Besser Associates

What Besser Associates does

Besser Associates is a privately held professional training company founded in 1985 by Les Besser, a pioneer in RF/Microwave CAD (creator of the COMPACT program). The company delivers continuing education programs to RF and wireless engineers, technicians, and corporate engineering teams across multiple delivery channels: instructor-led public classroom courses in Phoenix, AZ and San Jose, CA; corporate on-site training at client facilities (U.S. and international); live instructor-led e-learning sessions via web-conference; and on-demand recorded content accessed through an internally developed learning management system (the Besser Associates Academy / RF Mentor Academy platform). Since founding, the company states it has trained more than 60,000 professionals and currently offers more than 100 courses covering RF fundamentals, wireless system design, RF measurements, RF power amplifiers, EMI/EMC, and emerging topics in 5G, mmWave, WiFi, Bluetooth, and related wireless technologies.

The product portfolio is anchored by two certification programs (RF Technology Certification and Applied RF Engineering Certification), an annual RF Mentor Academy subscription ($995/year) that bundles on-demand catalog access with the topic-based RF/Wireless Passport Program, and a deep catalog of individual courses delivered across classroom, live-online, and on-demand modalities. The underlying technology is a proprietary e-learning platform with progress tracking, interactive workbooks, custom calculators, simulations, "Chalk Talk" whiteboard derivation videos, and HD classroom recordings segmented into 30-60 minute episodes. Supporting capabilities include dedicated corporate team portals with supervisor progress tracking, professional multi-camera recording services for on-site training, and group licensing options for the Passport Program. Roster depth is a notable feature: instructors include Les Besser (IEEE MTT-S Career Award 2024), Arturo Mediano (IEEE EMC Society 2024), and Ali Darwish (IEEE MTT-S N. Walter Cox Award 2024), among other industry specialists.

Revenue is generated through five primary streams: (1) public classroom course fees priced $2,295-$2,995 per seat; (2) online certification subscriptions ($1,495 for RF Technology Certification, $3,479 for the Applied RF Engineering one-year bundle); (3) annual RF Mentor Academy subscriptions at $995/year per person with group licensing; (4) corporate on-site training delivered as professional services engagements (economic threshold ~8+ participants); and (5) individual on-demand course purchases ranging from $299 to $2,195. The company employs 11-50 people, operates from Mountain View, CA, and serves customers described as "leading and emerging communications design companies" globally. No external funding, M&A activity, or revenue figures are disclosed.

Name

Besser Associates

Legal name

Besser Associates, Inc.

Website

https://besserassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Besser Associates is a privately held RF and wireless engineering training company founded in 1985, serving engineers, technicians, and corporate teams via classroom courses, corporate on-site training, live e-learning, and on-demand subscriptions under the RF Mentor Academy platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Engineering Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Vendor/Authorized Certification Training (Microsoft/AWS/Cisco, etc.) (BPAEANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Learning & Course Subscriptions (CRAFAIAD), Corporate/L&D Course Licensing from Creators (B2B Upskilling) (MPACALAH)

Keywords

• RF engineering training
• Wireless certification courses
• Corporate technical training
• E-learning platform
• RF design education

Headquarters

HQ city

Mountain View

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Classroom Courses: Traditional in-person classroom training offered in Phoenix, AZ and San Jose, CA. Prices range from $2,295 to $2,995 depending on course and early registration deadlines. Courses run 5 days with instructor-led instruction and hands-on demonstrations.
2. Online RF Certifications: Scheduled and on-demand online certification programs including RF Technology Certification ($1,495) and Applied RF Engineering Certification bundle ($3,479). Includes access to learning materials, tests, and certificates of completion.
3. RF Mentor Academy Subscription: Annual subscription providing access to full-length on-demand course recordings, premium tutorial webinars, and RF/Wireless Passport program. Priced at $995 per person per year (365 days). Includes group licensing options for organizations.
4. Corporate/On-site Training: Customized private training sessions delivered at client facilities (U.S. and international). Includes options for professionally recorded classroom sessions with online hosting. Economically favorable for groups of approximately 8+ participants.
5. On-Demand Course Sales: Individual course purchases for self-paced learning. Prices range from $299 (RF and Wireless Made Simple) to $2,195 (RF Power Amplifier Design Techniques). Some courses offered in multiple parts (e.g., RF Power Amplifier in 4 parts at $595 each).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Besser Associates sells professional training services for RF, wireless, analog, and digital communication technologies delivered through public classroom courses, corporate on-site training, live online e-learning, on-demand recorded courses, and an annual subscription portal (RF Mentor Academy). The catalog includes two flagship certification programs (RF Technology Certification and Applied RF Engineering Certification) plus more than 100 individual courses covering RF design, test, measurement, and modern wireless standards (5G, LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth).

Product overview

Besser Associates is an RF and wireless professional training company founded in 1985 offering a comprehensive portfolio of training products and delivery formats. The core offerings include two certification programs: the RF Technology Certification (self-paced online program covering RF fundamentals) and the Applied RF Engineering Certification (engineering-level program with three core courses). These are supported by the RF Mentor Academy Subscription ($995/year) which provides on-demand access to courses and tutorials, including the RF/Wireless Passport program for topic-based learning. Training is delivered through multiple channels: Public Classroom Courses at San Jose and Phoenix locations; Corporate On-Site Training at client facilities; e-Learning Live Events via web-conference; On-Demand e-Learning through their Academy portal; and Classroom Recordings of HD video sessions. The company also offers Online Team Training with supervisor tracking features and On-site Recording services for corporate clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RF Technology Certification

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 hours of equivalent classroom training per certification program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pluralsight (Skillsoft): Large subscription technology learning platform with courses across engineering, cloud, and software — competes for corporate L&D training budgets for engineering teams, though with less domain depth in RF/wireless than Besser.
• O'Reilly Learning (technical learning platform): Subscription-based technology learning platform combining books, videos, and interactive courses for engineers and developers — a broad incumbent offering competing L&D channel for engineering training programs.
• IEEE eLearning Library: The professional society's continuing education arm offers engineering courses and CEU/PDH credit programs reaching the same wireless/RF engineering audience and providing a not-for-profit alternative Besser competes against for individual subscriptions.
• GP Strategies / Global Knowledge: Large corporate learning services provider offering instructor-led technology and certification training to enterprise IT and engineering teams — competing for the same corporate training wallet though more weighted toward IT/cloud than deep RF.

Emerging players

• MathWorks Training: Provider of MATLAB/Simulink training including RF, signal processing and wireless communications — comparable as a B2B technical training provider selling certifications and on-site sessions to the same engineering audience that consumes Besser's RF design courses.
• NI (formerly National Instruments) Training: Test & measurement company providing instructor-led and on-demand courses covering RF, wireless test and instrumentation — directly comparable in audience (RF/wireless engineers and technicians) and delivery formats.
• Keysight Technologies Education Services: Test and measurement instrument vendor that delivers its own education programs on RF instrumentation, signal analysis and wireless test — directly competing with Besser's RF Measurements course catalog and reaching the same RF engineer buyers via bundled or sponsored training.
• Rohde & Schwarz Training: Premium test & measurement manufacturer running formal training on its RF instruments, wireless standards and EMI/EMC — overlapping Besser's customer base of design, test and application engineers, especially on troubleshooting and EMC content.
• ANSYS Learning Hub / Innovation Courses: Sold simulation vendor offering structured courses on HFSS, EM simulation and RF system design — competes for a share of the same engineering training budget as Besser's RF design and certification programs.

Direct peers

• Tonex Training Seminars: Boutique training company running short technical courses across RF, wireless, radar, telecom, and semiconductors in similar classroom and on-site formats — directly comparable in business model, audience and delivery style to Besser Associates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/besserassociate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/besser-associates

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 Besser Associates