What Career Certified does

Career Certified is a multi-vertical online education platform that delivers Pre-Licensing, Licensure, Exam Preparation, and Continuing Education courses to individuals pursuing careers in regulated professions, including real estate, mortgage, home inspection, home appraisal, architecture, engineering, insurance, securities, finance, and contracting. The platform originated as The CE Shop in 2005 and has been backed by private equity firm Waud Capital Partners, executing a roll-up strategy that has added nine brands since 2022 (Mbition, AHIT, Stringham Schools, Amber Book, A.D. Banker, AnalystPrep, My Contractor's License, SeeWhy Learning, plus related entities Contractor Book Warehouse and All Star Training). The company reports having helped 1.4M+ students and served 4K+ B2B customers, and was ranked #412 on the 2023 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 after achieving 222% revenue growth from 2019 to 2022.

The core product is an online learning management system with a flexible, easy-to-use interface that supports the full career lifecycle of a regulated professional, from pre-licensure coursework through continuing education renewals. Content depth is significant, with the catalog including 590+ real estate courses, 120+ home inspection courses, 90+ mortgage courses, 550+ insurance and securities courses, 50+ professional development courses, plus architecture exam prep and finance designation (CFA, FRM, actuarial, MBA) materials. A.D. Banker for Business adds a B2B-specific portal enabling employers to auto-enroll, train, and certify employees centrally for compliance purposes. State-specific and jurisdiction-specific approval (A.D. Banker operates in 51 jurisdictions) is a key technical and regulatory feature of the offering.

Career Certified monetizes through course and exam-prep package sales to individuals (direct-to-consumer via its own e-commerce storefronts) and through subscription-style enterprise contracts for the A.D. Banker for Business portal. The company is privately held, headquartered in the Denver metropolitan area (Greenwood Village/Denver, Colorado), with additional offices in Overland Park, Kansas (A.D. Banker) and Huntsville, Ontario (SeeWhy Learning), and employs 101-250 people. Distribution is primarily direct online through brand-specific websites, with the B2B enterprise channel layered on top.

Name

Career Certified

Legal name

Career Certified, LLC

Website

https://careercertified.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Career Certified is a multi-vertical online education platform delivering Pre-Licensing, Licensure, Exam Prep, and Continuing Education for regulated professions including real estate, mortgage, insurance, securities, architecture, and finance, serving 1.4M+ students and 4K+ B2B customers across the U.S. and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Education and Certification

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Technical and Trade Schools (61151)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate, Appraisal & Mortgage (Agent/Broker CE, Appraiser CE) (EDAAALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Services & Insurance (FINRA, CFP, IAR, Insurance CE) (EDAAALAJ), Construction & Trades Licensure (Contractor, Electrician, Plumber, HVAC CE) (EDAAALAH), Accounting & Finance Certification Prep (CPA, CMA, CFA, FRM) (EDANAIAD), Professional Licensure & Certification Exam Prep (Bar/CPA/NCLEX/PMP, etc.) (EDAGADAD), Real Estate Licensure Exam Prep (Salesperson/Broker, Appraiser) (EDANAIAH)

Keywords

• Professional education
• Certification exam prep
• Continuing education
• Pre-licensing courses
• Professional licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenwood Village

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Education Courses: Career Certified generates revenue through the sale of professional education courses and exam preparation materials across multiple regulated industries including real estate, mortgage, home inspection, appraisal, architecture, engineering, insurance, securities, and finance. Revenue comes from Pre-Licensing, Licensure, Exam Prep, and Continuing Education coursework for the career lifecycle.
2. B2B Enterprise Training: A.D. Banker for Business provides organizations with centralized employee training and certification management, enabling auto-enrollment and bulk certification of employees. This B2B enterprise service supports compliance and regulatory requirements for financial and insurance companies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Career Certified delivers online professional education across regulated industries including real estate, mortgage, home inspection, appraisal, architecture, engineering, insurance, securities, and finance. The platform provides pre-licensing, licensure, exam preparation, and continuing education coursework through a portfolio of acquired specialty brands. The company also offers B2B corporate training through the A.D. Banker for Business portal, enabling organizations to centrally enroll, train, and certify employees for licensure compliance.

Product overview

Career Certified is a multi-vertical education platform that serves the lifecycle of professions across multiple industries. The company operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture, with The CE Shop as its flagship flagship brand for real estate and mortgage education, complemented by a portfolio of acquired specialized brands including A.D. Banker (insurance and securities), AHIT (home inspection), Amber Book (architecture exam prep), AnalystPrep (CFA/FRM/actuarial exams), Mbition/Stringham Schools (real estate), My Contractor's License (contractor licensing), and SeeWhy Learning (Canadian financial education). These brands share a common platform providing pre-licensing, licensure, exam preparation, and continuing education coursework across verticals including real estate, mortgage, home inspection, appraisal, architecture, engineering, insurance, securities, finance, and contracting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• A.D. Banker: Provider of online education for insurance and securities professionals, offering pre-licensing and continuing education courses for Life & Health, Property & Casualty, and Securities exams.
• AHIT (American Home Inspectors Training)
• Amber Book
• AnalystPrep
• The CE Shop
• My Contractor's License
• Stringham Schools
• SeeWhy Learning

Products and services

• The CE Shop Leading provider of online professional real estate education with courses for agents, brokers, mortgage loan originators, home inspection, and appraisal available in every U.S. state and territory.
• A.D. Banker Online education for insurance and securities professionals, offering pre-licensing and continuing education courses for Life & Health, Property & Casualty, FINRA securities exams (SIE, Series 6, 63, 65, 66, 7), and Adjuster/Limited Lines licensing across 51 jurisdictions.
• American Home Inspectors Training (AHIT) Industry-leading home inspection training, certifications, continuing education, and professional development courses offered through both live classroom and online formats since 1993.
• Amber Book Online ARE 5.0 exam prep, testing, and engineering solutions for architects featuring immersive animated video content and study materials developed by ARE-passing industry experts.
• AnalystPrep Sophisticated learning platform offering study materials, mock exams, question banks, study notes, and video lessons for CFA, FRM, actuarial, and MBA admission exams (GMAT, Executive Assessment, GRE).
• Stringham Schools Leading Utah real estate school providing affordable in-house produced online classes with knowledgeable instructors, serving students for over 30 years.
• My Contractor's License Comprehensive purpose-built digital learning program for aspiring general and electrical contractors to obtain licensing, supported by a 100% pass guarantee and preparation for state licensing exams and the NASCLA exam.
• SeeWhy Learning Trusted Canadian securities and insurance exam prep provider using a practical plain-language approach, having helped over 150,000 Canadian learners succeed in their licensing journeys.
• Mbition Real Estate Industry-leading resource for licensing and continuing education for real estate professionals, having helped over 600,000 people earn real estate licenses.
• A.D. Banker for Business B2B enterprise portal that enables organizations to auto-enroll, train, and certify employees from a centralized location for insurance and securities licensure compliance, serving financial and insurance companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 222% revenue growth from 2019-2022
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• OnCourse Learning: Provider of professional and regulatory education for mortgage, banking, and insurance; overlaps with A.D. Banker and the CE Shop's mortgage vertical though with a narrower brand footprint.
• Vector Solutions: Compliance and continuing-education platform for regulated workforces (including licensed professionals), serving as a B2B channel analog to A.D. Banker for Business.

Direct peers

• PrepAgent: Specialty real estate exam-prep and CE platform competing for the same pre-licensing real estate student that Career Certified's The CE Shop and Mbition brands target.
• McKissock Learning: Focused competitor in real estate, appraisal, and home inspection continuing education with a similar state-by-state approved-school footprint and digital course delivery model.
• Becker Professional Education: Closely comparable professional exam-prep platform for CPA, CMA, and USMLE candidates; same high-stakes exam-prep monetization model and learner-experience focus as AnalystPrep and Amber Book.
• Real Estate Express: Online real estate pre-licensing school competing head-to-head with The CE Shop and Mbition for aspiring real estate agents on a national basis.
• Champions School of Real Estate: Long-standing Texas-based real estate school with online pre-licensing and CE offerings, directly comparable to The CE Shop and Mbition in target customer and curriculum focus.
• Colibri Group (360training): Direct competitor and the most analogous PE-backed roll-up of regulated professional education brands (real estate, mortgage, insurance, financial services). Same target customer (aspiring and active licensees), same DTC + B2B model, and same multi-vertical acquisition strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Kaplan Professional Education: Broader incumbent within Kaplan (Graham Holdings) that offers pre-licensing and CE across financial services, real estate, and insurance. Larger portfolio but does not specialize in the long-tail of niche licensed trades Career Certified covers.
• Wiley Efficient Learning (J.J. Keller): Adjacent provider of online pre-licensing and CE for real estate, insurance, and securities professionals, with comparable state-approved course libraries and a similar B2B enterprise training motion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/career-certified

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A5 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Career Certified