Cphbusiness

What Cphbusiness does

Cphbusiness was a Danish business academy providing higher education within sales and marketing, economy and finance, IT, innovation and entrepreneurship, and leadership and communication. Following a merger with KEA (Københavns Erhvervsakademi) effective July 1, 2025, the institution now operates as Erhvervsakademi København (EK), described as Denmark's largest business academy. EK is a state-funded, self-governing institution under the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, offering Academy Profession degrees, Professionsbachelor top-up programmes, Diploma degrees, and continuing-education courses for working professionals across business, IT, design, construction, technology, and service disciplines. Its customer base spans full-time higher-education students (including international exchange students under Erasmus+ and bilateral agreements), employed adults in part-time continuing education, unemployed job seekers referred through municipal job centres, and employer partners such as Jyske Bank, Miele, and Novo Nordisk.

EK's core technology stack consists of standard educational administration and learning-management infrastructure: Moodle (LMS), ESAS (an internal student administration system for enrolment, study records, exam registrations, and attendance), WISEflow (exam platform), SurveyXact, and Microsoft 365 / Office.com integration for profile-data synchronization. Specialized physical infrastructure includes four maker labs (Lab 16, Maker Lab, Material Lab, Tech & Story Lab) equipped with 3D printers, CNC routers, laser cutters, injection molders, podcast and photo/video studios, and screen printing equipment, plus the Inkubatoren startup incubator providing shared workspace and entrepreneurial mentorship. No proprietary AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

EK's business model is predominantly state-funded: public allocations tied to student counts and educational outcomes constitute the primary revenue stream, supplemented by Statens Voksenuddannelsesstøtte (SVU) educational support for adults, employer or participant co-payments for part-time continuing education, and grants from Danish competence funds (kompetencefonde.dk). Distribution operates through 12 physical campuses across Copenhagen, Lyngby, Hillerød, and Bornholm (Rønne), an online/blended delivery channel for selected programmes, employer and job-centre referral channels, and an international partner-institution channel under Erasmus+. Marketing relies on the ek.dk website, annual open-house events, information meetings, social media, and the EK Alumni network.

Name

Cphbusiness

Legal name

Cphbusiness (Copenhagen Business Academy)

Website

https://cphbusiness.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Cphbusiness, now part of Erhvervsakademi København (EK), is Denmark's largest state-funded business academy. It delivers full-time and part-time higher education, including Academy Profession degrees, bachelor top-ups, and Diploma programmes, across 12 campuses in the Capital Region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Teacher Training, Professional Development & Education Leadership (BPADAKAC)

Keywords

• Vocational higher education
• Business academy programmes
• Continuing professional education
• Academy profession degrees
• Diploma degree programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. State Funding (Public Institution Revenue): As a state-funded self-governing institution under the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, EK receives government funding to deliver accredited higher education programmes. Revenue is primarily from public funding allocations tied to educational outcomes and student counts.
2. Tuition Fees (International and Continuing Education): Danish and EU/EEA students receive public funding support (SVU - Statens Voksenuddannelsesstøtte) for part-time programmes. International exchange students are exempt from tuition fees under Erasmus+. Some continuing education courses may involve participant or employer fees.
3. Competence Fund Grants: Employers and employees can access grants from competence funds (kompetencefonde.dk) to finance part-time education and courses, providing an additional funding layer for continuing education programmes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Cphbusiness, now operating as Erhvervsakademi København (EK), is Denmark's largest business academy formed from the July 2025 merger of Cphbusiness and KEA. It delivers vocational higher education through full-time Academy Profession (AP) degrees and Professionsbachelor top-up programmes, plus part-time continuing education (Academy and Diploma degrees) for working professionals. Specialized services include maker labs, an alumni network, Erasmus+ exchange semesters, and a startup incubator (Inkubatoren).

Product overview

Cphbusiness operates as part of Erhvervsakademi København (EK), Denmark's largest business academy formed by the merger of Copenhagen Business Academy (Cphbusiness) and KEA. The institution offers a comprehensive portfolio of higher education products: full-time Academy Profession degrees and Professionsbachelor top-up programmes across business, IT, design, and technology disciplines; part-time continuing education programmes (Academy and Diploma degrees) for working professionals; and specialized services including the EK Alumni network, four maker labs (Lab 16, Maker Lab, Material Lab, Tech & Story Lab), international exchange programmes with Erasmus+ support, and the Inkubatoren entrepreneurial incubator for student startups. The institution serves students seeking both initial qualifications and professional development throughout their careers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-time Higher Education Programmes (Videregående uddannelser)
• Part-time / Continuing Education (Efteruddannelse)
• Exchange Student Programmes
• EK Labs (Lab 16, Maker Lab, Material Lab, Tech & Story Lab)
• Inkubatoren (Startup Incubator)
• EK Alumni Network

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IBA Erhvervsakademi KoldingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEK and IBA collaborate on the delivery of a range of academy-level courses (akademifag). Data about enrolled course participants is exchanged between EK and IBA Kolding on an ongoing basis. Additionally, EK transfers exam result statistics to IBA Kolding for statistical analyses.
• Erasmus+ Programme (European Commission)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoth KEA and Cphbusiness hold extended Erasmus+ university charters, enabling student and staff mobility across Erasmus+ Programme and Partner countries. The programme supports study abroad periods, traineeships, and staff teaching/training exchanges with grant funding for participants.
• Student Counselling Service (SRG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partnership for student counselling. SRG is an independent organization providing support for study-related, social, or mental health issues. The service is free and anonymous for EK students.
• TUBAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partnership providing professional therapeutic advice for young people aged 14-35 who grew up in households with substance abuse. EK refers students to TUBA for confidential counselling support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IBA Erhvervsakademi Kolding: Danish business academy (erhvervsakademi) offering vocational higher education in business, IT, and technology. Already collaborates with EK on academy-level course delivery and exam-result data exchange, making it a directly comparable peer in the same Danish vocational higher-education segment.
• UCL Erhvervsakademi og Professionshøjskole: Danish combined university college and business academy delivering professional higher education across multiple campuses in Denmark. Operates in the same vocational/professional higher-education category as EK, with overlapping program areas and similar state-funding model.
• Professionshøjskolen Absalon: Danish university college offering professional bachelor degrees and continuing education across business, education, health, and social sciences. Directly comparable as a public-sector Danish higher-education provider with multi-campus delivery and similar employer-aligned curriculum model.
• VIA University College: One of Denmark's largest university colleges, delivering professional bachelor programs and continuing education across multiple campuses. Comparable in scale, public funding model, and program breadth to EK, particularly in continuing education for working adults.

Broad incumbents

• Copenhagen Business School (CBS): Denmark's largest business university, based in Copenhagen, offering full bachelor, master, and doctoral business programs. A broader incumbent that competes with EK for business-education students in Copenhagen, but operates at a higher academic level (university rather than vocational academy).
• DTU - Technical University of Denmark: Denmark's leading technical university, offering engineering and IT degree programs in the Copenhagen/Lyngby area. Overlaps with EK's IT and technology program offerings at the higher-degree level, serving as a broader incumbent competitor for technically oriented students.
• Aalborg University (AAU): Major Danish public university offering business, IT, and engineering programs with a problem-based learning model. Comparable as a public-sector Danish higher-education institution, though operating at university rather than vocational-academy level.
• Aarhus University: Denmark's largest research university offering business (Aarhus BSS), IT, and professional programs. Comparable as a Danish public higher-education competitor, particularly for full-time students choosing between EK's vocational tracks and university-degree pathways.
• SDU - University of Southern Denmark: Major Danish public university delivering business, engineering, and IT programs across multiple campuses. Comparable as a public-sector competitor for students evaluating EK vs traditional university-degree pathways in Denmark.

Regional players

• Noroff University College: Norwegian vocational higher-education provider focused on technology, digital media, business, and creative arts. Comparable in mission (practice-oriented professional higher education) and target audience, but operates in Norway rather than competing directly with EK in Denmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cphbusiness
• Facebookfacebook.com/copenhagenbusinessacademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/copenhagen-business-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Cphbusiness