Certify

Certify, founded in 2008 by Robert Neveu in Portland, Maine, established itself as a key player in the travel and expense management software market. The company provided online travel and expense management solutions, catering to businesses of all sizes, from small and mid-market companies to large enterprises. Its core offering was a cloud-based platform and mobile applications designed to streamline the entire expense reporting process, from receipt capture to reimbursement.

The platform's functionality centered on simplifying manual tasks and enhancing financial control. It featured numerous methods for capturing receipts, including mobile photo upload, email, and fax, which used ReceiptParse technology to automatically extract expense data. For administrators, Certify allowed the setup of customized approval workflows, travel policies, and spending thresholds. The system also offered credit card integration, automatically importing transactions into a user's digital "Certify Wallet" to be added to expense reports. This automation provided finance teams with greater visibility and control over corporate spending.

Certify's growth trajectory was marked by strategic acquisitions and significant corporate consolidation. In 2017, the private equity firm K1 Investment Management acquired Certify and combined it with Nexonia and Tallie Brands. This was followed by the acquisition of Abacus in 2018, a company known for its real-time expense reporting methodology. A major milestone occurred in March 2019 when Certify and Chrome River merged in a deal valued at over $1 billion, creating a large portfolio of expense management brands that also included Captio, Nexonia, and Tallie. Following this merger, the combined entity acquired Emburse, a startup providing virtual and physical payment cards, in July 2019. In January 2020, this entire conglomerate was rebranded under the single name Emburse, with Eric Friedrichsen, a veteran from SAP Concur, appointed as CEO, while Certify's founder, Robert Neveu, departed. The various platforms, including Certify, continued to operate under their own names but were designated as business units of Emburse, such as "Certify by Emburse" or later "Emburse Professional".

Keywords: expense management, travel management, AP automation, invoice management, spend control, receipt capture, financial software, corporate card, expense reporting, reimbursement, business travel, spend visibility, policy compliance, SaaS, Emburse, Robert Neveu, K1 Investment Management, Chrome River, Abacus, Nexonia