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§ Private Profile · Victoria, BC, Canada
Online background check provider offering fast, compliant screening and identity verification for businesses, employers, and landlords.
Certn is a Victoria, British Columbia-based technology company that provides automated online background checks and identity verification services for businesses globally. Operating on a pay-per-check model without subscription fees, the platform conducts criminal record and tenant screenings across more than 200 countries. The organization currently employs 307 people and serves a customer base of over 20,000 clients, including employers, property managers, and government entities. Experiencing a three-year growth rate of 2,045 percent, the firm recently expanded its European footprint by rebranding its acquisition of Credence Background Screening in the United Kingdom. In 2023, the company secured $80 million in Series B funding backed by institutional investors such as Export Development Canada, B Capital Group, Telstra Ventures, and Inovia Capital. Certn was officially founded in 2016 to streamline compliance and risk management processes for multinational corporations.
Certn has raised $112.8M across 6 funding rounds.
Certn has raised $112.8M in total across 6 funding rounds.
Certn has raised $112.8M across 6 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $30.0M Series B in April 2023.
Certn is a technology company founded in 2016 that provides the world's easiest online background checks, leveraging AI, automation, and digital verifications to build trust at scale for businesses of all sizes.[1][2][3] It serves employers, property managers, lenders, governments, multinational corporations, and gig platforms—such as WestJet, Deloitte, Shopify, and Tesla—by offering fully digital screening in 200+ countries, reducing time-to-hire by up to 80% and costs by up to 30% through products like Certn ID for instant identity verification.[2][3][4][7] Certn solves the problem of outdated, paperwork-heavy background checks by delivering results in as little as 15 minutes via a seamless, API-integrated platform tailored for industries like software/tech, healthcare, and retail, while ensuring compliance and 24/7 support.[1][4][5][6] The company has shown strong growth momentum, earning spots as Deloitte Canada's 10th-fastest growing on the Technology Fast 50 and 78th on the North American Technology Fast 500, fueled by $43M Series A (2021) and $80M Series B (2022) funding from investors like B Capital Group, Telstra Ventures, Inovia Capital, and Tribe Capital, plus acquisitions of Credence Background Screening, InterCheck (2022), and Trustmatic (2023).[2][3]
Certn was founded in 2016 in Canada by Andrew McLeod, Evan Dalton, and Owen Madrick, who aimed to eliminate paperwork in background screening and address society's challenge of building trust through faster information sharing.[1][3] The idea emerged from a vision to make digital verifications seamless, starting with a tenant screening product for landlords and property managers launched in 2018, followed by online criminal records checks for employers in 2019.[3] Early traction built quickly: by 2021, a $43M Series A funded expansion of check types; 2022 brought $80M Series B and acquisitions of Credence and InterCheck for global scaling; and 2023's Trustmatic acquisition enhanced identity verification with Certn ID.[3] This evolution transformed Certn from a niche disruptor into a global platform trusted by 20,000 clients, guided by the founders' commitment—symbolized in their hexagon logo with a central heart—to people-centric trust-building tech.[1][3]
Certn rides the wave of digital trust and identity verification (IDV) evolution—from basic checks (Identity 1.0) to AI-driven, decentralized systems (Identity 3.0)—at a time when remote hiring, gig economies, and global talent pools demand instant, secure onboarding.[1][6][8] Timing is ideal amid rising fraud (e.g., AI-tricked IDV systems), regulatory pressures, and cloud/BYOD shifts, where manual processes bottleneck fast-scaling tech firms.[1][5][8] Market forces like talent wars in software/tech—where delays lose "unicorn hires"—favor Certn's automation, helping companies like Shopify hire at tech speed while fostering ecosystem trust for transactions beyond hiring.[3][6] By acquiring specialists and pushing verifiable credentials, Certn influences the shift to no-paperwork infrastructure, setting standards for compliant, user-centric screening in a borderless workforce.[1][2][3]
Certn is poised to transcend background screening into a full verifiable credentials network, integrating digital wallets and blockchain-like tech for frictionless trust in hiring, lending, and beyond.[1] Trends like AI fraud defenses, self-sovereign identity, and global remote work will accelerate this, potentially expanding its 20,000-client base amid Deloitte-recognized hypergrowth.[1][2][3][8] Influence may evolve by powering ecosystem-wide platforms, making "easiest checks" the norm and unlocking opportunities through scalable trust—as its founders envisioned from day one.[1][3]
Certn has raised $112.8M in total across 6 funding rounds.
Certn's investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Boldstart Ventures, Chalfen Ventures, IA Seed Ventures, Insight Partners, Lobby Capital, Trace Cohen, Scribble Ventures, Semble Ventures, Tribe Capital, Guy Podjarny, B Capital Group.