Houlihan Lokey Advises Axcel Learning

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Axcel Learning (Axcel) has been acquired by Inverness Graham. The transaction was announced on March 17, 2026. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2021, Axcel has effectively scaled into a leading provider of certification-focused education, operating five well-recognized online learning brands. The company’s hybrid learning model—integrating asynchronous content, live virtual instructor-led training, and AI-driven personalization—delivers industry-leading exam pass rates for essential professional credentials. By pairing proprietary content with a robust learning platform, Axcel helps address skilled labor shortages and regulatory certification requirements across several high-growth industries. To date, Axcel has served over 2 million professionals and maintains a comprehensive library of more than 11,000 hours of proprietary educational content.

Inverness Graham is a Philadelphia-based firm focused on acquiring innovative companies where technology is transforming traditional industry. The firm’s Flagship strategy focuses on high-growth businesses in healthcare, tech-enabled services/software, and advanced manufacturing. The firm’s Green Light strategy targets tech-enabled businesses in which environmental sustainability is a key driver of accelerating growth. Inverness Graham executes a differentiated, repeatable model for value creation through its proprietary Strategic Platform Build approach. Founded by senior executives of the Graham Group, the firm builds on a 60-year legacy of operational excellence, bringing substantial value creation resources and an innovative mindset to support its portfolio company partners.

“Axcel represents an exceptional platform investment in the rapidly growing professional education sector,” said Michael Morrissey, Managing Partner at Inverness Graham. “Building on our experience scaling platforms such as Kalkomey and Syntrio, we believe Axcel is well positioned to benefit from Inverness Graham’s Strategic Platform Build approach and our deep operational history and heritage. We are excited to partner with the Axcel team to drive accelerated growth in its next chapter.”

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Axcel. This deal highlights Houlihan Lokey’s continued success as a leading advisor in the professional education space.

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