CAP-Group is on a mission to revolutionise driving education
Education is said to be the passport to the future, and when it comes to driving education, CAP-Group wants to take the wheel and lead the way to a digital and tech-driven tomorrow.
CAP-Group is not your ordinary driving school. Based in Finland, CAP is a rapidly growing and technology-focused driving school and education services company. It provides added value to its customers by developing advanced and effective learning methods, drawing up guidelines for driver training and actively contributing to the development of the industry.
The company is the largest driving training company in the Nordics and is known for providing some of the best training available on the market. In May 2021, CAP-Group acquired Germany’s biggest driving school chain, Fahrschule Rettig Gruppe. Together, the companies employ about 550 professionals and generate annual sales of some 40 million euros.
Redefining driving education industry
Although CAP-Group is best-known for its driving schools and educational services, it has gained a reputation as a technological pioneer of its industry. The company holds an 80% market share of the currently available driving school software in Finland and is continually developing new training software for its clients.
But what does it take to be a business forerunner in a fragmented market often seen as outdated? According to CEO Olli Kilpi, CAP-Group’s pioneering work in modern and technology-driven learning is what distinguishes the company from other players in the market.
“We believe that modern technological solutions combined with professional pedagogical training is the key to improving road safety. We want to modernise the industry for consumers and businesses and be the leader in digital and scalable training services. We will do this by consolidating the fragmented market and positioning CAP-Group on an international growth trajectory,” says Kilpi.
Kilpi sees that CAP’s technological upper hand allows the company to scale its business even further. A lot of the global driving education industry’s technological development has taken place in Finland, with significant opportunities for technological progress across European markets. This gives CAP-Group a golden opportunity to spread its wings internationally.
Heading overseas with Verdane
CAP-Group is on a path to grow and wants to expand its business outside of Finland. With its recent acquisition of Fahrschule Rettig Gruppe, CAP has become the first company to operate internationally in the field of driving education – in line with its pioneering approach. The transaction is a key step forward toward CAP-Group’s its internationalisation goals and brings with it profitable growth in the German market. CAP-Group’s aim is to modernise the industry and improve road safety in Europe.
CAP’s internationalisation goals are supported by its growth partner, the Northern European specialist growth investor Verdane. Since 2009, Verdane has made a variety of investments in closer to 30 companies in Finland to accelerate their growth both in their home market and internationally, including Codenomicon, Evondos, Eduhouse, Eniram, Fiksuruoka, HappyOrNot, and Nomentia. Verdane joined CAP-Group’s exciting journey in 2019. Kilpi says that the cooperation has been smooth all the way and it has been great to be in the same team working towards common goals.
“Verdane has helped us ask ourselves the right questions about who we are, what we do and where we are heading. Their deep expertise has helped us immensely, especially by supporting and advising on our internationalisation goals and growth plans. It’s more than just equity – Verdane acts as our partner and an essential part of our team, which has helped open new doors,” says Kilpi.
Lessons for a brighter future
The past year has been a peculiar one, but Kilpi says that it has also strengthened his understanding of the CAP community and the importance of listening.“I believe that it’s all about people. When working with passionate people and a common goal, everything is possible. My advice is to listen to understand and learn, not to focus on getting your arguments across. It helps our team run in the same direction and work towards our goal to improve road safety, one country at a time.”
