CADD Centre

What CADD Centre does

CADD Centre Training Services is a privately held Indian vocational training company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The company delivers job-oriented certification, diploma, and master-level programs in CAD/CAE, product design, AEC (architecture, engineering, construction — including BIM, MEP, and structural design), automotive design and engineering, and automotive embedded systems. Curriculum is delivered through a centralized LMS (lms.caddcentre.com), an in-house digital certificate registry with QR-code verification, and a 100+ course portfolio that has cumulatively trained 4M+ engineers and professionals across 38+ years of operation.

Revenue is generated through four streams: per-course tuition fees (with 0% EMI financing), franchise licensing and royalty income from 350+ authorized training centres across India (with the locate-us page citing 730 centres) and 24+ overseas locations via its wholly-owned CADD Centre Overseas subsidiary, bespoke corporate training delivered at client premises (covering mechanical design, BIM, EV technology, project management, and soft skills), and an e-commerce merchandise store selling CAD/CAE reference guides. In 2024, the company launched a wave of AI-Powered Smart Design courses integrating third-party generative AI tools (Vizcom.AI, Fusion 360, PROME.AI, ARCHITECTURES.AI, Autodesk Alias), automotive embedded systems programs targeting EV and functional safety (ISO 26262, UN R155), and consumer-goods manufacturing courses, signaling a strategic pivot toward AI-curriculum positioning and emerging verticals.

The company operates as a hybrid PLG and franchise-driven business with a B2B enterprise field-sales overlay for corporate clients. It has no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing, no documented M&A activity, and is led by founder Viswanathan Krishnan. Geographic reach spans India, broader Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and the company positions itself as Asia's largest vocational CAD/CAE training network.

Name

CADD Centre

Legal name

CADD Centre Training Services

Website

https://caddcentre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

CADD Centre is a privately held Indian vocational training company delivering 100+ CAD/CAE, product design, AEC, and automotive certification programs through 350+ franchise centres and 24+ global locations, serving engineering students, working professionals, and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Engineering Training

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Apprenticeship Training (611513), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Computer Training (611420)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial CAD/CAM for Manufacturing (EDAOAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Engineering & Technical Professions (PE, Engineering CPD) (EDAAALAF), Architecture, Planning & Surveying (AIA, Planning, Land Surveyor CE) (EDAAALAG), Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) (EDABALAG)

Keywords

• CAD/CAE training
• Vocational engineering courses
• Design certification programs
• Automotive design training
• BIM architecture training

Headquarters

HQ city

Madras Mylapore

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Course Fees: Students pay tuition fees for enrolling in certificate, diploma, and master-level courses. Fees are quoted per course and can be paid upfront or via 0% EMI financing.
2. Franchise Network Revenue: CADD Centre licenses its curriculum, brand, and operational framework to franchisees. Franchisees pay a fee to operate authorised training centres under the CADD Centre brand, generating recurring revenue through franchise agreements.
3. Corporate Training: Customised training programmes delivered at corporate or institutional premises, billed per engagement or as part of long-term skilling contracts with enterprises.
4. Merchandise (CAD/CAE Reference Guides): Sale of CAD/CAE reference guide books through the online shop (merchandise.caddcentre.com), priced per title in INR (e.g., ₹2,000–₹6,400 per guide).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CADD Centre delivers vocational CAD/CAE and design engineering training through 100+ certification, diploma, master, and executive programs covering product design (SolidWorks, CATIA), architecture/engineering/construction (AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, STAAD, BIM), automotive design and engineering (BIW, crash, CFD, composites, embedded systems, EV), and AI-powered smart design. The offering is delivered via a franchise network of 350+ centers across India and 24+ global locations, a corporate training division that delivers bespoke programs at client premises, an LMS-backed digital certification system, and an e-commerce store for CAD/CAE reference guides.

Product overview

CADD Centre is a vocational training organization offering over 100 industry-ready certification programs in CAD/CAE/software design skills, with a portfolio spanning Product Design (Essential/Proficient/Master certificates in SolidWorks and CATIA with AI), Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC programs in Architecture Design, Building Design, MEP, BIM, Structural Design with AI), and Automotive Design & Engineering (programs in automotive design, embedded systems, BIW, composites, crash analysis, CFD, and visualization). The offering includes Executive Diploma programs (400-440 hours each), short-term certificate courses (20-80 hours), AI-powered smart design certifications using tools like Vizcom.AI, Fusion 360, PROME.AI and ARCHITECTURES.AI, corporate training services, and a merchandise store for CAD/CAE reference guides. The company operates 350+ training centers across India and 24 global locations, serving 4M+ engineers and professionals trained.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master Certificate in Product Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4 million engineers and professionals trained
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Autodesk (Authorized Training Centers): Autodesk operates an Authorized Training Center (ATC) network globally and sells its own certifications (ACU/ACP) for AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, Fusion 360. As the underlying CAD vendor, Autodesk is a broad incumbent whose official certifications compete with CADD Centre's Autodesk-tool-based curriculum.
• Dassault Systèmes (Education): Dassault Systèmes runs a global education program with academic licenses, certified curriculum and CATIA/SOLIDWORKS/3DEXPERIENCE certifications. As the vendor behind CATIA and SolidWorks, it competes at the certification layer and shapes curriculum standards that CADD Centre must align with.

Direct peers

• NIIT Limited: NIIT is a long-established Indian IT and professional skills training company with corporate and individual learner programs. Comparable to CADD Centre as a heritage Indian skills-training brand, though NIIT is more weighted toward IT/digital skills than engineering CAD/CAE.
• Arena Animation: Arena Animation (an Aptech subsidiary brand) is an Indian franchise-based training provider for animation, VFX, multimedia and design. Comparable to CADD Centre as a franchise-driven design skills trainer in India, with overlap in the architecture visualization and 3D modeling course category.
• Aptech Limited: Aptech is a publicly listed Indian vocational training company offering IT, design, animation and engineering software courses through a franchise network. It is the closest direct Indian peer to CADD Centre in terms of franchise-driven vocational skilling, though its portfolio skews more toward IT/general design and less toward engineering CAD/CAE specialization.
• Simplilearn: Simplilearn is an India-headquartered professional upskilling platform (Blackstone-backed) covering digital, cloud, data, and design engineering certifications. It is a direct competitor for working-professional upskilling wallet share, especially via online delivery, which competes with CADD Centre's advanced and corporate programs.
• Great Learning: Great Learning is an India-based professional education provider offering online programs in data, AI, cloud, design and management with university-issued certificates. Overlaps with CADD Centre in the working-professional upskilling segment, particularly where AI/engineering design certifications are sold online.

Emerging players

• upGrad: upGrad is an India-founded online higher-education and upskilling platform with programs in technology, data, management and design. It overlaps with CADD Centre at the professional and corporate training layer, though primarily online rather than via physical franchise centres.
• Imarticus Learning: Imarticus Learning is an India-based professional training company covering finance, analytics, data science and technology. It competes for the working-professional and corporate-training wallet that CADD Centre's enterprise and upskilling programs also target.

Others

• PTC (Creo eLearning): PTC, the vendor of Creo and an IoT/PLM platform, publishes its own Creo eLearning library and supports university curricula on PTC tools. As an ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, PTC influences the same CAD tooling ecosystem CADD Centre teaches.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/caddcentre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/CADDCentreTrainingServices
• Facebookfacebook.com/caddcentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cadd-centre
• Instagraminstagram.com/cadd__centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 CADD Centre