What Apprentice does

Apprentice is a two-sided marketplace platform that connects entrepreneurs and business leaders with ambitious college students to help tackle business challenges across Marketing, Business Development, Operations, and Data Analytics. The platform operates on a subscription model with pricing starting at $1,499 per month, giving clients access to a curated talent pool of college students from more than 40 schools. Apprentice was founded in 2020 by Rob Berk and Dave Kerpen, with Rob assuming the sole CEO role in 2022 and Dave becoming Executive Chairman; Sam Nesbitt serves as Senior Partner and Chief Revenue Officer.

The product surface consists of a core matching platform plus four specialized service modules (Marketing, Business Development, Operations, and Data Analysis), with a newer AI Strategy service added in June 2023. Customers are primarily SMB entrepreneurs, startup founders, and business leaders seeking cost-effective support for tasks that would otherwise require full-time hires. Notable case-study customers include Omni Labs (startup, project management support) and a New York VC firm (portfolio company analysis). Apprentice runs a sales-led go-to-market motion with free consultations booked through HubSpot and Calendly, supported by content marketing (blogs, webinars, free e-books) and organic social across LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

The company was bootstrapped without disclosed institutional funding, and in December 2025 it was acquired by Next Level Catapult as part of Catapult Group Holdings — a portfolio structure housing multiple operating firms aimed at serving CEOs and organizations. Headcount and current revenue are not disclosed in the source data; cumulative operating metrics include 500+ apprentices placed, 5 million+ hours delegated, and $1M+ in student income generated in 2022.

Name

Apprentice

Legal name

Apprentice

Website

https://chooseapprentice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Acquired

Short description

Apprentice is a two-sided marketplace that connects entrepreneurs and business leaders with college students for marketing, business development, operations, and data analytics support. It operates on a $1,499/month subscription model and was acquired by Next Level Catapult in December 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Talent Marketplace

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms (EDAFAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK), Internship-to-Apprenticeship & Early Talent Pipeline Programs (EDAMAKAL), Apprenticeships, Pre-Apprenticeships & Work-Based Learning (EDAAAOAC)

Keywords

• Talent marketplace
• College student interns
• Business support services
• Entrepreneur matching platform
• Virtual assistant services

Headquarters

HQ city

Clinton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Monthly Subscription Service: Apprentice operates on a subscription model, charging clients a monthly fee for access to student apprentice talent. Pricing starts at $1499/month for businesses to engage with college student apprentices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Apprentice is a subscription-based two-sided marketplace platform that connects entrepreneurs and business leaders with ambitious college students to handle tasks across Marketing, Business Development, Operations, and Data Analytics. Businesses pay a monthly subscription starting at $1,499 to access matched apprentice talent, with engagement managers facilitating onboarding and project execution.

Product overview

Apprentice is a two-sided marketplace platform that connects entrepreneurs and business leaders with ambitious college students to help tackle business challenges. The core platform enables small business owners and startup entrepreneurs to access top college talent that was previously reserved for investment banks and consulting firms. The offering includes a network of over 40 schools growing by 50 students per month, with specialized support across four core service modules: Operations (including AI Implementation), Data Analysis, Business Development, and Marketing. A newer AI Strategy service module enables entrepreneurs to leverage intelligence technologies for business growth. Pricing starts at $1,499 per month for engagement with Apprentice talent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Apprentice Platform A two-sided marketplace platform connecting entrepreneurs and business leaders with ambitious college students to tackle business challenges across Marketing, Business Development, Operations, and Data Analytics. Functions as a subscription offering providing small businesses and startups access to top college talent.
• AI Strategy Service A service module offering intelligence technologies for business growth, enabling entrepreneurs to leverage AI to grow and improve their business.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ apprentices connected with businesses
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Next Level CatapultcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025Next Level Catapult acquired Apprentice as part of its strategy to expand early-career talent capabilities. The acquisition established Catapult Group Holdings as a portfolio company housing multiple firms including NLC and Apprentice, aimed at providing scalable support for CEOs and organizations with quick onboarding of early-career talent.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Toptal: Toptal curates a vetted freelance talent network for businesses seeking premium, higher-cost contractors. While positioned upmarket from Apprentice, it competes for the same 'quality talent on demand' use case among entrepreneurs and growth-stage companies.
• Upwork: Upwork is a leading global freelance platform offering access to junior and professional talent for the exact task categories Apprentice markets (marketing, BD, data analysis, operations). As a much larger incumbent with stronger brand and tooling, it represents a competitive ceiling on Apprentice's pricing.
• Fiverr: Fiverr is a large horizontal freelance marketplace where businesses can hire affordable talent for marketing, business development, data, and operations tasks — the same categories Apprentice apprentices serve. It does not specialize in student talent but competes for the same SMB discretionary spend.

Direct peers

• Handshake: Handshake is the dominant college-to-career recruiting platform, connecting students with employers for jobs and internships across a very large network of universities. It overlaps heavily with Apprentice on the student-supply side and the employer-demand side, though at much larger scale.
• Parker Dewey: Parker Dewey runs a micro-internship platform connecting college students and recent graduates with short-term paid projects at companies. It is the most direct functional peer to Apprentice in terms of student-to-business project matching and work-based learning focus.
• RippleMatch: RippleMatch matches early-career talent (primarily college students and new grads) with internship and entry-level roles at companies using a data-driven platform. It directly competes with Apprentice for the same supply of ambitious students and demand from companies seeking affordable junior talent.

Emerging players

• Extern: Extern connects students and career-switchers with short-term project-based experiences at companies, blending work-based learning with skill development. It is a smaller but conceptually adjacent platform competing for both student supply and employer demand in the early-career talent space.
• Forage: Forage delivers free virtual job simulations and work-based learning programs for students, partnering with employers to source early-career talent. It overlaps with Apprentice on the student-employer matching thesis and on the upskilling/early-talent pipeline value proposition.

Others

• LinkedIn: LinkedIn operates the dominant professional network and recruiting platform, including LinkedIn Learning, job matching, and increasingly AI-assisted hiring tools. It is not a direct marketplace for student apprenticeships but represents the broader talent platform ecosystem in which Apprentice competes.
• Chegg: Chegg is a broad EdTech platform serving college students with tutoring, textbook rentals, and career services. While not a direct competitor for talent matching, it touches the same student demographic and could expand into work-based learning adjacencies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/intern
• Facebookfacebook.com/chooseapprentice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chooseapprentice
• Instagraminstagram.com/chooseapprentice/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Apprentice