People Cert, which is active in exams and certification of professional and language skills, as well as in the production of original content, is committed to further increasing its growth rate. The company, with founder, president and CEO Byron Nikolaidis, became the first Greek “unicorn” in July 2021, meaning its valuation exceeded 1 billion euros. And this is after the completion of the acquisition of the British company Axelos for 450 million euros. According to Byron Nikolaidis, the transaction in question is the largest abroad carried out by a Greek private company, and the largest in the last 15 years.

Today, according to him, the company’s valuation is much higher and amounts to 2.9 billion euros, while the strategic goal of its management is to increase this size many times over in the coming years. It is recalled that the American investment fund FTV Capital controls 20% of People Cert, having invested in the company an amount of 170 million euros, which in the summer of 2021 began issuing bonds for 300 million euros with an interest rate of 5.25. % and valid in 2026.

In the nine months of 2022, on an annualized basis, it showed a turnover growth of 40.7%, to 92 million euros.

People Cert shows an annual growth rate of 40%, an operating profit margin (Ebitda) of 65% and a cash conversion rate of 90%. In the nine months of 2022, year-on-year, it posted a 40.7% increase in turnover to €92m, an increase in Ebitda of around 800% to €61.1m and posted a profit (versus loss) of over €16m . Euro. The significant improvement in size is also linked to the acquisition of Axelos, which created synergies that positively affect the liquidity of the company, which has around EUR 40 million in cash reserves.

People Cert tests and certifies the employees of more than 50,000 companies worldwide, including Amazon, Microsoft, Deutsche Bank and Boeing. In addition to exams and certification of language and other skills, the company seeks to increase revenue from the production of original content such as books and educational materials, as well as from the sale of copyrights related to the technological systems it has developed. Since 2012, the company has created its own technology for conducting and monitoring remote exams, which are available in 25 languages.