Climb Credit Acquires Career Karma Platform to Expand Access to Career Training Through Mission-Aligned Enrollment Support
- Heather Harman
- Sep 3
- 3 min read
Strategic acquisition brings together two mission-driven platforms in the career training space to enhance the learner journey from program discovery to enrollment and beyond
NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Climb Credit, a leading student payment platform focused on career training, today announced its acquisition of Career Karma, a trusted platform helping millions of prospective students explore and navigate job training programs.
Founded in 2018 by Ruben Harris, Timur Meyster, and Artur Meyster, Career Karma has guided over 100 million visitors toward upskilling resources and helped thousands land roles in technology. With this acquisition, Climb will carry forward Career Karma's mission while expanding its reach into new, high-demand industries.
"For over a decade, Climb has worked to remove financial, informational, and motivational barriers to career education," said Casey Powers, CEO of Climb Credit. "This acquisition isn't just about scaling — it's about impact. We're building a platform that serves students across many different industries, from healthcare to the skilled trades, reflecting the diverse opportunities learners are pursuing today. Together, we're helping learners not only finance their education but confidently choose the right path for their future."
A shared mission to support the learner journey
Climb and Career Karma have both been built on a belief that access to career-aligned education can change lives. For many prospective students, the hardest part isn't just paying for school. It's knowing where to start, how to choose the right program, or how to get through the application process. Schools want to help, but often lack the bandwidth to guide every student through that discovery phase.
By combining their strengths, Climb and Career Karma will offer:
Stronger discovery tools that help students find programs based on their goals
Personalized support to move from exploration to enrollment with more clarity
A streamlined process that benefits both learners and the schools who serve them
"When determining the best future for the Career Karma platform, we were excited by the alignment that Climb has with our core mission," said Ruben Harris, Founder of Career Karma. "We're looking forward to seeing how they expand what we built into the many career paths that they support with their other products."
Experienced leadership to drive the next chapter
To lead Career Karma's next chapter, Climb tapped Jeff Herbst, a seasoned marketing executive with a track record in student recruitment. Jeff has held leadership roles at Noodle and 2U and most recently founded Protostar Studio to help schools profitably grow student enrollments. He brings deep expertise in organic media, performance marketing, and enrollment management.
"We have an opportunity to expand the impact of the Career Karma platform, with the student at the center," said Jeff Herbst. "We're focused on helping people find the right program and the support they need to get started. And we're doing it in a way that also makes it easier for schools to achieve their enrollment objectives."
Strategic value for schools
For career training providers, the new Career Karma platform will offer:
More qualified, better-matched prospective students with insights on their financial readiness
Improved enrollment outcomes through 1:1 advising from Career Karma advisors
A streamlined enrollment journey from program discovery to post-enrollment support
TripleTen, an online coding bootcamp for career changers that offers flexible, beginner-friendly programs to help anyone become a job-ready tech professional, has partnered with Career Karma to pilot this new offering. "Finding the right training partner and getting ready for enrollment has always been a challenge for students looking to start their new careers. We are excited to partner with Career Karma and Climb Credit on this innovative approach that makes bootcamp education more accessible and effective," said TripleTen CDPO, Russell Ramesh.
A Platform with Momentum and a Vision for the Future
This acquisition builds on Climb's ongoing investment in creating an end-to-end support ecosystem for students and schools. While financing will remain separate from the Career Karma discovery experience, Climb's broader vision continues to be shaped by a deep understanding of the barriers students face—financial and otherwise—and how to remove them thoughtfully.
About Climb Credit
Climb (NMLS# 1240013) is a student payment platform that helps make career-focused education more accessible and affordable. The company partners with schools that teach everything from cybersecurity and data science to healthcare, skilled trades, and AI. Climb helps learners find the right program and offers payment options designed for those seeking practical, job-ready training.
About Career Karma
Career Karma is an education discovery platform that connects people with career training programs in technology—expanding soon to healthcare and the skilled trades. The platform helps learners make confident decisions through personalized matching, direct support, and community.
Media Contact
Laura Mauro
Read the original story in full here.