{"id":7371,"date":"2022-07-06T18:57:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T18:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-851255-3513096.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=39"},"modified":"2024-12-11T18:35:06","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T18:35:06","slug":"series-b-funding-and-growing-to-new-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/certn.co\/us\/blog\/series-b-funding-and-growing-to-new-heights\/","title":{"rendered":"Certn’s Series B Funding and Growing to New Heights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The last few months (years if we\u2019re being honest) have been a whirlwind here at Certn. We recently secured USD $50M in Series B funding. What else? We\u2019ve made an exciting acquisition. We\u2019ve expanded our team at a fast, yet intentional pace. And we\u2019re certainly (pun intended) not done. In fact, we\u2019re just getting started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a peek at what we\u2019ve been up to and what we have in store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certn’s Founding Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2014 a tenant screening product. Then just one year later after that, Certn entered the world of online criminal record checks<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Certn’s Co-Founders from left to right: Daniel Faulkner, Owen Madrick, Evan Dalton, Curtis Smith, Andrew McLeod, Will Nettke<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 2019, Certn launched in the US<\/a>. By early 2020, Certn\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along the way, we\u2019ve secured several awards, including a spot on Deloitte\u2019s Fast 50 Companies-to-Watch<\/a> list and the TechTO Canadian Rocketships<\/a> list. Our CEO Andrew McLoed also earned the CEO of the Year RemoteTech Breakthrough award<\/a> and was a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022 Pacific award<\/a>. In 2021 alone, Certn was on\u00a0Canada\u2019s Top Growing Companies<\/a>\u00a0list by the Globe and Mail,\u00a0KPMG\u2019s Inaugural Canadian Tech Innovator 2021<\/a> list, the CIX Top 10 Growth Award<\/a> list, and the Ready to Rocket<\/a> list. Whew! Talk about exciting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re humbled and thrilled by the recognition we\u2019ve received as we\u2019ve grown into who we are today. Now, as we set our sights on the next phase of our development, the future looks bright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Present Day Certn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Series B Funding Announcement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On May 10, 2022, we announced to the world that we’d secured $50M USD in Series B funding<\/a>. It was an exciting step forward into our global expansion efforts, building off of the $43 million<\/a> in seed money we received during our Series A and Series A+ funding rounds.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Certn<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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, \u201cWe will further invest in our product, new markets, and our partnership program as we build and grow our global team.\u201d What an exciting time for our teasm!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acquisition of Credence Background Screening<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our Series B funding hasn\u2019t been the only groundbreaking news we\u2019ve shared this year. Earlier in January, we were thrilled to announce the acquisition of Credence Background Screening<\/a>, one of the UK\u2019s 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\u2019s a move that we\u2019re extremely excited about, and that will offer many benefits to both companies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where We\u2019re Headed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Certn, trust is at the core of who we are and what we stand for. We want to help build trust in people \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Mission<\/strong>: Simplify Trust<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Vision:<\/strong> To Help People Feel Certain<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Purpose:<\/strong> Empower People Through Trust<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Certn Team is Growing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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, \u201cWe\u2019re also committed to investing in our current and future Certn employees, Certonians, to provide the best background screening services possible.\u201d That commitment to both taking care of and expanding our talent pool cannot be overstated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve been on a hiring spree for the better part of two years with no desire to slow down anytime soon. This year, we\u2019re looking to add even more incredible people to our team. Just how many, exactly? We\u2019re hoping to fill approximately 160 new roles. As a company that had 24 people at the start of 2020, that\u2019s a significant jump forward!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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