When Blake Garrett started Aceable, getting a driver's license still meant a folding chair in a strip-mall classroom. He bet that an entire category of state-mandated certification — driver's ed, then real estate licensing — could move to the phone.
Aceable built a mobile-first platform that made those courses something people could finish on the bus instead of dreading on a Saturday. The team shipped relentlessly, expanded from driver's ed into real estate continuing education, and turned a compliance chore into a product people actually rated five stars.
Capital Factory backed Aceable in its 2014 seed round and welcomed the team into its Austin accelerator — opening its mentor network and early introductions as the company found its footing.
The founders did the rest. Aceable went on to raise more than $106 million across five rounds, including a $50 million growth investment led by HGGC, and became one of Austin's defining edtech success stories.
"Austin's early belief in us mattered — it's a city that bets on founders before the rest of the world is paying attention," said Blake Garrett, founder of Aceable.