American barber institute

What American barber institute does

American Barber Institute (ABI) is a New York State-licensed, for-profit vocational school that trains students for the NY Master Barber license. Founded in 1996, ABI operates two campuses — a flagship at 48 West 39th Street in Midtown Manhattan and a second location at 121 Westchester Square in the Bronx — and positions itself as New York's only dedicated barber school rather than a combined cosmetology program. The flagship 500-Hour Master Barber program spans 17 weeks full-time (4 months) or 27 weeks part-time weekend (6–7 months) and is offered under three payment plans priced at $4,600 to $5,600, with additional revenue from a 50-Hour Barber Refresher, a 3-Hour Contagious Diseases home-study course, and a $3 student haircut clinic.

ABI's curriculum is approved by the New York State Department of Education (NYSED/BPSS) and the school is VA-approved under Title 38 USC §3676, accepting Post-9/11 GI Bill, VR&E, Montgomery GI Bill, and DEA benefits as well as ACCES-VR funding for qualifying New Yorkers with disabilities. Classes begin the first Monday of every month, and training emphasizes hands-on clinic work with real clients from the early weeks rather than mannequin-only instruction. ABI's instructional staff is composed entirely of former ABI graduates, including Lead Senior Instructor David Ayeoribe ('King David') with 50+ years in barbering and Bronx Founding Director Truth Quinones with 40+ years and prior service as a NY State Board Examiner.

The business model is direct-to-consumer vocational education sold through a high-touch admissions process: prospective students submit forms on abi.edu, receive calls from bilingual (English/Spanish) admissions advisors, and enroll over the phone or in-person. A full-time job placement office connects graduates to NYC barbershops, creating a closed-loop referral ecosystem of more than 10,000 alumni. Technology is limited to off-the-shelf martech (LeadConnector/GoHighLevel for forms and chat, Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, Microsoft Clarity) with no proprietary platform, app, or AI capabilities. The company is privately held, with no disclosed investors, parent company, or funding rounds, and operates with 1–10 employees.

Name

American barber institute

Legal name

American Barber Institute Inc.

Website

https://abi.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

American Barber Institute is a NYSED-licensed vocational barber school operating two NYC campuses (Manhattan and Bronx) that trains aspiring barbers for the NY Master Barber license through a 500-hour program, with additional refresher, licensing, and job-placement services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Barber Education

NAICS

Cosmetology and Barber Schools (611511), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Barbering (EDAOALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Barbering Schools & Programs (HSALANAD)

Keywords

• Barber training programs
• Vocational barber education
• Barber licensing courses
• Cosmetology continuing education
• Barber apprenticeship training

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition — 500-Hour Master Barber Program: Primary revenue from tuition payments for the 500-hour Master Barber program. Students pay a down payment ($500–$550) plus weekly installments ($150–$300/week) over the program duration (4–7 months). Morning plan is $5,600 total; afternoon and weekend plans are $4,600 each. Additional revenue from tools/books/supplies sold to students.
2. Tuition — 50-Hour Barber Refresher: Shorter continuing-education program for licensed cosmetologists and barber apprentices. Tuition is $1,500 ($750 down + $750 in week two). Manhattan campus only. Includes NY State Board Exam prep and job placement assistance.
3. Contagious Diseases Course: 3-hour home-study program required for NY barber license applications and renewals. Sold for $100 per enrollment, completed entirely by mail.
4. $3 Student Haircuts: Student barbers provide supervised haircuts to the public at $3 per cut under instructor supervision. Generates nominal revenue while providing hands-on training for students. Additional services available at extra cost.
5. GI Bill & VA Benefits Certification: ABI is VA-approved under Title 38 USC § 3676 and certifies enrollment for Post-9/11 GI Bill (Ch. 33), VR&E (Ch. 31), Montgomery GI Bill, and DEA (Ch. 35). VA benefits can cover tuition costs, representing a third-party reimbursement revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

American Barber Institute (ABI) is a New York State-licensed barber school delivering a 500-hour Master Barber training program across two NYC campuses (Manhattan and Bronx), combining classroom theory with hands-on practice on real clients. It also offers a 50-hour refresher program for licensed cosmetologists seeking Master Barber certification, a 3-hour home-study Contagious Diseases course required for NY barber licensure, and supervised student haircut services. Tuition is paid via weekly payment plans and accepted forms include VA benefits, GI Bill, and ACCES-VR vocational rehabilitation funding.

Product overview

American Barber Institute offers a portfolio of barber training programs centered on its flagship 500-Hour Master Barber Program, which provides comprehensive NY State-approved training leading to a Master Barber license. The institute also offers a 50-Hour Barber Refresher for licensed professionals seeking certification, a 3-Hour Contagious Diseases home-study course required for NY barber licensing, and $3 student haircuts as a hands-on training service. Programs feature flexible schedules (morning, afternoon, weekend), payment plans, and job placement support across two NYC campuses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 500-Hour Master Barber Program Comprehensive 500-hour NY State Master Barber training delivered over approximately 4 months (17 weeks full-time) or 6-7 months (27 weeks weekend). Includes hands-on clinic training with real clients, NY State Board Exam preparation, and job placement assistance. Available in three schedules: Morning (Mon-Fri, 8 AM-2 PM, $5,600), Afternoon (Mon-Fri, 2 PM-8 PM, $4,600), and Weekend (Sat-Sun, 9 AM-7 PM, $4,600). Tuition paid via weekly installments from $150-$300 with down payments of $500-$550.
• 50-Hour Barber Refresher

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduate licensed in as little as 4 months (17 weeks full-time)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NYC Barber Shop Museum (REAMIR & Co.)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Operated by Arthur Rubinoff, a fourth-generation barber. First museum barbershop in NYC at Columbus Ave & E 70th St, Manhattan (second location in Sunny Isles, Miami). Working barbershop surrounded by 1,000+ artifacts. Registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Awarded Best Barbershop by New York Style Magazine (2015). ABI has placed graduates with the museum for years — a trusted, ongoing relationship between the school and a respected institution.
• Levels BarbershopcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 1996Founded 1996 by Kamal Nuru on 125th Street, Harlem. Now spans Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Orange County, NY, with The Antique Barber product line, Barber World TV media platform, and annual NYC Barber Battle. Multiple Nuru family co-owners are ABI graduates (~15 years). Many licensed barbers at Levels today are ABI alumni. ABI Lead Instructor Harold 'Barkim' Brown featured on Barber World TV Episode 007. Long-term, multi-generational hiring relationship.
• Diamond Fadez BarbershopcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOwned by Mike, an ABI graduate and older brother of current ABI bilingual instructor Richard Cancel. Located one block from ABI's Manhattan campus at 308 West 39th Street — a combined barbershop and tattoo studio. Mike's success as an ABI graduate led his brother Richard to join ABI as an instructor, creating a two-generation family partnership with the school.
• Untouchable CutzminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOwned by Jimmy, an ABI graduate who opened his own shop just two years after earning his license. ~15 years later, one of Staten Island's most respected barbershops with 50+ combined years of team experience. Jimmy has hired many ABI graduates over the years and now offers private tutoring and weekly grooming classes to pass the craft on.
• Expo Gentlemen SalonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoe's business with locations in Staten Island and Brooklyn. Not an ABI graduate himself but relies on ABI as a trusted talent pipeline. Multiple ABI alumni anchor the team at both locations. When Joe needs to hire, he calls ABI first. Demonstrates ABI's reputation among NYC shop owners who are not alumni.
• Otis & Finn BarbershopcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOne of NYC's most celebrated state-of-the-art barbershops, featured in GQ, BuzzFeed, HuffPost, FOX5, and PIX11. Four locations: Long Island City, Court Square, Greenpoint, and Williamsburg. ABI graduate James Cavanaugh (Greenpoint) has cut professionally for five years since earning his license at ABI. Otis & Finn names ABI on James's official bio page — a public endorsement of the school's training quality.
• Andis (Brand Partnership)minorOthersTruth 'The Barber Artist' Quinones, Founding Director of ABI Bronx and 40+ year industry veteran, is an Andis brand partner and national industry influencer. This represents a personal brand partnership between a key ABI instructor and a leading barber tool manufacturer.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Long Island Barber Institute: NYSED-licensed dedicated barber school serving the Long Island/greater NYC region. Comparable as a NY State-approved barber training provider targeting similar career-changer and veteran student segments, though operating in adjacent rather than overlapping NYC geographies.
• Boricua College: NYC-based postsecondary institution that has historically offered vocational and technical training programs including barbering. Comparable as a NY-licensed educational provider serving NYC career-changer and adult-learner populations with state-approved curricula.

Broad incumbents

• Paul Mitchell The School: National cosmetology and barbering school franchise with multiple NY-area campuses. Directly comparable as a vocational beauty/barber training institution offering state-approved curricula, payment plans, and job placement support at larger scale than ABI.
• Empire Beauty School: Large multi-state cosmetology school chain with locations in the Northeast. Comparable as a vocational beauty training provider serving career-changers via financial aid and flexible scheduling, though focused on cosmetology rather than dedicated barber training.
• Aveda Institute New York: Operates a NYSED-licensed cosmetology program in NYC and is part of the broader Aveda/Estée Lauder network. While primarily cosmetology-focused, Aveda Institutes offer vocational beauty training at scale with superior brand recognition and could expand into barber-specific programs, making it a strategic incumbent to monitor.

Direct peers

• New York School of Barbering: Another NYSED-licensed dedicated barber school historically operating in the NYC market. Directly comparable as a competitor for the same 500-hour Master Barber students, NY State Board Exam preparation market, and GI Bill-eligible veteran population.
• Tribeca Barber School: NYC barber school where ABI's Lead Senior Instructor 'King David' previously taught. Directly comparable as a dedicated barber training program operating in the Manhattan market, competing for the same aspiring-barber student pool and NYSED-regulated curriculum.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagramig.me/m/americanbarberinstitute
• Xx.com/amerbarberedu

Compliance1 record

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 American barber institute