What Hermes Colleges Network Inc. does

Hermes Colleges Network Inc. (HCN Inc.) is a Montreal-headquartered operator of a network of Canadian private career colleges plus one public-private partnership, serving both domestic students and international students recruited primarily from South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Founded in 2019, the network consolidates five wholly-owned institutions — Veritas College of Technology, Matrix College, Aviron Québec Technical College, Ascent Technology College, and Academy of Learning Career College — alongside a public-private partnership with Cégep Marie Victorin. Across these institutions, HCN delivers more than 50 vocational, professional, and technical programs in business, technology, healthcare, trades, and language training, with instruction offered in both French and English.

The company's revenue model is tuition-driven, augmented by a transaction-fee component from commission-sharing with its 750+ international recruitment agents and managed-services revenue from its PPP arrangement with Cégep Marie Victorin. Student-facing pricing is quote-based and varies by program and institution, with flagship institutions committing to 24-hour admission processing and Matrix College offering a 100% satisfaction guarantee with free course retake. Internationally, HCN operates a channel-led go-to-market through a formal agent registration portal and a 15-day commission payment cycle, supplemented by direct enrollment via institutional websites, participation in international education events (e.g., ICEF Latam 2023 in São Paulo), and LinkedIn-driven outreach.

HCN's operational footprint includes 500+ employees across management, student services, and commercial functions; a flagship 30,000 square-foot Matrix College facility serving 1,800+ students; and a cumulative graduate base of more than 10,000 students with an 85% first-attempt graduation rate. The network is led by co-founder Sai Vikas Waghrey (Group Vice President) and Ginette Gervais (President for Quebec, appointed May 10, 2021), supported by a management team with prior leadership experience at private career colleges, Cégep institutions, and international language-school networks. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors or funding rounds.

Name

Hermes Colleges Network Inc.

Legal name

Hermes Colleges Network Inc.

Website

https://hermescolleges.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hermes Colleges Network Inc. is a Montreal-based operator of five Canadian private career colleges plus one public-private partnership, delivering vocational, professional, and technical programs in French and English to domestic and international students recruited through 750+ global agents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational and Professional Education

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Language Schools (611630)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Community Colleges (Applied/CTE-Focused) (EDAHADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hybrid, Multi-Location & Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAE), Study Abroad Program Operators (THAKAGAD), Business & Professional Language Training Abroad (EDAIAEAC)

Keywords

• Vocational education
• Career college programs
• International student recruitment
• Skilled trades training
• Private post-secondary education

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Program Fees: Revenue from tuition fees charged for professional and vocational college programs across the network of institutions
2. Agency Commission Sharing: Revenue sharing model with educational agents for international student recruitment. Commission payments processed within 15 days of verified invoice submission
3. Public-Private Partnership Revenue: Revenue generated through PPP arrangements with public institutions like Cégep Marie Victorin for expanding international educational programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hermes Colleges Network operates a network of licensed private career colleges and one public-private partnership in Canada, delivering vocational, professional, and technical post-secondary programs to domestic and international students in French and English. Programs span business, technology, healthcare, trades, and language training, and are delivered through Veritas, Matrix, Aviron Québec, Ascent, Academy of Learning, and Cégep Marie Victorin.

Product overview

Hermes Colleges Network Inc. (HCN) operates a network of private and public-private postsecondary and professional institutions across Canada. The portfolio consists of five core institution brands—Veritas College of Technology (specialized vocational DVS/DEP diplomas), Matrix College (business/technology/engineering with vendor IT certifications), Aviron Québec Technical College (skilled trades vocational training), Ascent Technology College (AI/ML and cybersecurity programs), and Academy of Learning (career college with Integrated Learning™ methodology)—plus one public-private partnership institution (Cégep Marie Victorin). The network collectively offers over 50 programs across business skills, healthcare, IT, marketing, and language training in French and English, with institutions located in Quebec and Ontario serving over 10,000 graduates and 750 active partners globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Le Collège de Technologie Veritas Inc. (Veritas College of Technology Inc.) A licensed private college in Montreal, Quebec offering highly specialized post-professional programs (DVS/DEP vocational diplomas) in Building Drafting and Personal Assistance in Facilities and Home Settings, targeted at students seeking Quebec-credentialed vocational training.
• Le Collège de gestion, technologie et santé Matrix Inc. (Matrix College) A licensed private career college in Montreal offering specialized postsecondary programs in business, technology, and engineering, including SAP, Cisco, and VMware IT certification courses, across a 30,000 square foot facility serving 1,800+ students.
• Collège technique Aviron Québec Inc. (Aviron Québec Technical College) A technical vocational school in Quebec City, founded in 1961, offering skilled trades training programs in electricity, carpentry, plumbing, welding-assembly, and automotive mechanics for students pursuing trade certifications.
• Collège de Technologie Ascent Inc. (Ascent Technology College) A technology-focused college in Montreal offering specialized AEC programs in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) and Network Security and Ethical Cyber Piracy (NSEPC) at the intersection of AI adoption and cybersecurity workforce needs.
• Académie d'apprentissage – Lawrence et Markham (Academy of Learning Career College) A registered private career college in Scarborough, Ontario operating under the exclusive Integrated Learning™ system, providing career-focused education and training that has helped graduates complete over one million training courses, with a mission to improve the lives of underserved students.
• Cégep Marie Victorin (PPP with Matrix College) A bilingual public community college in Montreal offering pre-university and technical programs in French, with certain programs in English at its Intercultural and International Education Centre, operated as a public-private partnership with Matrix College to expand its international footprint.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% graduation rate on first attempt
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cégep Marie VictorincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic-private partnership between Cégep Marie Victorin (bilingual community college in Montreal) and Matrix College under Hermes network. Partnership aims to expand international footprint and offer programs through the Intercultural and International Education Centre.
• 750 Active Educational Agents (International)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of 750+ active educational agents operating in South Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Agents recruit international students for Canadian programs with commission-based revenue sharing model.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• ApplyBoard: Kitchener-based platform connecting international students, agents, and educational institutions, including many Canadian private colleges. Not a direct competitor but a key enabler/competitor to HCN's agent channel, as ApplyBoard can disintermediate agents and shift pricing power toward institutions.

Broad incumbents

• Kaplan International: Large, established international education provider offering English, pathway, and college programs across multiple geographies. Comparable to HCN at the level of international-student recruitment and career/college pathways; broader portfolio and brand but overlapping agent-driven GTM.
• Global University Systems (GUS): Global operator of multiple higher-education brands across Canada, the UK, and Europe, including private colleges serving international students. Comparable to HCN as a roll-up of private educational institutions; larger and more diversified but operates with the same agent-recruitment model (HCN's channel lead previously worked at GUS).
• EF Education First: World's largest private language education company, operating language schools and academic pathway programs across dozens of countries. Comparable to HCN in international-student segment and language/career training, though at far greater scale and with a globally unified brand.
• Navitas: Global provider of university pathway programs and college partnerships, including in Canada. Comparable to HCN at the level of international pathway credentials and agent-based recruitment, with deeper public-university partnership experience analogous to HCN's Cégep Marie Victorin PPP.

Direct peers

• Oxford International Education Group: International education group running pathway, language, and college programs for international students, including in Canada. Comparable to HCN in international-student focus, multi-brand structure, and pathway credentials, though with a broader UK/Europe footprint.
• Sprachcaffe / GEOS Languages: International network of language schools with partner colleges and agent-based recruitment. Comparable to HCN in agent-driven international recruitment and language/career training; HCN's channel lead previously ran channel development at Sprachcaffe/GEOS.
• ILAC (International Language Academy of Canada): Toronto- and Vancouver-based private college delivering English language, career, and pathway programs to large numbers of international students, often via agent networks. Highly comparable to HCN in target customer (international students), Canadian private-college model, and agent-driven GTM; HCN's Group Director of Channel Sales previously built channels at ILAC.
• EC English Language Centres: Global private English-language and career college chain with strong international student intake and agent partnerships, including a Montreal campus. Comparable to HCN in agent-driven recruitment, target learner, and bilingual Canadian presence, though EC is a single global brand rather than a multi-college network.
• ILSC Education Group (Greystone College): Vancouver-headquartered network of language and career colleges (including Greystone College) enrolling international students across Canada. Closely comparable to HCN as a multi-brand private Canadian career college with international recruitment, vocational offerings, and a similar student demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hermes-colleges-network-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Hermes Colleges Network Inc.