ACE Education Group Inc.

What ACE Education Group Inc. does

ACE Education Group Inc. (legal name: ACE of Diamonds Education Group Inc.) is a Vancouver, BC-based private education and university admissions consultancy founded in 2014 by Michael Mityok, operating primarily from its Kerrisdale office at 202-2445 West 41st Avenue. The company serves elementary through high school students (Grades 2-12) and their parents across Canada and the United States, with a particular focus on families seeking admission to elite US, Canadian, and UK universities. ACE is not a technology company; its core offering is in-person and online educational instruction delivered by approximately 30 teachers and coaches, plus structured university admissions consulting.

The company's portfolio is organized under two wholly-owned sub-brands — Vancouver Debate Academy (VDA, founded 2016) and Vancouver Writing Academy (VWA, rebranded 2019 from the predecessor A+ Writing Workshop) — supplemented by the core University Pathway Program (Grade 8+ multi-year mentorship), Canadian and American university application consulting (with postgraduate MA/PhD packages), bi-annual Ivy League campus tours, $40 trial classes, and three BC Ministry-recognized elective debate credit courses (10A/11A/12A, up to 6 credits) delivered in partnership with Heritage Christian Online School (HCOS). Distribution is direct-to-consumer through aceeducationgroup.com, vancouverdebate.ca, vancouverwriting.ca, the Kerrisdale office, and a WeChat channel (vdadebate1) targeting the Chinese-speaking community.

ACE monetizes through a mix of subscription/recurring term tuition for debate and writing courses and the multi-year Pathway Program, professional services fees for university application packages, and one-time all-inclusive tour packages. Pricing is supported by early-bird (10%), sibling (10%), and Pathway cross-sell (10%) discounts. The company claims a 99% college admission acceptance rate over 15 years, a 90% graduation rate, 600+ debate tournament awards, and 3,000+ enrolled students. ACE is founder-owned with no external investment and no public revenue disclosure.

Name

ACE Education Group Inc.

Legal name

ACE of Diamonds Education Group Inc.

Website

https://aceducationgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACE Education Group is a Vancouver-based private education and university admissions consultancy offering debate instruction (VDA), writing programs (VWA), and multi-year Pathway mentorship for students Grades 2-12 and parents targeting elite US, Canadian, and UK university admissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education & Admissions Consulting

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Test & Admissions Writing (SSAT/ISEE/SAT/ACT Essays, Personal Statements) (EDAMAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Advanced Writing, Literature & Humanities Tutoring (Advanced composition, rhetoric, debate) (EDANAKAG), Research & Science Fair Competitions (Science Fairs, Research Symposiums) (EDAMAGAL)

Keywords

• Debate education services
• Writing skills programs
• University admissions consulting
• Extracurricular mentoring programs
• University pathway counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Debate Courses (Vancouver Debate Academy): Ongoing debate classes and courses for students in grades 2-12, including online and in-person instruction. Revenue is generated per term/session with registration-based enrollment. Trial class at $40 credited toward tuition upon registration.
2. Writing Courses (Vancouver Writing Academy): Reading and writing skill development courses for students, providing ongoing instruction with per-term enrollment and payment.
3. University Pathway Program: Multi-year mentorship and counseling program pairing students (Grade 8+) with dedicated mentors and counselors who guide university applications, extracurriculars, and life skills. Students receive academic mentoring, volunteer/work experience guidance, and portfolio creation support.
4. University Application Consulting: University admissions consulting services for undergraduate and postgraduate (MA/PhD) applications to Canadian and US universities. Services include essay feedback, application management, and interview preparation. Partial and full package options available.
5. University Tours: Bi-annual Ivy League/university campus tours (10-12 days, 10-12 universities per trip) for students, priced as an all-inclusive package covering flights, accommodation, meals, tours, and travel insurance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACE Education Group is an education and university admissions consultancy operating in Vancouver's Kerrisdale area. It delivers competitive debate instruction through its Vancouver Debate Academy (VDA), English reading and writing courses through its Vancouver Writing Academy (VWA), and multi-year university application mentorship and consulting services through its University Pathway Program targeting students applying to elite Canadian, US, and UK universities.

Product overview

ACE Education Group Inc. is an education and university admissions consultancy operating in Vancouver's Kerrisdale area, founded in 2014. The company offers a portfolio of educational programs through two main sub-brands: Vancouver Debate Academy (VDA) and Vancouver Writing Academy (VWA). VDA provides competitive debate courses for students Grade 4 and up, while VWA focuses on English reading and writing skill development. The core service is the University Pathway Program, which offers long-term mentorship for Grade 8+ students preparing for university applications. Additional services include Canadian and American university application consulting, Ivy League campus tours, trial classes, and BC Ministry-recognized credit courses through the HCOS partnership. The company serves students from elementary through high school, with a focus on elite university admissions and extracurricular skill development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vancouver Debate Academy (VDA) Competitive debate education program offering debate courses and coaching for students from Grade 2 through high school. VDA is one of Canada's largest private debate academies and prepares students for tournaments including NSDA (TOC), Harvard, Stanford, and Chinese Nationals.
• Vancouver Writing Academy (VWA) English reading and writing skill development program for students, formerly known as A+ Writing Workshop. Offers courses designed to improve literacy skills and academic performance for elementary and high school students.
• University Pathway Program Multi-year mentorship program pairing Grade 8+ students with experienced mentors and counselors. Provides university application preparation, extracurricular activity guidance, volunteer/work experience planning, and portfolio creation for admissions to elite universities.
• Canadian Universities Application Service University admissions consulting for Canadian undergraduate programs (6 university applications included) and postgraduate programs (partial or full application packages for MA/PhD), including essay feedback, application management, and interview preparation.
• American Universities Application Service US university admissions consulting delivered through a four-phase approach: application preparation, completion, submission and follow-up, and offer selection. Targets elite American institutions and Ivy League schools.
• University Tours Bi-annual Ivy League and elite university campus tours (10-12 days, 10-12 universities per trip) offered during spring and summer breaks. Priced as an all-inclusive package covering flights, accommodation, meals, tours, and travel insurance, limited to 10 students per tour with full supervision.
• Trial Class One-time trial class for new students priced at $40 CAD, used to evaluate student proficiency levels and recommend appropriate class placement. The fee is credited toward tuition upon registration but is non-refundable.
• HCOS Credit Courses BC Ministry of Education-recognized debate credit courses delivered in partnership with Heritage Christian Online School. Three elective courses (10A beginner, 11A intermediate, 12A advanced) providing 2 credits each, with up to 6 credits available toward BC high school graduation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% college admission acceptance rate over 15 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Heritage Christian Online School (HCOS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACE/VDA partners with Heritage Christian Online School (HCOS), a BC Ministry of Education-recognized online school, to offer BC Ministry-credited debate courses. Three elective credit courses are offered: Grade 10A (beginner), Grade 11A (intermediate), and Grade 12A (advanced preparation). Each passing course provides 2 credits, enabling students to earn up to 6 credits through ACE's elective debate curriculum. This partnership enables BC high school students to earn official graduation credits through debate.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Collegewise: US-based college admissions counseling firm combining private counselors with test prep and application management. Comparable service mix to ACE's consulting + course offerings.
• IvyWise: Premium admissions consultancy providing one-on-one counseling for undergraduate and graduate applications to selective universities. Closely comparable in service scope and outcome-driven positioning to ACE's consulting arm.
• Crimson Education: Globally scaled university admissions consultancy offering individualized mentoring for elite US/UK university admissions, with a strong Asian-market footprint. Directly comparable to ACE's University Pathway Program and application consulting model.
• Veritas Prep: Admissions consulting and test preparation company known for admissions strategy and GMAT/GRE/MBA coaching. Comparable to ACE's postgraduate (MA/PhD) application services.
• ArborBridge: Online tutoring and test prep company with admissions counseling, serving students applying to selective US universities. Comparable to ACE's combination of online tutoring and admissions services.
• Admissionado: Admissions consulting firm focused on elite US, UK, and Canadian university applications with mentor-based service. Directly comparable to ACE's Pathway consulting for Ivy League and global universities.
• PrepScholar: Online test prep and college admissions platform with personalized learning and admissions guidance. Comparable to ACE's test preparation and admissions consulting offerings.
• Magoosh: Online test prep company for GRE, GMAT, SAT, ACT, and other standardized exams with online learning platform. Comparable technology-enabled test prep offering to ACE's online courses.

Broad incumbents

• Kaplan: Global education and test preparation company offering admissions consulting, tutoring, and prep courses for standardized tests. Broad overlap with ACE's test prep and admissions services but at national scale.
• The Princeton Review: Large-scale test prep, admissions, and tutoring provider offering broad SAT/ACT/AP prep alongside college counseling. Overlaps with ACE but operates at much larger scale across many programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ace-education-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 ACE Education Group Inc.