The last few months (years if we’re being honest) have been a whirlwind here at Certn. We recently secured USD $50M in Series B funding. What else? We’ve made an exciting acquisition. We’ve expanded our team at a fast, yet intentional pace. And we’re certainly (pun intended) not done. In fact, we’re just getting started!
Here’s a peek at what we’ve been up to and what we have in store.
Certn’s Founding Story
Andrew McLeod, Evan Dalton, and Owen Madrick came up with the initial idea for Certn back in 2016. They were soon joined by Daniel Faulkner, Will Nettke, Curtis Smith, and Chris Cook in 2017. The company quickly took off after that. By 2018, Certn had launched its first product — a tenant screening product. Then just one year later after that, Certn entered the world of online criminal record checks.
Certn’s Co-Founders from left to right: Daniel Faulkner, Owen Madrick, Evan Dalton, Curtis Smith, Andrew McLeod, Will Nettke
By 2019, Certn launched in the US. By early 2020, Certn’s revenue growth soared by over 700%. By August 2021, we introduced a self-serve option so small- and medium-sized businesses can get up and running with background checks right away. That’s not all!
Along the way, we’ve secured several awards, including a spot on Deloitte’s Fast 50 Companies-to-Watch list and the TechTO Canadian Rocketships list. Our CEO Andrew McLoed also earned the CEO of the Year RemoteTech Breakthrough award and was a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022 Pacific award. In 2021 alone, Certn was on Canada’s Top Growing Companies list by the Globe and Mail, KPMG’s Inaugural Canadian Tech Innovator 2021 list, the CIX Top 10 Growth Award list, and the Ready to Rocket list. Whew! Talk about exciting.
We’re humbled and thrilled by the recognition we’ve received as we’ve grown into who we are today. Now, as we set our sights on the next phase of our development, the future looks bright.
Present Day Certn
Today we have over 400 Certonians working across 13 countries who speak more than 27 different languages. Our growing team is working on some pretty cool stuff.
Series B Funding Announcement
On May 10, 2022, we announced to the world that we’d secured $50M USD in Series B funding. It was an exciting step forward into our global expansion efforts, building off of the $43 million in seed money we received during our Series A and Series A+ funding rounds.
B Capital, BMO, Tribe, Inovia Capital, Telstra Ventures, Scribble, Moxxie Ventures, and Gaingels Covalent Ventures participated in the funding round, with B Capital leading the way. Our CEO Andrew McLeod announced, “We will further invest in our product, new markets, and our partnership program as we build and grow our global team.” What an exciting time for our teasm!
Acquisition of Credence Background Screening
Our Series B funding hasn’t been the only groundbreaking news we’ve shared this year. Earlier in January, we were thrilled to announce the acquisition of Credence Background Screening, one of the UK’s leading providers of background checks. With clients across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Credence will help us expand its global presence and offerings. It’s a move that we’re extremely excited about, and that will offer many benefits to both companies.
Where We’re Headed
At Certn, trust is at the core of who we are and what we stand for. We want to help build trust in people — and are working on many exciting developments with that goal in mind. Our teams have been diligently working on expanding our services, looking into new possibilities, and, of course, striving to make life easier for our current clients and the applicants who complete our background checks.
As we look to the future, Certn will be focusing on expanding and developing in ways that continue to align with our mission, vision, and purpose:
Our Mission: Simplify Trust
Our Vision: To Help People Feel Certain
Our Purpose: Empower People Through Trust
The Certn Team is Growing
When Certn announced its Series B funding, our CEO Andrew McLeod emphasized that in addition to investing in new markets, our product, and our partnerships, “We’re also committed to investing in our current and future Certn employees, Certonians, to provide the best background screening services possible.” That commitment to both taking care of and expanding our talent pool cannot be overstated.
We’ve been on a hiring spree for the better part of two years with no desire to slow down anytime soon. This year, we’re looking to add even more incredible people to our team. Just how many, exactly? We’re hoping to fill approximately 160 new roles. As a company that had 24 people at the start of 2020, that’s a significant jump forward!
As we look to the future, we’re not just focusing on hiring the most people. We want to be hiring the most talented people. In order to do that, we’ve been working hard on making Certn one of the best companies to work for. We’ve put a lot of effort into making our remote work strategy among the best in the country and on providing our employees with terrific benefits and an incredible work culture.
Want to join the team?
Take a look at our open positions on our Careers page to see if there’s a way for you to be part of the future of background checks.
