Certn Funding, Investors & Competitors

Certn has raised $254M across 9 funding rounds, most recently a $30M undisclosed-stage round in February 2025.

See full Certn profile

Last Certn funding round

$30M

Undisclosed stage · Feb 2025

Cumulative funding Certn raised

$254M

across 9 funding rounds

Key investors in Certn

  • Inovia Capital
  • Tribe Capital
  • Moxxie Ventures
  • B Capital
  • Titanium Ventures
  • Scribble Ventures
  • Gaingels
  • Panache Ventures

Certn Overview

About Certn

Certn is a Vancouver-based background screening platform for employers and landlords. Offering criminal checks, ID verification, and Softcheck scanning 100,000+ global databases, it serves Canadian firms like Shopify with results in minutes.


Founded

2016

HQ

CanadaVictoria

Website

certn.co

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Subscription

Certn Funding History

Certn has raised a total of $254M across 9 funding rounds.

Certn's first fundraising round was a $800K seed round in May 2018. The most recent completed round was a $30M undisclosed-stage round in February 2025.

Certn funding rounds

Certn funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Feb 2025Undisclosed stageBusiness Development Bank of Canada (lead)$30M-
May 2023Series BCCIX Global$109MCertn is a Victoria, BC-based tech startup founded in 2016 that provides AI-powered background screening and human risk intelligence solutions to simplify hiring processes and enable trusted global connections for organizations and individuals. The company has raised significant funding over multiple rounds, totaling over $114M across 10 rounds as of recent data, with key earlier rounds including CAD $43M in seed, Series A, and Series A+ in 2020-2021 led by investors like Tribe Capital, Inovia Capital, and Telstra Ventures. A Series B round on May 10, 2022 raised $50M (USD equivalent of CAD $65M) led by B Capital with participants including BMO Capital Markets, Inovia Capital, and others, bringing total funding to $108M at that time and supporting global expansion, product development, and hiring. The company has shown strong growth, acquiring UK-based Credence in late 2021 to expand into Europe, Middle East, and Africa, growing its team from 270 to 300 employees, and earning recognitions like Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and Globe and Mail Top Growing Companies. Later funding includes a $14.3M Unattributed VC round in October 2024.
Apr 2023Series BExport Development Canada; Bank of Montreal; Titanium Ventures; Scribble Ventures; Tribe Capital; Inovia Capital; Moxxie Ventures; Gaingels; B Capital$30MCertn is an enterprise software company specializing in online background checks, identity verification, and ongoing risk monitoring for businesses globally. The company helps organizations screen employees and contractors across domestic and international jurisdictions, returning criminal background checks, credit reports, reference checks, education verification, driving records, and identity verification services. Since its founding, Certn has conducted more than 11 million background checks for major global brands and operates subsidiaries in multiple countries including the United Kingdom and Australia. On April 20, 2023, Certn announced it had secured US$30 million in Series B-II funding led by Export Development Canada with participation from undisclosed investors. This represented an expansion of the company's Series B round, which had raised $50 million in May 2022 from investors including B Capital, BMO Capital Markets, Covalent Ventures, Gaingels, Inovia Capital, Moxxie Ventures, Scribble Ventures, Titanium Ventures, and Tribe Capital. The April 2023 funding was designated to support Certn's global expansion efforts and product development. As of 2022, Certn had achieved approximately $65 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) according to CIBC Research. The company demonstrated exceptional growth, ranking 78th on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 list in 2023 with 2045% revenue growth over a three-year measurement period. By late 2023, Certn employed 318 people and maintained a customer base spanning major international enterprises.
May 2022Series BB Capital (lead); Titanium Ventures; Scribble Ventures; Angel Collective Opportunity Fund; Tribe Capital; Inovia Capital; Moxxie Ventures; Gaingels; BMO Capital Markets$51MCertn is a Victoria, BC-based tech company providing AI-powered background screening and checks to simplify hiring for employers globally. It focuses on faster, more transparent online solutions for candidate vetting, targeting expansion beyond North America into international markets. The company was founded in 2016 and has grown rapidly, earning recognitions like second place on Deloitte Canada’s Technology Fast 50 in 2022 and spots on lists from Globe and Mail, KPMG, and CIX. On May 10, 2022, Certn announced a $50 million USD Series B funding round led by B Capital, with participation from BMO Capital Markets, Covalent Ventures, Gaingels, Inovia Capital, Moxxie Ventures, Scribble Ventures, Titanium Ventures, and Tribe Capital. This followed prior raises totaling around $43 million CAD in seed, Series A, and Series A+ rounds in 2020, bringing cumulative funding over $100 million by mid-2022. The Series B supported global expansion, product investment, new markets, partnerships, and team growth, including acquiring licenses for international competition. Traction included revenue growth from just over $10 million in 2021 to surpassing $30 million in 2022, with over 10,000 customers. By early 2023, Certn raised a $30 million Series B extension primarily from Export Development Canada (EDC), achieving a post-money valuation around $450 million—slightly higher than after the initial Series B—bringing the total Series B to $80 million and cumulative funding to over $114 million. Recent quarters showed peak customer onboarding velocity and lower acquisition costs. The Series B built on 2020 momentum from investors like Tribe Capital, Inovia Capital, and B Capital Group in earlier rounds.
Dec 2020Series AB Capital (lead); Titanium Ventures (lead); Cyber Mentor Fund$7MCertn, founded in 2016 and based in Victoria, BC, is a tech startup that uses AI and machine learning to streamline background checks for employers, contractors, property managers, and gig economy platforms. The company had over 1,000 clients by its early 2020 seed round. In 2020, Certn executed three funding rounds totaling CAD$43M across seed, Series A, and Series A+ financing. The Series A+ round in December 2020 raised CAD$9.5M and was led by Telstra Ventures (now Titanium Ventures) and B Capital Group, with additional participation from Cyber Mentor Fund. Earlier in 2020, the seed round raised USD$4.5M (approximately CAD$6.1M equivalent) led by Tribe Capital, while the Series A round in November 2020 raised CAD$27.8M led by Inovia Capital and 01 Advisors. The company continued to grow, reaching a valuation of $400–430M by April 2023 according to available valuation databases. However, specific post-money valuations for the December 2020 round and revenue metrics near that date are not disclosed in available public sources.
Nov 2020Series A01 Advisors (lead); Inovia Capital (lead); Preface Ventures; Panache Ventures; Nitesh Banta; Basement Fund; Scribble Ventures; Bart Swanson; Tribe Capital; Moxxie Ventures; Weekend Fund; Bossa Invest$21MCertn is a Victoria, BC-based tech startup founded in 2016 that provides AI-powered online background checks and human risk intelligence solutions to help organizations verify candidates and build trust in remote and global connections. In 2020, the company raised a total of CAD $43 million across three rounds to support product development and global expansion beyond North America. The seed round in February 2020 raised CAD $6.1 million led by Tribe Capital with participation from Preface Ventures, Moxxie Ventures, Weekend Fund, Scribble Ventures, and Basement Ventures. This was followed by the Series A round in November 2020 raising CAD $27.8 million led by Inovia Capital and 01 Advisors, including investors matching the query such as Preface Ventures, Scribble Ventures, Moxxie Ventures, Basement Fund, Weekend Fund, and Panache Ventures. The Series A+ round in December 2020 added CAD $9.5 million led by Telstra Ventures and B Capital Group with Cyber Mentor Fund. Later rounds provide context: a Series B in 2022-2023 raised $80 million USD total (including $50 million initial and extensions), with a post-money valuation around $450 million USD after the $30 million extension from Export Development Canada (EDC) in 2023, bringing cumulative funding over $114 million USD. The 2020 funding enabled Certn to advance its platform for faster, mobile-enabled background screening amid rising remote work demands. Subsequent growth focused on international markets in EMEA and APAC, onboarding customers at record velocity with lower acquisition costs by 2023.
Mar 2020SeedTribe Capital (lead); Preface Ventures; Yousif Al-Dujaili; Moxxie Ventures; Weekend Fund$4MCertn is a Victoria-based tech startup founded in 2016 that provides AI-powered background checks and human risk intelligence solutions to help organizations and individuals verify candidates quickly and compliantly. The company serves employers, contractors, property managers, and the gig economy with fast, affordable screening services. In February 2020, Certn closed a seed round of CAD $6.1 million (equivalent to USD $4.5 million), led by Tribe Capital and including Preface Ventures, Moxxie Ventures, Weekend Fund, Scribble Ventures, and Basement Ventures. The funding supported global expansion into key geographies and hiring top talent to scale operations. This was Certn's second seed after a $975,000 round in 2019 backed by Atrium Ventures, Panache Ventures, Hello Ventures, and iNovia Capital. At the time, Certn had over 1,000 clients and demonstrated capital-efficient growth, with Tribe Capital partner Arjun Sethi joining the board alongside Steve Cadigan. The company experienced 75% business growth in the first three months of 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Certn continued fundraising aggressively, securing a $27.8 million Series A in November 2020 led by Inovia Capital and 01 Advisors, and a $9.5 million Series A+ in December 2020 led by Telstra Ventures and B Capital Group, for a 2020 total of CAD $43 million.
Nov 2018SeedWesley Clover (lead); Alacrity Canada$600K-
May 2018SeedPanache Ventures; Hello Ventures; Inovia Capital$800K-

Who has invested in Certn?

26 investors have backed Certn across its funding rounds, including Inovia Capital, Tribe Capital, Moxxie Ventures, B Capital, Titanium Ventures and Scribble Ventures.

Lead investors include Business Development Bank of Canada, B Capital, Titanium Ventures, 01 Advisors, Inovia Capital and 2 other investors.


Certn Investors

Investors in Certn by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Tribe CapitalUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA4LeadMar 2020
Inovia CapitalCanadaMontreal4LeadMay 2018
Moxxie VenturesUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA4ParticipantMar 2020
Titanium VenturesUnited StatesUnited States3LeadDec 2020
Scribble VenturesUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA3ParticipantNov 2020
B CapitalUnited StatesLos Angeles, CA3LeadDec 2020
Preface VenturesUnited StatesNew York City, NY2ParticipantMar 2020
Panache VenturesCanadaMontreal2ParticipantMay 2018
GaingelsUnited StatesNew York City, NY2ParticipantMay 2022
Weekend FundUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2ParticipantMar 2020
Export Development CanadaCanadaOttawa1ParticipantApr 2023
Nitesh BantaUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantNov 2020
Wesley CloverCanadaOttawa1LeadNov 2018

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Acquisitions by Certn

Certn has acquired 3 companies to date.

Last acquisition by Certn was on November 7th 2023. Certn acquired Trustmatic for undisclosed valuation.


Latest Acquisitions by Certn

Trustmatic
Intercheck Australia
Credence Background Screening
Description
Trustmatic is a Slovakia-based identity verification platform automating KYC and AML processes for businesses worldwide. The service handles documents from 248 countries in 138 languages, achieving 98 percent first-time completion rates through passive liveness detection certified to iBeta Level 2 standards. Trustmatic ensures compliance with local and global regulations via flexible workflows and secure data handling, supporting onboarding for fintech, banking, and crypto firms.
InterCheck Australia is a Richmond-based provider of employment screening services across Australia. It conducts police checks, qualification verifications, and international background searches compliant with Privacy Act. Serving recruitment firms and corporations, the platform integrates API access. Established in 2006, InterCheck operates from Victoria with nationwide coverage.
Credence Background Screening is a UK-based provider of customized pre-employment verification services, operating from London with web-based platforms for secure data handling. The company conducts criminal record checks, employment history verification, education credentials, and right-to-work assessments compliant with UK GDPR and ISO 27001 standards. Serving recruitment agencies and corporations across sectors like finance and healthcare, Credence Background Screening processes screenings in under 48 hours for standard checks, maintaining partnerships with UK government databases and international verification networks.
HQ CountrySlovakiaAustraliaUnited Kingdom
HQ City
Bratislava
Melbourne
Sevenoaks
Deal Date7 Nov 202327 Oct 202224 Jan 2022
Valuationundisclosedundisclosedundisclosed
EV/Revenue
EV/EBITDA

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Certn Competitors

Certn competitors include listed companies like RELX, Thomson Reuters and Experian, and private ones like JR Compliance and Testing Labs, BetterPlace and Multiplier.

Public and private companies comparable to Certn
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
JR Compliance and Testing LabsIndiaNew DelhiPrivate--$350M-
BetterPlaceIndiaBangalorePrivate$100M-$600M6.0x
MultiplierUnited StatesNew York City, NYPrivate--$400M-
RELXUnited KingdomUnited KingdomPublicly listed$13B$4.9B$59B5.3x
Thomson ReutersCanadaCanadaPublicly listed$7.5B$3B$43B5.8x
ExperianIrelandIrelandPublicly listed$8.4B$3B$33B4.4x

Certn Public Comps

Certn is still privately-owned, but its public comps include RELX, Thomson Reuters, Experian, Equifax, Wolters Kluwer, Aramark, Madison Air, Gartner, Rentokil Initial and Sodexo.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
RELX$13B$4.9B5.5x5.3x14.4x13.2x
Thomson Reuters$7.5B$3B6.1x5.8x15.3x14.5x
Experian$8.4B$3B4.5x4.4x12.7x12.1x
Equifax$6.1B$1.8B4.0x3.7x13.3x11.7x
Wolters Kluwer$7.1B$2.5B3.2x3.1x8.9x9.3x
Aramark$19B$1.2B1.1x1.0x16.8x13.4x
Madison Air$3.5B$697M4.2x3.9x21.1x14.6x
Gartner$6.5B$1.2B2.1x2.1x11.1x8.5x

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Common questions about Certn

When was Certn founded?Certn was founded in 2016.
Where is Certn headquartered?Certn is headquartered in Victoria, Canada.
Is Certn publicly listed?No, Certn is a private, VC-backed company.
How much funding has Certn raised?Certn has raised $254M across 9 funding rounds.
What was Certn's last funding round?Certn's last funding round was a $30M undisclosed-stage round in February 2025, led by Business Development Bank of Canada.
Who are Certn's investors?Certn's investors include Tribe Capital, Inovia Capital, Moxxie Ventures, Titanium Ventures, Scribble Ventures, B Capital, Preface Ventures, Panache Ventures, Gaingels, Weekend Fund and 16 others.
Which companies are comparable to Certn?Companies comparable to Certn include JR Compliance and Testing Labs, BetterPlace, Multiplier, RELX, Thomson Reuters and Experian.
How many companies has Certn acquired?Certn has acquired 3 companies, including Trustmatic, Intercheck Australia and Credence Background Screening.

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