BuildEmpire

What BuildEmpire does

BuildEmpire Ltd. is a privately held UK company founded in 2002 by CEO Fred Thompson, operating as a Totara Platinum Alliance Partner with a delivery team of nearly 20 based in the United Kingdom. The company specializes in implementing, customizing, and supporting enterprise learning management systems built on the Totara Talent Experience Platform — specifically Totara Learn (LMS), Totara Engage (LXP), and Totara Perform (performance management) — with a proprietary overlay called BuildEmpire Edition that adds enhanced theming, gamification, Stripe-powered eCommerce, custom dashboard blocks, multi-tenancy, and a mobile app with offline learning. The product surface extends to compliance tracking, certification management, onboarding flows, and reporting/analytics, supported by an infrastructure stack of AWS, Cloudflare, HubSpot, Workato, and OpenAI integrations, and is certified to ISO 27001:2022, Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus, and GDPR.

Revenue is generated through two interlocking streams: recurring Totara platform licensing (starting at £12,500/year per customer and scaling with users and modules) and professional services for custom development, migration, integration, and implementation. An unlimited UK-based support model is bundled into all packages, and upgrades are positioned as a recurring service. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales with consultative demos and quote-based pricing, augmented by inbound marketing (blog, eBooks, case studies, SEO, G2/Capterra reviews) and a Totara Healthcheck program that offers free migration for organizations switching from other Totara partners. BuildEmpire serves compliance-heavy, multi-region, and distributed-workforce organizations across banking/financial services, energy, higher education, non-profit, public sector, retail, and training providers, with named customers including Bugaboo, BPP University, CCL, Education Development Trust, Milton Keynes City Council, Astutis, MBL, Breville, Crockpot, FoodSaver, STFC, and Montessori Global Group. The company is bootstrapped and founder-controlled with no disclosed external funding.

Name

BuildEmpire

Legal name

BuildEmpire Ltd.

Website

https://buildempire.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BuildEmpire is a UK-based Totara Platinum Partner that delivers customized enterprise learning platforms built on Totara Learn, Engage, and Perform, enhanced with its proprietary BuildEmpire Edition (gamification, eCommerce, multi-tenancy, mobile). It serves compliance-heavy organizations across banking, energy, education, retail, and the public sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Totara Platform Licensing: BuildEmpire operates as a Totara Platinum Partner, reselling Totara Learn, Engage, and Perform subscriptions. Core Totara licensing starts at £12,500 per year, with pricing scaling based on user count and modules selected.
2. Custom Development Services: Bespoke development work including custom features, integrations, theming, and platform enhancements on top of core Totara. Quote-based pricing for custom dev projects.
3. Ongoing Support: Unlimited support included with all packages, with dedicated customer success and technical support teams.
4. Implementation and Migration: LMS implementation, data migration, and platform configuration services. Free migration offered for switching from one Totara partner to another.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BuildEmpire provides a customized enterprise learning management system built on the Totara Talent Experience Platform (Totara Learn, Engage, and Perform), enhanced with their proprietary BuildEmpire Edition layer. The offering includes the LMS platform subscription, custom development services, implementation and migration support, and unlimited UK-based technical support. Customers receive an enhanced platform with exclusive plugins for gamification, eCommerce, custom theming, and multi-tenancy, alongside compliance tracking, mobile learning, and SSO capabilities.

Product overview

BuildEmpire is a Totara Platinum Partner offering a unified learning platform built on Totara's Talent Experience Platform. The core offering combines three integrated solutions: Totara Learn (LMS for formal learning delivery), Totara Engage (LXP for social learning and content curation), and Totara Perform (performance management). BuildEmpire extends Totara with its proprietary BuildEmpire Edition add-on module providing exclusive features including gamification plugins, eCommerce via Stripe, custom dashboard blocks, and enhanced theming capabilities. Additional services include migration support, Totara upgrades, and solutions for compliance, onboarding, and sales training. The platform is marketed as a flexible alternative to off-the-shelf LMS options with emphasis on customisation, enterprise integrations, and UK-based unlimited support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BuildEmpire Edition: A custom version of the Totara platform with additional theming options, extra dashboard blocks and activities, gamification plugins, and whole plugins like eCommerce.

Products and services

• Totara Learn The complete LMS to deliver learning with impact, part of the Totara Talent Experience Platform. Delivered by BuildEmpire as a Platinum Partner for enterprise and mid-market organizations requiring formal learning delivery, course management, and compliance tracking.
• Totara Engage A learning experience platform (LXP) designed to engage, unite, and upskill an entire workforce through social learning and content curation. Delivered by BuildEmpire for organizations seeking informal learning, collaboration, and personalized content recommendations alongside their core LMS.
• Totara Perform Performance management platform designed to align, grow, and support high-performing teams across an organization. Delivered by BuildEmpire for clients seeking integrated performance reviews, goals, and development conversations within their learning ecosystem.
• BuildEmpire Edition An enhanced version of Totara with exclusive custom development including gamification plugins, custom dashboard blocks (Next Activity, Dashboard Banner, Earned Badges), eCommerce plugin, Blueprint theme with 10x more theming options than core Totara. Sold as a subscription add-on layered on top of Totara licensing, targeted at organizations seeking deeper customization than off-the-shelf Totara offers.
• Totara Upgrades Service to keep platforms secure, current, and future-ready through regular Totara version upgrades. Targeted at existing Totara customers who need a specialist partner to manage version migrations, security patches, and feature rollouts.
• Migration Migration service with expert support to help organizations switch LMS providers with confidence. Free migration is offered for organizations switching from another Totara partner, targeting clients seeking a more capable Platinum-tier delivery team.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organizations report time savings through automated compliance tracking replacing manual spreadsheet-based processes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability3 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• TotaracoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBuildEmpire is a Totara Platinum Alliance Partner, the highest partnership tier. They build on Totara Learn, Engage, and Perform, adding proprietary BuildEmpire Edition features. Totara provides the core LMS platform while BuildEmpire delivers customization, support, and implementation services.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationAWS hosts BuildEmpire's infrastructure and application data. UK/EU regions used by default with option for alternative regions. AWS provides physical and network security, scalability, and redundancy.
• CloudflaresupportingTechnology or IntegrationProvides DDoS protection, traffic filtering, and web application firewall capabilities for BuildEmpire-hosted environments including staging instances.
• HubSpotsupportingTechnology or IntegrationCRM used for customer relationship management, communication, and onboarding. Only essential contact information stored, processed under GDPR standards.
• StripesupportingTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing for BuildEmpire's eCommerce plugin, enabling secure checkout experiences for selling courses within the LMS.
• WorkatosupportingTechnology or IntegrationOptional integration platform for automating workflows between systems securely, enabling seamless integration while maintaining compliance.
• OpenAIsupportingTechnology or IntegrationAI integration available with Totara v19 onwards. When enabled, data sent to the model is excluded from training by design.
• PostmarksupportingTechnology or IntegrationTransactional email delivery for password resets and notifications, chosen for reliability, speed, and security.
• GooglesupportingTechnology or IntegrationGoogle Workspace and analytics for internal operations including productivity tools and communication services.
• IntelliBoardsupportingTechnology or IntegrationEnterprise-grade integration providing enhanced reporting and analytics capabilities within the Totara platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Think Learning: Totara Platinum Partner providing bespoke Totara-based learning platforms, custom development, and enterprise support. Directly comparable as a UK Totara partner competing for the same enterprise deals.
• Kineo: Major Totara Platinum Partner (part of City & Guilds group) offering enterprise LMS, compliance, and custom content development. Competes with BuildEmpire in the UK enterprise compliance and training market.
• Learning Pool: UK-based Totara Platinum Partner offering customized LMS implementations, Totara Learn/Engage/Perform, and a proprietary Edition layer. Closest direct comparable to BuildEmpire in geography, partnership tier, and go-to-market model.
• Catalyst (Catalyst EU): Long-standing Totara Platinum Partner delivering customized Totara LMS solutions, migrations, and managed services. Comparable in partnership tier, target customers, and custom development focus.

Broad incumbents

• Litmos: Enterprise LMS owned by CallidusCloud/Thoma Bravo with strong compliance and sales training positioning. Overlaps with BuildEmpire in regulated industries and frontline workforce use cases.
• Cornerstone OnDemand: Large enterprise talent and learning management suite. Represents the kind of scaled, well-capitalized incumbent that could displace Totara-partner-built platforms in large enterprise accounts.
• Docebo: Public, AI-focused enterprise LMS incumbent with broad feature set including compliance, social learning, and eCommerce. Competes with BuildEmpire for enterprise learning platform budgets at a larger scale.
• Totara: The underlying platform vendor whose Learn, Engage, and Perform products BuildEmpire resells and extends. Critical counterparty and ecosystem anchor — represents both opportunity (5,000+ partner network) and platform risk.
• Skillsoft: Large compliance and professional training content provider with associated learning platform. Competes for the same regulated-industry training budgets that drive BuildEmpire's enterprise pipeline.

Emerging players

• TalentLMS: Cloud LMS with strong SMB and mid-market position including gamification, eCommerce, and compliance features. Represents a more accessible, lower-priced alternative for prospects BuildEmpire may not be able to serve.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/buildempireltd

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 BuildEmpire