What Cannsell does

CannSell, operated by Alberta-incorporated We Know Training Inc., provides AGCO-approved online certification training for cannabis and alcohol retail workers in Ontario. Its core product is CannSell Standard ($69.99 CAD), a mandatory budtender certification required by law for all cannabis retail employees in the province, alongside CannSell Expert ($249.99 CAD) for advanced product knowledge, a discounted Standard+Expert bundle ($299.99 CAD), and CannServe Standard ($19.95 CAD), an AGCO-approved alcohol retail certification. The company claims to be the first AGCO-approved cannabis training provider in Ontario and reports more than 100,000 retail professionals certified since inception around 2020, with a 4.4/5 learner rating and 95% course completion rates.

The platform is built on RapidLMS, a proprietary SCORM-compliant learning management system that supports self-paced online delivery, learner-verified digital credentials, branded white-label portals, and team-progress dashboards for corporate customers. Content is curated in partnership with MADD Canada to embed safer-use and responsible-sales principles, and the company operates a community layer — a monthly Budtender Bulletin newsletter (100,000+ subscribers, 17% open rate), a Budtender of the Month program, and partnerships with the IRC Collective, KIND Magazine, and Grow Up Conference — that doubles as a marketing channel for licensed producers and cannabis brands.

Commercially, CannSell runs a three-motion go-to-market: self-serve e-commerce for individual learners, direct enterprise sales for bulk corporate licensing with branded portals and SCORM integration, and an event-and-newsletter-driven channel that monetizes its budtender audience through brand partnership advertising (newsletter features from $1,000, multi-channel campaigns from $2,500). Pricing is per-certificate, one-time, with lifetime validity for CannSell Standard/Expert and five-year validity for CannServe Standard. The company is privately held, operates with 1-10 employees out of Edmonton, and has no disclosed external funding.

Name

Cannsell

Legal name

We Know Training Inc.

Website

https://cannsell.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CannSell, operated by We Know Training Inc., delivers AGCO-approved online certification training for cannabis and alcohol retail workers in Ontario, serving individual budtenders, retail chains, and licensed producers through self-paced courses, corporate bulk licensing, and brand-partnership advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Course Sales: Direct-to-consumer online sales of cannabis and alcohol retail certification courses. Individual learners purchase single courses or bundles through the e-commerce platform.
2. Corporate/Bulk Training Licenses: Bulk purchase of training licenses for retail businesses. Corporate accounts receive volume discounts, dedicated account management, and team training dashboards.
3. Newsletter Advertising: Brand partnerships and advertising placements in the monthly Budtender Bulletin newsletter reaching 100,000+ cannabis retail professionals. Includes newsletter features and multi-channel campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CannSell provides online certification training required for staff working in cannabis retail stores and licensed establishments in Canada. The catalog includes the CannSell Standard course for entry-level cannabis retail workers and the CannSell Expert course for advanced roles, as well as CannServe Standard for alcohol service staff. The company also offers a corporate training platform with bulk licensing for multi-store operators.

Product overview

Cannsell offers a suite of online certification training programs for Ontario's regulated retail industries. The core portfolio includes CannSell Standard (AGCO-mandatory cannabis retail certification), CannSell Expert (advanced cannabis education), the CannSell Standard & Expert Bundle, and CannServe Standard (alcohol retail certification). The company also provides a corporate training platform enabling businesses to purchase bulk licenses, manage team learning, and deploy branded training portals. All courses run on the RapidLMS learning management system with SCORM-compliant content deployment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CannSell Standard: AGCO-approved mandatory certification course for cannabis retail employees covering cannabis basics, product categories, responsible consumption, and retail compliance.
• CannSell Expert
• CannServe Standard

Products and services

• CannSell Standard Entry-level online certification course required for staff working in cannabis retail stores in regulated Canadian provinces, priced at $69.99 per learner and delivered through the RapidLMS platform.
• CannSell Expert Advanced online cannabis retail certification course for experienced staff and management roles, priced at $249.99 per learner and delivered through the RapidLMS platform.
• CannSell Bundle Combined Standard plus Expert cannabis retail certification package priced at $299.99, offering both courses together at a discount versus buying separately.
• CannServe Standard Online alcohol service certification course priced at $19.95 for staff serving alcohol in licensed establishments, delivered through the same online learning platform.
• CannSell Corporate Training Platform Bulk licensing program for multi-store cannabis retailers and licensed producers, providing centralized seat management, progress tracking, and workforce-wide certification reporting through the RapidLMS platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ cannabis and alcohol retail professionals certified
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• We Know Training Inc. (WKT)coreOthersCannSell is operated as a brand within the We Know Training family of companies. WKT provides the technology infrastructure (RapidLMS), operational support, and 20+ years of experience delivering career-ready online education in regulated industries. CannSell leverages WKT's platform and credibility to deliver training programs.
• MADD CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada. MADD Canada's subject-matter expertise helped design CannSell and CannServe courses to support safer use principles and responsible sales practices in both cannabis and alcohol retail.
• Grow Up Conference and ExpominorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual cannabis industry conference partnership. Grow Up is Canada's largest cannabis industry conference where CannSell engages with budtenders, retailers, and industry professionals. Features Budtender Day programming and networking opportunities for certified professionals.
• KIND MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with national cannabis media and events platform. KIND Magazine hosts events across Canada connecting brands, retailers, and budtenders. Partnership supports budtender education and community building outside formal training.
• IRC Collective (Independent Retail Cannabis Collective)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with national network representing over 1,000 independent cannabis stores across Canada. IRC Collective and CannSell share belief that education is a critical tool for independent retailers. Partnership reinforces compliance training foundation and supports accurate, responsible product education for budtenders.
• Licensed Producers & Cannabis BrandsGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership opportunities for cannabis brands to reach budtenders through newsletter advertising, multi-channel campaigns, product education, and sampling programs. Budtender of the Month program also features partner prizes. Provides compliant marketing channel within AGCO restrictions.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Smart Serve Ontario: Smart Serve is the incumbent AGCO-approved responsible service training program for alcohol servers in Ontario, directly competing with CannSell's CannServe Standard offering. It shares the same regulatory approval framework and similar self-paced online delivery model, making it the closest direct peer for CannSell's alcohol training business.

Emerging players

• Cannabis Training Institute: Cannabis Training Institute (CTI) is a Canadian-focused cannabis industry education provider offering certification programs for budtenders and dispensary staff. Comparable to CannSell in target learner and content focus, but operating without the AGCO-mandated positioning and typically smaller scale.

Broad incumbents

• Green Flower: Green Flower is the largest dedicated cannabis education and training platform in North America, offering professional certificates for cannabis industry workers including budtenders, growers, and dispensary staff. Comparable to CannSell as a cannabis retail training provider, though it operates as a broader, multi-state US platform rather than a provincially regulated program.
• TIPS Training (Health Communications Inc.): TIPS is one of the most widely accepted alcohol server and seller training programs in the United States, covering on-premise and off-premise retail. Comparable to CannServe as an alcohol sales certification offering, though TIPS operates at broader US scale across multiple states and is not Ontario-AGCO approved.
• ServSafe Alcohol: ServSafe Alcohol is the National Restaurant Association's responsible alcohol service training and certification program, widely adopted across North America. It is comparable to CannServe as an alcohol retail/serving certification but operates at broader national/US scale rather than Ontario-specific regulatory approval.
• Leafly Learn: Leafly is the largest cannabis information and media platform and offers educational content for cannabis consumers and professionals. Comparable to CannSell as a cannabis education brand reaching budtenders and consumers, though Leafly's primary business is media/discovery rather than regulated certification.

Others

• Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO): AGCO is the Ontario regulator that approves CannSell Standard and CannServe Standard as required retail training programs. While not a commercial competitor, AGCO is the central counterpart in CannSell's value proposition, setting the rules that mandate the use of CannSell-style certification.
• We Know Training Inc. (Parent): We Know Training Inc. is the parent company operating CannSell and CannServe as brands, with 20+ years delivering career-ready online education in regulated Canadian industries. It is the entity behind CannSell and the relevant peer for understanding the operational and capital structure supporting CannSell.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cannsell.training
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canadian-cannabis-retailers-union

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Cannsell