New businesses are often limited in their resources. When challenges arise, entrepreneurs may struggle with how to respond.
Startup consulting firms can assist young companies as they learn and grow, whether they need help with branding or guidance on their marketing strategies. These firms can provide insights, connections, and resources to startups who don’t have the funding to handle everything in-house.
Startup teams may wonder where they can find this support. By turning to any of the following consulting firms — which include startup consulting firms and more general firms that can help startups — companies can trust they are getting the help they need.
What Is Startup Consulting?
Maybe you’re familiar with career or business coaches, who can help individuals or teams work through problems, ignite their passions, build skills, and achieve their goals.
Similarly, startup consulting is a process where third-party consultants who have experience and connections in an industry work with startups, reviewing certain aspects of the business and helping the startup solve specific challenges.
What Do Startup Consulting Firms Do?
Startup consulting firms can review the business’s procedures, management structures, policies, finances, marketing strategies, and more.
Since these firms offer a variety of services, startup teams should look for firms with services that best align with their needs.
The consulting firm will analyze information regarding specific business areas and provide feedback and advice to make improvements. Firms may also help identify market competition, provide training, or build strategies for lead generation and customer acquisition.
12 Best Startup Consulting Firms
The best startup consulting firms should have proven success in helping startups address pain points and achieve their goals. Finding the right startup consulting firm will depend on each startup’s industry and the services it needs, but researching the following list of startup consulting and general consulting companies is a good place to start.
1. GrowthRocks
GrowthRocks is a marketing agency that aims to help startups grow quickly. It focuses on growth in four main areas: acquisition, activation, retention, and revenue.
Startups can work with GrowthRocks on an hourly or per-project basis, getting help with everything from brand strengthening to SEO to marketing. The CEO, Theo Moulos, also gives free 30-minute consulting sessions for potential clients.
Industry: Early-stage startups, B2B, B2C, SaaS, ecommerce, real estate, tech
Location: London, England
Services: Growth hacking, UX, SEO, marketing, social media, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliance, branding
2. IBM Garage
IBM Garage is a consulting service by IT giant IBM. The Garage helps companies adopt new technologies to improve customer experience and make businesses more resilient, particularly to the effects of climate change.
Startups work with multidisciplinary experts to identify and solve challenges in their businesses. Although not specifically for startups, IBM Garage consulting can help young businesses develop new ideas or adopt technology to improve their operations.
Clients can access services to help integrate artificial intelligence (AI), automate workflows, and improve digital infrastructure for security and privacy. The program boasts a 102% return on investment (ROI).
Industry: Tech, IT, sustainability, automotive, retail, insurance, banking, government, health care
Location: Armonk, New York
Services: Automation, AI, talent management, security, analytics, supply chain resiliency, asset management
3. GrowthGirls
A female-founded company, GrowthGirls is dedicated to growth marketing consulting for startups. From optimizing content for search engines and managing social media accounts, to utilizing UX and net promoter scores (NPS), GrowthGirls offers a wide range of consulting services.
Interested startups can also access free resources, including ebooks on brainstorming and SEO strategizing.
Industry: B2B, B2C, SaaS, ecommerce
Location: London, England
Services: Growth marketing, SEO, UX, social media, advertising, outreach, analytics
4. Nielsen Innovate
Nielsen is a global data and insights company, and its incubator and fund for early-stage startups, called Nielsen Innovate, also serves as a startup consulting firm.
Startups can apply to the Innovate program, where founders will receive advice on strategy and scaling from idea to market. Participants also gain access to Nielsen’s network, including Fortune 1000 companies.
Industry: Tech, marketing, retail, research
Location: Caesarea, Israel
Services: Business development, access to emerging markets, customer and market insights, funding
5. Deloitte Catalyst
Deloitte, a global professional services company, has a startup consulting firm known as Deloitte Catalyst. Its services are designed to help startups meet the needs of their clients.
Its consulting services focus on business operations, marketing, technology, customer experience, analytics, and strategy. Startup clients in Israel can also access services such as advice and strategy for audit, tax, and fundraising readiness.
Industry: Government, tech, health care, retail, energy, financial services
Location: Headquartered in London, England
Services: Marketing, talent management, core business operations, analytics, technology
6. Solutionery
Solutionery focuses on tech companies. The firm offers startups access to top developers and cutting-edge software to boost their businesses.
The firm can help startups develop high-end prototypes into market-ready products and even assists in project management and subcontracting. Solutionery also offers guidance on IoT (Internet of Things), AI, digital marketing, and technology review.
Industry: Tech
Location: Kuopio, Finland
Services: Digital marketing, technology review, project management, prototype and product development, and AI adoption
7. Business Consulting Agency
As a full-service consulting firm, this organization can help startups at every stage. Clients work with consultants and can receive guidance on strategizing, choosing and setting up the right legal business structures, and finding the right vendors.
What makes this startup consulting firm unique is that it offers prepaid plans, so startups can work with the consultants on an as needed basis, rather than signing on to long-term contracts.
Industry: Early-stage startups
Location: Portland, Oregon
Services: Branding, marketing, legal, sales strategy, business formation assistance
8. Elysian Fields
Elysian Fields is a startup-focused consultancy that helps founders define their brand, improve pitches, gather research and insights for marketing, and more. The firm specializes in improving marketing and sales, and also provides expertise on fundraising.
You can either submit certain materials, like your marketing plan or pitch deck, to receive an analysis, or you can participate in four- to eight-week consulting programs focused on various topics, like brand messaging, value proposition, and marketing.
Industry: Cybersecurity, sustainability, SaaS, AI, deep tech
Location: London, England
Services: Marketing, pitching, fundraising
9. ScienceSoft
ScienceSoft, a software development and IT company, has decades of experience in IT and now offers consulting services for startups.
Its consulting team focuses on cybersecurity, infrastructure, IT consulting, and design services. Past clients include IBM, Deloitte, eBay, NASA, and Walmart.
Industry: Software, IT
Location: McKinney, Texas
Services: Software development, IT consulting, UX design, cybersecurity, testing, help desk services
10. Bain & Company
Bain & Company is one of the world’s most respected management consulting firms and can be helpful for startups looking to find their place in the world.
Its Innovation Exchange connects startups to other startups and investors, so founders can see where opportunities exist and which ideas are already in motion.
Consultants help startup founders create a business strategy and model. The company also helps uncover trends in your industry, and open up opportunities for partnerships.
Industry: Tech, retail, health care, private equity, aerospace, energy, automotive, education, financial services
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Services: DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), customer experience, operations, talent management, private equity, sales, marketing, strategy, sustainability
11. L.E.K. Consulting
L.E.K. Consulting is a global strategy and management consulting firm that services a variety of industries. This startup consulting firm relies heavily on data, from research to modeling to analysis, to help guide businesses to find new opportunities and establish sustainable and scalable strategies.
The firm’s services depend on industry; for instance, tech companies can get assistance with optimal SaaS pricing, while retail startups can receive guidance on pricing and promotions.
Industry: Retail, education, finance, tech, health care, private equity, transportation, B2B
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Services: Marketing, product consulting, facilities management, legal ops, talent management, pricing
12. SocialSEO
Businesses today have to know the latest SEO best practices if they want to reach potential clients online. SocialSEO helps startups create and implement an effective SEO strategy to rank highly in search engine results.
This startup consulting firm can also help with content strategy and marketing. Whether you’re wanting to learn the ins and outs of influencer marketing or you need help with video production, SocialSEO can help boost your brand and its products online.
Industry: Ecommerce, or any company with an online presence
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Services: SEO, social media, marketing, paid search, content strategy
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