What Karrass does

Karrass is a privately held negotiation training company founded in 1968 (firmographics) / 1970 (history timeline) by Dr. Chester L. Karrass and currently led by President Gary Karrass. The company delivers instructor-led seminars teaching negotiation strategies, tactics, and psychological frameworks under proprietary brands including Effective Negotiating®, Effective Negotiating II®, Effective Consensus®, and the Spanish-language Negociación Eficaz®. Its core methodology is the Both-Win® philosophy, supported by supplementary materials comprising a workbook, audio series, the KARRASS Compass coaching tool, and three hardcover books authored by Dr. Karrass.

The business operates three delivery channels: two-day in-person public seminars in major cities worldwide (US, Canada, UK, Netherlands, Mexico), live online seminars split into four half-day virtual sessions, and customized corporate in-house programs for groups as small as 12. US in-person pricing ranges from $1,244 to $1,489 per attendee with volume discounts for 2+ and 5+ registrations; live online is priced at $949. The company has trained over 1,000,000 professionals cumulatively, with named enterprise customers spanning Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Oracle, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, GE Healthcare, Merck, Roche, Caterpillar, Honda, ExxonMobil, Wal-Mart, Nike, Coca-Cola, American Express, and others across technology, defense, healthcare, manufacturing, energy, and consumer goods industries.

Karrass generates revenue primarily through per-seat seminar fees and custom enterprise training contracts, with no external funding, no parent company, and no disclosed financials. Its 11-50 employee footprint and the absence of any technology platform or API suggest a services-led model rather than a scalable software business, with moat derived principally from brand recognition, registered trademarks, and proprietary methodology rather than network effects or data assets.

Name

Karrass

Legal name

Karrass

Website

https://karrass.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Karrass is a privately held negotiation training company that delivers instructor-led Effective Negotiating® seminars — both in-person and live online — to individual professionals and Fortune 500 enterprise clients across the US, Europe, and Latin America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Negotiation & Closing Skills (EDABABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conflict Management, Negotiation & Difficult Conversations (EDABAAAJ)

Keywords

• Negotiation training
• Professional development seminars
• Corporate training programs
• Executive education services
• Negotiation skills workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. In-Person Seminars: Two-day in-person Effective Negotiating seminars offered in cities worldwide. Pricing varies by location: US cities range from $1,244 to $1,489 per person with volume discounts for group registrations.
2. Live Online Seminars: Four half-day sessions delivered via live instructor-led virtual format. Priced at $949 for individual registration with volume discounts. Includes digital materials and workbook.
3. Corporate/In-House Programs: Customized private programs delivered at client locations for groups as small as 12. Tailored to organizational needs with combined department options.
4. Block Seat Program: Corporate block seat purchasing option for volume training needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KARRASS delivers negotiation skills training through the Effective Negotiating® two-day instructor-led seminar program, offered in-person in major cities worldwide and via live online sessions, supplemented by customized corporate in-house programs for groups of 12 or more. The curriculum is built on the proprietary Both-Win® negotiation methodology developed by founder Dr. Chester L. Karrass and packaged with a workbook, KARRASS Audio Series, KARRASS Compass coaching tool, and three hardcover books. The company has trained over 1,000,000 professionals, including employees from most Fortune 500 organizations.

Product overview

KARRASS is a negotiation training company offering a portfolio of instructor-led seminar programs. The core offering is the Effective Negotiating® two-day seminar, supplemented by the Effective Negotiating II® follow-on program and Effective Consensus® for consensus-building skills. The company delivers programs in multiple formats: in-person seminars in cities worldwide, live online seminars (4 half-day sessions), and customized in-house corporate programs for groups of 12+. Spanish-speaking audiences are served through the Negociación Eficaz® program. All seminar attendees receive supporting materials including a workbook, streaming audio series, the KARRASS Compass negotiation tool, and three hardcover books authored by Dr. Chester Karrass. The company has trained over 1,000,000 professionals from Fortune 500 companies and other organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Effective Negotiating®: The core two-day negotiation training seminar program offered by Karrass, available in-person and live online.
• Effective Negotiating II®
• Effective Consensus®
• Negociación Eficaz®
• Both-Win®
• KARRASS Compass

Products and services

• Effective Negotiating® Seminar Flagship two-day instructor-led negotiation training seminar covering negotiation strategies, tactics, psychological insights, and the Both-Win® methodology for business professionals. Includes workbook, audio series, KARRASS Compass, and three hardcover books. Offered in-person in major cities worldwide.
• Effective Negotiating II® Seminar Follow-on seminar to the Effective Negotiating® program, providing advanced negotiation techniques and deeper strategies for experienced practitioners who have completed the core seminar.
• Effective Consensus® Seminar Specialized seminar focused on building consensus and group decision-making through negotiation techniques for organizational and team settings, intended as a complement to the Effective Negotiating® programs.
• Negociación Eficaz® Seminar Spanish-language version of the Effective Negotiating® program, delivered in-person in Mexico City and Monterrey and as a live online seminar for Spanish-speaking business professionals in Latin America.
• Corporate/In-House Programs Customized negotiation training programs delivered at client locations for groups of 12 or more, tailored to organizational needs with the option to combine departments for synergy. Includes the Block Seat Program for volume purchasing by enterprises.
• Live Online Effective Negotiating® Seminar Fully interactive, instructor-led virtual version of the Effective Negotiating® seminar delivered as four half-day sessions via web conference across US time zones (Pacific, Central, Eastern). Includes digital workbook, KARRASS Audio Series, and digital books.

Quantifiable outcome

• $30 million revenue increase in single negotiation project
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers38 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dale Carnegie Training: Long-established corporate training provider covering leadership, sales, communication and interpersonal skills; overlaps with Karrass in the corporate-training customer base (Fortune 500, L&D buyers) and adjacent skills curriculum, though it does not specialize specifically in negotiation.
• BTS (BTS Group): Global consulting and capability-building firm running corporate training programs, simulations, and workshops for Fortune 500 clients; overlaps in the enterprise negotiation/procurement training buyer segment and competes for in-house program budgets.
• AchieveGlobal / Korn Ferry Learning: Global corporate training organization (now part of Korn Ferry) offering sales, leadership, and negotiation-related programs at scale; overlaps with Karrass's enterprise in-house training use case though operating across a much broader L&D portfolio.

Direct peers

• Harvard Program on Negotiation (PON): Harvard-affiliated negotiation research and training organization offering negotiation courses, executive education, and publications; competes directly with Karrass for the same procurement, sales, and executive learners seeking negotiation training, distinguished primarily by academic brand association.
• VitalSmarts (Crucial Learning): Corporate training company whose Crucial Conversations and negotiation-adjacent courses target the same enterprise L&D buyers; competes for training budget with instructor-led programs covering difficult conversations and negotiation topics that directly overlap with Karrass's Effective Consensus® and Effective Negotiating® offerings.
• Vantage Partners: Consulting firm specializing in negotiation and collaborative business relationships; provides training, advisory, and capability-building services to large enterprises, directly competing for the same corporate negotiation-training engagements as Karrass.
• SkillPath Seminars (formerly National Seminars Training): Provider of public, in-person professional development seminars across US cities, including negotiation offerings; competes with Karrass in the same public-seminar channel and overlapping $1,000+ price band for individual professional attendees.
• Richardson (Richardson Sales Performance): Sales training and performance company that includes negotiation skills as a core curriculum pillar, serving mid-market and enterprise sales organizations; comparable delivery model (instructor-led workshops, customized in-house programs) and overlapping sales/procurement buyer personas.
• Black Swan Group: Negotiation-focused training and consulting firm built around 'Never Split the Difference' methodology; serves sales and procurement professionals at enterprise clients with instructor-led workshops and keynotes, directly competing in Karrass's core category.

Emerging players

• The Negotiation Academy (Red Hot Coaching / Inside Out Learning): Specialist negotiation training provider focused on sales, procurement, and leadership negotiations with instructor-led workshops and digital offerings; competes for the same corporate training buyers with a more recent brand presence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/karrass

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Karrass