In an age of rapid need for frontline workers, quick verification of licenses is becoming even more important.
Raleigh-based Atlas Certified provides one platform for the instant status of represented credentials for more than 600 primary-source certifying organizations across a range of professions.
Atlas Founder and CEO David Johnson began his path to Atlas Certified when he started his prior company, Atlas Digital Solutions. While Atlas Digital primarily dealt with technical employees such as software developers, the Duke alum saw a demand for an automated, simple verification process for employees’ certifications.
Atlas Certified was the software solution, and Johnson said they’ve let customers’ needs guide their development and found a significant demand. Atlas Certified is servicing companies like HomeAdvisor, ADP, Checkr and Care.com among its around 60 customers since beginning development in 2014.
Atlas Certified’s software automates the verification of licenses while structuring this data and monitoring these licenses for any change in status and providing notification of those changes, Johnson said. There is a significant amount of risk in liabilities and safety when employees with expired licenses are still working, but it can happen when companies lose track of the expiration of employees’ licenses.
Atlas’ clients include those who hire doctors, nurses, home health aides, electricians, plumbers and more. ADP, one of Atlas’ clients, is providing a pre-verified community of nurses, which is vital in today’s world where frontline workers are needed as soon as possible, Johnson said.
“We are automating that verification, taking all the critical pieces of verification data, including a screenshot of that primary source verification, storing those things and then verifying in an automated way every single month and notifying of any changes,” Johnson said.
Before Atlas, companies typically had to keep track of certifications manually.
Charging per verified credential, Atlas has raised $1.8 million in investments.
“We’ve really focused on the product,” Johnson said. “And we’ve taken the approach of ‘let the customers drive the bus,’ so we’ve taken a methodical approach.”
Atlas Certified’s ultimate goal lies in reducing risk for clients but also in increasing customer safety, Johnson said.
“Next for us is scaling and trying to make sure that all businesses understand that there’s a solution to this problem,” Johnson said.
Johnson said Atlas Certified is looking to continue evolving their solution and incorporating new innovative features like biometrics, allowing thumbprint or facial ID matches alongside the certification checks.
Despite the pandemic, Johnson said Atlas Certified has done incredibly well this year, doubling in revenue.
“We’re adding employees and obviously customers just because coronavirus is speeding up the trend that was already in place, which is an on-demand, more freelanced jobs market,” Johnson said. “It just makes more economic sense for companies, but also people are taking ownership of what they do.”
