International Association of Coaching Institutes (ICI)

What International Association of Coaching Institutes (ICI) does

International Association of Coaching Institutes (ICI) is a private, Berlin-headquartered international professional association and certification body, co-founded in 2001 by Karl Nielsen and Nandana Nielsen. The organization operates as the coaching-focused arm of the We Evolve World umbrella, which also encompasses affiliated associations covering NLP (IN), hypnosis (WHO), systemic constellation (WSCO), mindfulness (In-Me), positive psychology (PosPsy), AI training (AITI), Enneagram (EWA), and NLPt (NLPt-WA). ICI's core offering is standardized credentialing — Coach ICI, Master Coach ICI, Coach Trainer ICI, and Expert Coaching Skills ICI — delivered through a network of 134 accredited training institutes across 117 countries and held by over 14,000 certified professionals with a cumulative 72,000+ sealed participants over 25 years.

The platform layer is a member-facing website (coaching-institutes.net) that functions as a directory for trainings, institutes, and certified coaches, supported by an education portal (education.we-evolve.world), a YouTube channel, and an active blog. Underlying content assets include founder-developed methodologies such as NLPsy (NeuroLinguistic Psychology) and NLPhil, plus partnerships such as the MA/PhD pathway with Universidad Central de Nicaragua. Country presidents and ambassadors operate as a distributed field network across more than a dozen markets.

The business model is freemium at the individual level: membership is free for anyone holding an ICI certificate, while the organization monetizes upstream through institute affiliation, certification processing, congress events, and curriculum licensing. With 43 staff at headquarters and a member base that spans NLP practitioners, hypnotherapists, mindfulness professionals, and corporate/executive coaches, ICI's GTM is community-led and channel-driven rather than direct enterprise sales.

Name

International Association of Coaching Institutes (ICI)

Legal name

IN/ICI/WHO Association

Website

https://coaching-institutes.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

International Association of Coaching Institutes (ICI) is a Berlin-based private professional association that certifies NLP, coaching, and related-discipline practitioners worldwide through 134 accredited institutes across 117 countries, serving over 14,000 members under a freemium membership model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: ICI offers free membership to individuals who hold ICI certificates. The association appears to be funded through member institute affiliations and training certification processes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

International Association of Coaching Institutes (ICI) is a Berlin-based global professional association founded in 2001 that accredits training institutes and certifies individual practitioners across NLP, coaching, hypnosis, mindfulness, and related disciplines. It operates a unified credentialing framework across 117+ countries through 134 accredited institutes and a network of country presidents, providing standardized curricula, certification pathways, and ongoing membership services.

Product overview

The International Association of Coaching Institutes (ICI) operates as a professional association and certification body rather than a software product company. ICI provides a platform of professional coaching certifications (Coach ICI, Master Coach ICI, Coach Trainer ICI), training program accreditation, and a membership directory of certified professionals across 117+ countries. The organization also organizes World Congress events and maintains quality standards and ethical curricula for the coaching profession. With over 14,000 experts and 25 years of experience, ICI connects training institutes, certified coaches, and those seeking coaching services through its directory and certification programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 72,000+ professionals certified through ICI and related associations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• IN - International Association of NLP InstitutescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClosely affiliated association sharing leadership (Karl Nielsen is co-founder of both). Both associations are part of the We Evolve World umbrella organization, with overlapping membership and shared certification standards.
• WHO - World Hypnosis OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the same umbrella organization (We Evolve World) with shared leadership and cross-referral between ICI coaching and WHO hypnosis certifications.
• WSCO - World Systemic Constellation OrganizationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated organization under We Evolve World umbrella, offering constellation work certifications alongside ICI coaching programs.
• In-Me - Institutes for Mindfulness EvolvingsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMindfulness-focused association within the We Evolve World network, complementing ICI's coaching and NLP offerings with mindfulness-based methodologies.
• PosPsy - Positive Psychology OrganizationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPositive psychology association within the umbrella, integrated with coaching and personal development programs.
• AITI - Artificial Intelligence Training InstitutessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAI-focused association developing AI Coach Training programs integrated with ICI coaching certification.
• EWA - Enneagram World AssociationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnneagram-focused partner within the network, offering additional personality and development tools alongside coaching.
• NLPt-WA - NLPt World AssociationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNLPt (Neuro-Linguistic Programming timed) association partner, providing specialized NLP training and certification.
• UCN - Universidad Central de NicaraguasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership offering MA/PhD programs in Psychology with focus on NLP/NLPsy, providing educational advancement opportunities for ICI members.
• European Coaching AssociationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional European association for coaching, cooperating on standards and professional development within Europe.
• Asociación Peruana de Coaching (APCO)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeruvian coaching association, representing local coaching professionals and facilitating regional cooperation.
• The Association for NLP (UK)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based NLP association for standards and certification in the British market.
• Hrvatska Asocijacija (Croatian NLP Association)secondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCroatian national NLP association representing ICI/IN interests in the Balkan region.
• INQAAHE - International Confederation of Higher EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational higher education quality assurance association, providing academic credibility for ICI educational programs.
• Hypno SummitminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual hypnosis summit event partner, providing marketing and visibility opportunities for ICI/WHO members.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC): WABC issues Certified Business Coach and Chartered Business Coach credentials focused on the executive and corporate coaching segment. It targets the same institutional buyer set as ICI's corporate/executive coaching certifications.
• European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC): EMCC is a Europe-headquartered coaching and mentoring standards body offering practitioner and master practitioner accreditation across Europe and globally. It directly competes with ICI for European coaching credentialing market share and corporate buyer recognition.
• Association for Coaching (AC): AC is a UK-based professional membership body for coaches offering credentialing, CPD, and a global member directory. It overlaps with ICI in serving individual coaching professionals seeking internationally recognized accreditation and community.
• Society of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (SNLP): SNLP is a UK-based NLP membership body offering practitioner, master practitioner, and trainer certification. It operates in the same NLP credentialing niche as ICI's NLP coaching certifications with overlapping geography.
• International Association of NLP Institutes (IN): IN is the NLP-specific sister association within the We Evolve World umbrella, sharing co-founder Karl Nielsen and overlapping institute network. It is the closest direct comparable in NLP training standards and certification.
• The Association for NLP (ANLP): ANLP is another UK-headquartered NLP professional association with international chapters offering CPD and accreditation to NLP practitioners and coaches. It competes with ICI for NLP-certified professionals globally.

Broad incumbents

• International Coaching Federation (ICF): The world's largest coaching credentialing body with over 50,000 members, ICF issues ACC, PCC, and MCC coaching credentials across more than 140 countries. It is the dominant incumbent ICI competes against for individual coach certification and enterprise coaching procurement.

Regional players

• Coach U / CoachVille (Coach University): Coach U is a US-based coach training school offering comprehensive coaching certification programs with a strong North American following. It is comparable in training delivery and certification structure but primarily serves the US market.

Emerging players

• International Hypnotherapy Association (IHA): IHA is a professional body for hypnotherapists offering practitioner certification, intersecting with ICI's WHO affiliate offerings. It represents a partial-overlap emerging player in the hypnosis credentialing space adjacent to ICI.
• International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA): IPPA is the leading global scientific association for positive psychology research and practice, intersecting with ICI's PosPsy affiliate offerings. It serves as a research-credibility anchor that ICI's positive psychology certifications leverage or compete with.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCP_U9rtqWk1HwdM2yMgk13g
• Facebookfacebook.com/in.nlp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coaching-institutes-ici

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 International Association of Coaching Institutes (ICI)