professional certificates and degree programs that overlap with Colibri's professional education verticals; Colibri's CEO Shravan Goli was previously COO/CPO at Coursera.
• 2U: Online program management company that partners with universities to deliver professional and graduate-level content, an adjacent model to Colibri's professional education ecosystem.

Direct peers

• The CE Shop: The CE Shop is a leading real estate pre-licensing and continuing education provider that directly competes with Colibri Real Estate, RealEstateExpress, Hondros, and Gold Coast Schools across multiple states.
• Wiley: Wiley's CPAexcel and CFA review products directly compete with Becker's CPA and STC's securities prep, and Nancy Gerome (Colibri's SVP, Valuation & Property Services) spent nearly two decades at Wiley, highlighting direct product overlap in professional test prep and publishing.
• Roger CPA Review: Roger CPA Review directly competes with Becker in CPA exam prep, using a different pedagogical model (lecture-style with adaptive tools) targeting the same accounting student segment.
• Surgent: Surgent is a direct competitor to Becker in CPA exam preparation, offering adaptive learning technology and self-study programs targeted at the same accounting candidate market.
• Kaplan: Major direct competitor in professional test prep and continuing education (CPA, financial services, healthcare, real estate). Multiple Colibri executives, including Ed Clark (President of Accounting), came from Kaplan after 26-year careers, underscoring direct overlap.

Emerging players

• Emeritus: Emeritus partners with top universities to deliver online professional certificate programs, competing with Colibri for working professional upskilling spend in business, technology, and finance verticals.
• Magoosh: Affordable online test prep provider for graduate and professional exams that competes on price and accessibility in adjacent test preparation categories where Colibri's brands also operate.
• Pluralsight: Technology-focused skills development platform overlapping with Colibri's AI for MLOs Certificate and other professional upskilling offerings for licensed financial and technical professionals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colibri-group

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A9 records

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Colibri Group