SkillsEngine
SkillsEngine is an Austin-based, TSTC-owned AI-powered skills intelligence platform that converts unstructured text into structured skill profiles via NLP and a patented skills taxonomy. It serves employers, educators, workforce agencies, and developers through freemium, Team ($999/mo), Enterprise, and API offerings.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What SkillsEngine does
SkillsEngine is an AI-powered skills intelligence platform, founded in 2015 in Austin, Texas, as a commercial spin-off from Texas State Technical College (TSTC), a State of Texas agency. The company translates unstructured text—such as job descriptions, resumes, credentials, and curriculum—into structured skill profiles using natural language processing layered on a proprietary skills language library and a patented skills management system acquired from SkillsNet. Its product surface includes a core SkillsEngine Platform with profile management, Compare (side-by-side skill alignment), an Insights Tab with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics salary data, three experimental AI Mini Apps (Career Mapper, Interview Assistant, Job Post Generator) built on OpenAI GPT-4o, and a REST API in beta that enables developer integration.
The company serves eight segments spanning employers, educators, workforce and government agencies, credential and standards bodies, career coaches, recruiters and HR, job seekers, and students, with publicly disclosed customers including CompTIA, TSTC, Greater Waco Chamber, Houston Community College, and the University of Alabama. Its business model is a freemium-to-Enterprise structure: free personal accounts, a Team plan at $999/month (or $9,834 annually with a discount) including 50 custom skill profiles and 1,000 API calls/month, usage-based API add-ons (Advanced API +$499/month, Big Data API +$999/month), and a quote-based Enterprise tier with custom seat counts, API rates, profile import, professional services, and priority support. Special pricing is offered to nonprofits and educational institutions. Go-to-market combines self-serve PLG, enterprise field sales, API distribution to developers, and community-led engagement through five skills-first alliances.
Ownership is unconventional: SkillsEngine is wholly owned by TSTC, which is in turn a Texas state agency, meaning the company operates as a mission-driven commercial venture backed by public-sector funding rather than venture capital. Headcount sits in the 11-50 band, and the company reports being trusted by 150+ industry and education teams. Revenue, funding totals, and headcount growth rates are not disclosed in the input data.
SkillsEngine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SkillsEngine
- Legal name
- Texas State Technical College
- Website
- https://skillsengine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SkillsEngine is an Austin-based, TSTC-owned AI-powered skills intelligence platform that converts unstructured text into structured skill profiles via NLP and a patented skills taxonomy. It serves employers, educators, workforce agencies, and developers through freemium, Team ($999/mo), Enterprise, and API offerings.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SkillsEngine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Skills Intelligence Software
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (61143)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Skills Assessment & Talent/Employability Testing Platforms (EDAFADAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs) (HDAEANAJ), Intelligent Practice & Mastery Learning Platforms (Spaced Repetition, Skill Drills) (EDAFAFAD)
Keywords
Where SkillsEngine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
SkillsEngine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Team Subscription: Monthly or annual subscription at $999/month ($9,834 annually). Includes 50 custom skill profiles, 1,000 API calls/month, with optional Advanced API (12,000 calls, +$499/mo) or Big Data API (30,000 calls, +$999/mo) add-ons.
- Enterprise Subscription: Custom pricing with custom profile and seat counts, custom API rates, profile import and account setup, access to professional services, and priority support. Quote-based pricing.
- Free Tier: Free accounts with ability to create one skill profile using SkillsEngine data library and tool suite. Serves as acquisition/funnel for paid upgrades.
- API Usage Add-ons: Additional API credits available for developers needing enhanced API access beyond base plan allocations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free personal account for individuals with basic access |
| Subscription | Monthly | Team plan at $999/month for small to mid-sized teams |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise plan with custom pricing for large organizations |
Go-to-market motion5 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
SkillsEngine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SkillsEngine provides an AI-powered skills intelligence platform that converts unstructured text such as job descriptions, resumes, credentials, and curriculum into structured, rich skill profiles. It combines a patented skills management system with a comprehensive skills taxonomy library, enabling employers, educators, and workforce organizations to generate, compare, and validate skill profiles and to align curriculum with industry demand. The platform is offered via a freemium web product, paid Team and Enterprise subscriptions, a REST API for integration, and experimental generative-AI mini apps.
Product overview
SkillsEngine is an AI-powered skills intelligence platform offered as a unified product with multiple integrated tools and subscription tiers. The core SkillsEngine Platform provides profile management, comparison tools, feedback gathering, and labor market insights. Supporting AI Mini Apps (Career Mapper, Interview Assistant, Job Post Generator) provide specialized generative AI capabilities for career planning, hiring preparation, and job posting creation. The SkillsEngine API enables developer integration of skills data capabilities. Additional modules include Curate (skills library management) and the Compare feature (skill gap and alignment analysis). The platform is offered through Team ($999/month) and Enterprise (custom pricing) subscription plans, with API access included in all paid accounts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SkillsEngine Platform AI-powered skills intelligence platform that bridges gaps between people, work, and learning. Provides profile management, AI text-to-skills translation, comparison and alignment analysis, feedback gathering, and labor market insights for employers, educators, and workforce organizations.
- SkillsEngine API REST API at api.skillsengine.com that enables developers to integrate SkillsEngine data and capabilities into their applications. Includes endpoints to Translate unstructured text into structured skill profiles, Search skills, Search skill sets, Search job profile templates, Get skills from a job profile, and retrieve custom skill profiles.
- Career Mapper Experimental generative AI application that builds career progression maps from job titles, with optional educational steps and target job pathways, leveraging OpenAI's GPT-4o.
- Interview Assistant Experimental AI application powered by SkillsEngine and OpenAI GPT technology that generates 10 interview questions for any job position to support hiring preparation.
- Job Post Generator Experimental AI application that generates skill-based job posts for any position using SkillsEngine data and AI technology.
- Curate Skills library management tool that allows organizations to manage and customize their skills library with data-driven insights. Currently in beta with access by request.
Quantifiable outcome
- Trusted by 150+ industry and education teams
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use SkillsEngine
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SkillsEngine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature10 records
SkillsEngine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SkillsNetcoreInitial collaboration with SkillsNet, a Texas-based firm specializing in IO Psychology and job analysis, to develop the skills data library. Following SkillsNet founder's passing, TSTC acquired SkillsNet's intellectual property including the skills data management patent to continue development.
- Texas Workforce CommissioncoreGovernment workforce agency providing support for SkillsEngine development, specifically the initiative to revolutionize skills definition, validation, and maintenance across Texas.
- Open Skills NetworkminorIndustry alliance dedicated to enhancing skills understanding and adoption. SkillsEngine supports and participates in this skills-first initiative.
- Open Pathways AllianceminorSkills-first initiative SkillsEngine supports to advance skills-based approaches in education and workforce development.
- Rework America AllianceminorNational initiative SkillsEngine supports focused on skills-based workforce transformation and opportunity pathways.
- Skills Validation NetworkminorInitiative focused on validating skills across education and workforce ecosystems that SkillsEngine supports and participates in.
- T3 Innovation NetworkminorInnovation network supporting skills-based approaches in workforce and education that SkillsEngine actively supports.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SkillsEngine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lightcast: Lightcast (formerly Burning Glass/Emsi) provides a comprehensive skills taxonomy, labor market data, and workforce analytics platform used by employers, educators, and workforce boards — the same buyer segments SkillsEngine targets. Both companies translate job postings, résumés, and curriculum into structured skill data and offer analytic reporting.
- SkyHive: SkyHive is an AI-powered skills intelligence and workforce transformation platform that builds a real-time labor market taxonomy and offers skill-matching APIs. It directly competes with SkillsEngine in converting text to skills and supporting curriculum-to-job alignment for governments, employers, and education providers.
- retrain.ai: retrain.ai offers an AI-driven skills ontology and talent intelligence platform that ingests job descriptions and résumés to power skills-based hiring, workforce planning, and career pathing. Its NLP-to-skills pipeline and target customer base (HR, workforce agencies, educators) closely mirror SkillsEngine's offering.
- Degreed: Degreed is a learning and skill-development platform that maps skills across learning content, roles, and people to support upskilling and talent mobility. It overlaps with SkillsEngine in the skills-based learning and curriculum alignment use cases, particularly for enterprise L&D and education buyers.
Broad incumbents
- Eightfold AI: Eightfold AI is a well-funded talent intelligence platform with a deep skills graph used by global enterprises for skills-based hiring, learning, and workforce planning. It competes in the same skills intelligence category as SkillsEngine but at much larger enterprise scale and with a broader HCM suite.
- Workday: Workday offers Workday Skills Cloud, an enterprise skills taxonomy embedded in its HCM suite for talent management, learning, and career mobility. It serves many of the same large-employer and education customers as SkillsEngine but bundles skills intelligence into a much broader enterprise software platform.
- iCIMS: iCIMS is an established talent acquisition platform that has been adding skills-based matching and taxonomy capabilities to its ATS. It competes with SkillsEngine on skills-based recruitment, particularly for enterprise HR buyers, though as part of a much broader hiring suite.
- Cornerstone OnDemand: Cornerstone OnDemand provides a talent and learning management suite with skills ontology, content, and career development tools aimed at enterprise HR and L&D buyers. Its skills graph and career pathing functionality overlap with SkillsEngine's curriculum-to-job alignment capabilities.
- LinkedIn (Microsoft): LinkedIn operates the largest commercially used skills graph in the world, embedded across LinkedIn Recruiter, Talent Insights, and Learning. It serves many of the same employer and recruiter segments as SkillsEngine and represents the most-resourced competitor in the skills intelligence category.
Emerging players
- Pillar: Pillar is an emerging skills-based hiring and career pathway platform that uses structured skill profiles to match candidates to roles and surface career guidance. It targets some of the same employer, educator, and workforce audiences as SkillsEngine with a more consumer-facing delivery model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SkillsEngine social profiles
Digital presenceSkillsEngine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SkillsEngine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
SkillsEngine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SkillsEngine 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 SkillsEngine
What does SkillsEngine do?
SkillsEngine provides an AI-powered skills intelligence platform that converts unstructured text such as job descriptions, resumes, credentials, and curriculum into structured, rich skill profiles. It combines a patented skills management system with a comprehensive skills taxonomy library, enabling employers, educators, and workforce organizations to generate, compare, and validate skill profiles and to align curriculum with industry demand. The platform is offered via a freemium web product, paid Team and Enterprise subscriptions, a REST API for integration, and experimental generative-AI mini apps.
Is SkillsEngine a public or private company?
SkillsEngine is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was SkillsEngine founded?
SkillsEngine was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SkillsEngine based?
SkillsEngine is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does SkillsEngine make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Team Subscription is the primary driver. The others are enterprise Subscription, free Tier and API Usage Add-ons.
Who are SkillsEngine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lightcast, SkyHive, retrain.ai and Degreed. Broad incumbents are Eightfold AI, Workday, iCIMS, Cornerstone OnDemand and LinkedIn (Microsoft). Pillar is listed as an emerging player.
Does SkillsEngine have an API?
Yes. SkillsEngine offers a REST API at api.skillsengine.com that enables developers to integrate SkillsEngine data and functionality into their applications. The API returns JSON format and uses client ID and client secret authentication. Current endpoints include: Translate (converts unstructured text documents into structured skill profiles for jobs, curriculum, credentials, and people), Search skills (find work activities, knowledges, soft skills, and tools/technologies), Search skill sets, Search job profile templates, Get skills from a job profile, and Get custom skill profiles from organization. API access is included with every custom organization account and during the 30-day free trial. Available in beta. Developer documentation is at docs.skillsengine.com.
What industry is SkillsEngine in?
SkillsEngine's product category is Skills Intelligence Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFADAM, Skills Assessment & Talent/Employability Testing Platforms, with a secondary code of HDAEANAJ, AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs). Its NAICS code is 61143 and its SIC code is 7372.