We thrive
when you grow
Accelerate your future
Orchid Black rapidly drives Revenue and EBITDA growth, increasing enterprise value for founder-led companies and financial partners.
We go beyond traditional consulting. Rolling up our sleeves to deliver inception-to-exit operating services.
evaluated
and owner exits
Who we work with
Promising, founder-led companies
Orchid Black delivers hands-on execution and strategic co-leadership. Our team of former executives makes centuries of expertise and a vast network of tech-ecosystem partners available for small and medium sized businesses. We understand the unique challenges you face, and our collaborative model is designed to mitigate risks while multiplying your opportunities for growth and revenue diversification.
Enterprises eyeing carve-outs
Our agile leadership provides confidential, expert guidance to turn your technology and AI productization ideas into reality. We combine a proven framework for product-market-fit with a deep understanding of your unique business model to launch innovation. Our integrated team ensures the realization of untapped technology value without disrupting your core resources.
Private equity firms
Orchid Black embeds seasoned CXO’s and a proven framework for immediate value creation to unlock fresh monetization opportunities, tailoring portco operating models to fit your unique investment thesis and develop platform plays. We accelerate revenue growth - bringing extensive relationships with large ecosystem players such as AWS, Snowflake, and Databricks to accelerate growth from inception to harvest.
Services Offered
Growth Advisory
Uncover your strategic potential
Confidently choose the best path to success with data-backed recommendations into where and how you should be competing.
Growth Advisory
Uncover your strategic potential
· Market & competitor research
· Business advisory & coaching
· New-Market Opportunities
· Innovation
Product Design & Launch
Create enduring products
Transform existing products into scalable platforms or turn new ideas into innovative, market ready solutions.
Product Design & Launch
Create enduring products
· IP Commercialization
· AI first roadmap & architecture
· Solution development
· Pricing & Packaging
Go to Market Acceleration
Rapidly scale revenue
Predictably translate opportunities into revenue and build partner programs through our deep industry relationships.
Go to Market Acceleration
Rapidly scale revenue
· Partnership programs
· Product market fit
· Brand Architecture
· Quality of Pipeline
Exit Optimization
Enhance enterprise value
Operate founder-led and PE portfolio companies, rapidly increasing Enterprise Value & connecting with ideal buyers for a strategic exit.
Exit Optimization
Enhance enterprise value
· Business process optimization
· Exit readiness
· In-depth due diligence
· Post M&A integration
How we work
with you
Combine your vision with our expertise. Hear how our distinct model sets us apart from growth consultants.
Partnership Over Projects
We only choose winners, seeking deep partnerships and an outsized return instead of outsized hourly rates
Integrated Expertise
We skip armchair recommendations, integrating real-world experts into client teams for immediate solutions
Maximized Enterprise Value
We’ve been through exits — we know what buyer’s look for and we know the right levers to pull to close the value gap and maximize value
Shared Success
We bet on ourselves and align our compensation with your success, assuring a return on your investment
Our
Approach
We offer a unique approach that ensures your value and performance long after traditional managemement or growth consultants. Our approach involves ring-fencing our team within your organization to ensure culture, operations and incentives evolve in support of your total value transformation.
Strategize
Clarify Your Opportunity
We decompose core value drivers and pair them with intensive market and customer research to uncover your most compelling opportunities
Accelerate
Execute Your Ambition
We integrate with your team, piloting growth strategies to rapidly increase demand, achieve strategic goals, and maximize valuation
Harvest
Sustain Your Success
Ensure enduring impact, facilitating smooth transitions for sustained success. maximized Return on Investment, and lasting legacy
Case Studies
growth strategy
A leading cybersecurity firm partnered with Orchid Black to overhaul its IAM solution's P&P amid rising competition and a shift towards cloud computing and IoT.
Orchid Black Results
Key insights led to a strategy introducing a "wedge offering" to ease sales and attract new clients. Orchid Black's collaboration, involving interviews and financial analysis.
exit strategy
This financial technology company puts easy-to-use risk management and portfolio analysis tools into the hands of professional investors.
Orchid Black Results
Through the execution of a seven-month growth services engagement, the company and Orchid Black executed on a new go-to-market strategy that realized an ROI of more than 4000%.
revenue growth
Thumbstopper, a Martech SaaS company, overcame growth stagnation by realigning sales and marketing strategies, resulting in consistent pricing and revenue upswing.
Orchid Black Results
Thumbstopper increased market share, slashing marketing costs by $500K while boosting year-over-year revenue by 30% and saving over $750K through incentive restructuring.
digital transformation
This tech company was challenged in navigating to cloud computing amidst the dominance of Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. They needed to understand the factors involved in migrating.
Orchid Black Results
Our research aimed to guide a well-established corporation through the tumult of digital transformation and cloud computing integration. It highlighted the importance of aligning business and cloud.
repositioning
The Hilco retail team developed a tech platform used to scale and accelerate inventory liquidation efforts and realized it could be offered to their customers to drive best practices.
Orchid Black Results
Orchid Black’s strategic growth consultants supported this effort product development at Hilco with the analysis and selection of a software development vendor.
service model design
When this organization experienced an unexpected surge of consumer inquiries to their call center, the leadership team recognized a need to improve the customer experience.
Orchid Black Results
Orchid Black did a phenomenally deep assessment of Xyngular’s current state, prioritizing and refocusing multiple areas for leadership and potential investment for Xyngular.
Our Managing Partners
Steven Horwitz
Founding Managing Partner
30+ years in executive leadership and VC consulting, propelling software and tech services through complex challenges with innovative strategies and high-performance teams.
Jim Barnish, Jr
Founding Managing Partner
Maximizing growth, enterprise value and profitability. 20 years of experience in scaling tech firms.
Howard Joyce
Managing Partner
Experienced in leading SaaS and tech services, building dynamic teams and implementing strategic improvements to drive efficiency and scale.
Bob Caruso
Managing Partner
Seasoned business leader with expertise in forming top-tier teams and delivering swift, tangible results.
I am a visionary, performance-driven strategist with over 30 years of executive leadership and venture capital consulting experience across software and technology-enabled service organizations. With a hands-on leadership approach, high energy, and exceptional skills in critical thinking and creative problem-solving, I excel at building and inspiring high-performance teams to tackle complex organizational challenges. My track record spans from steering high growth environments to managing turnaround situations in both early-stage, venture-backed software startups and Fortune 100 companies. My expertise is deeply rooted in identifying and achieving product-market fit, harnessing the voice of the customer for strategic insights, and crafting effective channel strategies to maximize market penetration. I have a proven ability in enterprise sales, fostering a solution provider ecosystem that enhances value delivery, and adept deal making that ensures sustainable growth. My approach to governance and due diligence ensures operational integrity and risk mitigation. As a storyteller, I articulate vision and strategy compellingly, fostering a culture of innovation and resilience. I prioritize team building and leadership development, creating cohesive units that excel in execution and adaptability. Specializing in growth strategy development, I focus on demand/category creation, leveraging my comprehensive skill set to drive organizational success.
Industry & Type Expertise
Enterprise & SMB HiTech Professional Services Enterprise Software
Mastery and Unique Skills
Product Market Fit Voice Of Customer Channel Strategy Enterprise Sales Solution Provider Ecosystem Deal Making/construction Governance/due Diligence Story Telling Team Building
Over the past twenty years, I've immersed myself in the tech industry, growing companies as an entrepreneur, operator, and consultant. At the helm of Orchid Black, my team and I specialize in propelling SaaS and tech-forward companies into new realms of growth and value. Our mission at Orchid Black is clear: to leverage our unparalleled track record to maximize growth and enterprise value. With a deep understanding of the tech landscape and a strategic approach, we navigate through the complexities of scaling businesses, ensuring our partners not only grow but thrive in competitive environments. My expertise lies in strategically positioning tech companies for success, from crafting and implementing innovative go-to-market strategies to managing the intricacies of mergers & acquisitions and fine-tuning operations through revenue operations. This focus is the cornerstone of my approach, guiding tech-forward companies to sustainable growth and industry leadership.
Industry & Type Expertise
Startups VC PE SaaS
Mastery and Unique Skills
Design Thinking Launches & GTM Mergers & Acquisitions RevOps Startups Strategy
I am a seasoned senior operations executive with extensive leadership experience across SaaS and technology services sectors. My expertise lies in spearheading strategic initiatives and tactical operations to foster organizational growth and efficiency. A proven high-performance team builder, I excel in the acquisition and retention of top talent, strategically aligning human resources with business goals to drive substantial outcomes. My professional journey is distinguished by a robust track record in crafting and executing operational improvements and process innovations aimed at enhancing efficiency and scalability. These initiatives have consistently resulted in significant advancements in operational capabilities and competitive positioning. My skill set encompasses a broad spectrum of areas critical to organizational success, including business and finance transformation, channel strategy & management, and distribution. My experience in mergers & acquisitions extends to both the buy-side and comprehensive IT due diligence, underscoring my versatility and strategic depth in navigating complex corporate landscapes. Additionally, my capabilities in operations management, product management, and sales strategy have been pivotal in driving forward company objectives. I have successfully led ERP implementations and merger integrations, projects that demonstrate my ability to manage change and integrate advanced technological solutions effectively. This combination of strategic foresight, operational expertise, and leadership acumen positions me as a dynamic executive capable of steering technology-focused companies through periods of growth and transformation. This diverse toolkit of skills and experiences makes me a versatile and strategic leader, adept at guiding technology-focused companies through growth and change, always with an eye toward the future.
Industry & Type Expertise
Enterprise & SMB Enterprise Software Professional Services Media & Entertainment
Mastery and Unique Skills
Business/Finance Transformation Channel Strategy & Management Distribution Mergers & Acquisitions Operations Product Management Sales Erp Implementations Buyside M&A IT Due Diligence Merger Integration
Over the past 30 years, I have worked with iconic global technology and strategy consulting firms (including Intel, PWC, and Accenture) and startups, focusing on solving complex business problems and helping clients innovate to bring enterprise product and service solutions to market at scale. The last 20+ years have been dedicated to defining and delivering what success looks like through co-developing strategies for ideal client profiles, ensuring repeatable predictable pipeline growth, and creating consumption models with strategic revenue programs. I have executed go-to-market (GTM) offering roadmaps alongside the world’s leading semiconductor, spatial computing VR/XR (wearables), multi-cloud infrastructure, telco 5G/ORAN stack, CRM, and IoT-Edge, AI/ML foundation providers. This has involved aligning people, processes, capabilities, and programs for new routes to market, fostering partnerships, and offer co-development investments to differentiate, build preference, and generate IP with value creation at scale. Currently, I serve on two not-for-profit boards, leveraging my experience to contribute to broader societal goals. My career is built on a foundation of growth through Strategy, Tactics, Metrics (STEM methodology), innovation at scale, demand creation, and category creation programs, among others. I pride myself on building teams that execute co-innovation, utilizing design thinking for offers that drive a predictable quality pipeline. Leadership for me is about leading with stories, fostering diversity, inclusion, and empathy within teams. With over 30 years of global leadership, client strategy, and consulting delivery experience in the high-tech sector, my focus has always been on building, operating, and transferring client innovation co-development with revenue scale. My expertise in GTM capabilities, leadership, collaboration and orchestration, executive alignment, and delivering innovation at scale underscores my approach to opening up new markets and achieving predictable revenue.
Industry & Type Expertise
HT (Products, Services, Consulting And Advisory) Innovation New Categories
Mastery and Unique Skills
GTM Capabilities Leadership Collaboration And Orchestration Executive Alignment Results Orientation Through Servant Leadership To Open Up New Markets Agile Methodology For Validation Partnership + Client Credentialing Delivering Innovation At Scale (Client Problem, Ideal Customer Profile, Tech Enablement, Offers, Assets, Capabilities, Predictable Revenue)
Damon Auer is an insatiably curious leader with an unflagging optimism and a belief in the limitless potential of teams to achieve remarkable outcomes. Growing up as a missionary kid in Kenya, he developed a global perspective and a passion for understanding diverse cultures and systems—qualities that have deeply influenced his career and leadership style. He brings over two decades of transformative experience across the consulting, software, and healthcare sectors, where he has consistently asked, “why?” and “why not?” to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Damon joins Orchid Black coming from being the Chief Executive and Managing Director for North America at Dedalus Group, a leading healthcare technology provider, where he led initiatives to reimagine healthcare IT and digital solutions across North America. Before joining Dedalus, he served as Vice President of Healthcare at DXC Technology, where he led high-impact digital transformation projects to optimize outcomes on a global scale. Damon’s entrepreneurial spirit shines through his co-founding role at Tribridge, where he helped grow the firm from $34 million to $150 million in revenue over eight years. He was a key force in evolving Tribridge into a SaaS leader in healthcare, challenging conventional thinking and inspiring novel solutions that resonated with industry needs. His leadership in building the healthcare practice and setting ambitious goals ultimately contributed to Tribridge’s acquisition by DXC Technology. Earlier in his career, Damon founded Navint Partners, a consulting firm focused on CRM and healthcare solutions. He grew Navint to a $35 million organization before merging with Tribridge, demonstrating his skill in both strategic execution and inspiring professional excellence. His leadership journey also includes critical roles at Nextera, where he led innovative projects for Fortune 500 clients and supported the company’s IPO, as well as at PwC, where he managed large-scale enterprise software projects. Throughout his career, Damon has built a reputation as a team builder and a driver of innovation. His relentless focus on challenging the status quo and inspiring teams to accomplish the extraordinary has catalyzed growth, enhanced operational outcomes, and fostered a spirit of continual learning and improvement in every organization he has been a part of.
Industry & Type Expertise
Healthcare Healthcare SaaS Enterprise & SMB Professional Services Enterprise Software Media & Entertainment
Mastery and Unique Skills
Go to Market Strategy Digital Health Strategic Sales Due Diligence Story Telling Team Building Process Transformation Partner Strategy & Management Product Management M&A Due Diligence Merger Integration Change Management
I am an accomplished business leader renowned for my ability to drive customer-focused changes across various professional services firms. My leadership is defined by building high-performance teams through empowerment, innovation, and creativity. Known as a practical problem solver who focuses on outcomes, my operational style is designed to deliver real value promptly. Beyond my role in organizational leadership, I am a dynamic keynote speaker and a published writer, particularly on the subjects of customer and employee engagement. These platforms allow me to share insights and strategies for enhancing engagement and fostering a culture of responsiveness and innovation within organizations. My expertise encompasses a broad range of areas critical to organizational success, including customer experience development, change management, marketing, and organizational change. I am deeply committed to leadership development and practice leadership, principles that have guided significant and impactful organizational transformations. I also specialize in business process re-engineering and implementing the voice of the customer initiatives. These areas highlight my ability to align organizational processes and strategies with customer needs, ensuring an integrated and customer-centric approach to business operations. This comprehensive approach to leadership and change management, underpinned by a steadfast focus on customer and employee engagement, positions me as a transformative leader. I excel in guiding organizations through periods of growth and change, ensuring they remain aligned with their core mission of serving customers effectively while achieving enhanced organizational effectiveness.
Industry & Type Expertise
Enterprise Manufacturing HiTech
Mastery and Unique Skills
Customer Experience Development Change Management Marketing Organizational Change Leadership Development Practice Leadership Business Process Re-Engineering Organizational Effectiveness Voice of the Customer