What HigherEchelon does

HigherEchelon, Inc. is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) professional services firm founded in 2009 by West Point classmates Paul Maggiano and Joe Ross, Ph.D. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama (101 Lowe Ave. SE) with a regional office in Arlington, Virginia (1100 N. Glebe Rd), the firm delivers leadership development, training, engineering, cybersecurity, gaming/simulation, and enterprise technology services primarily to U.S. federal agencies (U.S. Army, Veterans Health Administration, NASA) and defense contractors, alongside select commercial engagements with organizations including PayPal, eBay, Merck, the Wharton School, Deloitte, and Booz Allen Hamilton. The company operates with ISO 9001:2015 quality certification, CMMI Services Maturity Level 3, TS/SCI facility clearance, and state-level SDVOSB certification in New York and Virginia; more than 50% of its workforce are veterans or veteran spouses.

The company's signature product is the proprietary Resilient and Adaptable Leader (RAL) program — a 16-module leadership curriculum co-developed by the former Director of West Point's Center for Enhanced Performance and the former Director of the Air Force Smart Operations Program, which forms the foundation of the U.S. Army's Ready & Resilient (R2) Program. The portfolio extends across Cyber Solutions (cybersecurity operations, RMF/cyber policy, and the $229.5M Army Cyber CoE MATOC ITSS contract), Gaming Solutions (serious games development including Procurify and GoArmyEdge Football, plus Extended Reality/virtual training systems), Engineering Solutions (systems engineering, full-lifecycle software development, airworthiness, C5ISR integration and testing), Enterprise Technology Solutions (data governance, cloud, AI/ML for healthcare analytics, RPA, and — until November 2025 — Salesforce implementation), and Human Capital Solutions (executive coaching, culture and change management, assessments, team building, and the GoHigher Learning and GoHigher Sales programs). RAL commercial group programs are priced at $11,995 (one day), $21,990 (two days), or $31,985 (three days) per group of up to 20 participants, with separate $2,999 individual module pricing.

The business model is predominantly project- and contract-based professional services revenue, generated through prime positions on multiple federal IDIQ and multi-award vehicles including SEAPORT-NXG, OASIS+, GSA MAS, ITES-3S, T4NG2, Cyber CoE MATOC, VHA Finance DevSecOps, and MCASP. The company accesses additional government work through three joint venture entities (HigherMountain JV, H2 Technology Group JV, and Higher Parallel) and operates as a Salesforce Silver Partner (until the practice was divested to Cherokee Federal effective November 1, 2025). Go-to-market is sales-led enterprise engagement with federal buyers and direct commercial outreach to corporate training buyers; the firm maintains an active blog, podcast ("Coaching Through Stories"), GoHigher Weekly newsletter, LinkedIn presence, and event participation across NDIA, AUSA, AFCEA, HASBAT, and chamber events to build top-of-funnel demand.

Name

HigherEchelon

Legal name

HigherEchelon, Inc.

Website

https://higherechelon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

HigherEchelon is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business professional services firm that delivers leadership development, engineering, cybersecurity, gaming/simulation, and enterprise technology solutions to U.S. federal agencies (primarily Army and VA) and defense contractors, with select commercial training engagements for enterprises like PayPal, eBay, Merck, and the Wharton School.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training and Consulting Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Services (611), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sales, Customer Service & Soft Skills Training (BPACANAD), Leadership & People Skills (Influence, Managing Up, Supervisory Readiness) (EDAAAKAI), Leadership, Service Learning & Volunteer-to-Career Pathways (EDAMAKAJ)

Keywords

• Leadership development training
• Government consulting services
• Defense software engineering
• Serious games development
• Cybersecurity operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Training & Education: Leadership development, executive coaching, team building, and corporate training programs delivered to government and commercial clients. Revenue generated through per-program pricing, per-module pricing, and group training engagements.
2. Engineering & Software Development Services: Full lifecycle software development, systems engineering, airworthiness, C5ISR integration and testing for defense and government clients. Revenue from contracted project work through government contract vehicles.
3. Gaming & Simulation Solutions: Serious games development, virtual trainers, extended reality solutions for military, government, and corporate training. Revenue from custom development projects and simulation solutions.
4. Enterprise Technology Solutions: Salesforce implementation, digital transformation, cloud solutions, data governance, AI/ML analytics, and RPA services primarily for government healthcare and defense sectors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HigherEchelon is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business that delivers integrated human capital and technology professional services to federal agencies, defense contractors, and commercial enterprises. The company fundamentally sells leadership development training built on its proprietary Resilient and Adaptable Leader (RAL) model, complemented by engineering services, serious games and XR training solutions, cybersecurity operations support, and enterprise technology (including Salesforce implementation, cloud, AI/ML, and RPA).

Product overview

HigherEchelon is an award-winning professional services firm offering a portfolio of training and technology solutions. The core offering centers on the Resilient and Adaptable Leader (RAL) Program, a signature leadership development curriculum with 16 modules, supported by Human Capital Solutions including executive coaching, assessments, and team building. Gaming Solutions provides Serious Games, Extended Reality (XR), and Virtual Sports Training applications, including the award-winning Procurify gamified learning platform and GoHigher learning modules. Technology Solutions encompass Engineering (systems engineering, software development, airworthiness, C5ISR) and Enterprise Technology (Salesforce, cloud, RPA, AI/ML for healthcare). Cyber Solutions provides training and operations support. All services are delivered with ISO 9001:2015 and CMMI Level 3 certified processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GoHigher Learning: Learning starter kit and training programs offered as part of Human Capital Solutions
• GoHigher Sales
• GoArmyEdge Football
• Procurify
• HigherMountain JV
• H2 Technology Group JV
• Higher Parallel

Products and services

• Resilient and Adaptable Leader (RAL) Program Signature leadership development program integrating organizational and performance psychology with process improvement methodologies, featuring 16 modules covering mental, emotional, and behavioral skills for high performance. Delivered to government and commercial clients.
• Human Capital Solutions Organizational performance services including Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, Culture & Change Management, Keynote & Facilitation, Assessments, Team Building, and learning platforms, applying ADDIE and Kirkpatrick methodologies for government and commercial clients.
• GoHigher Learning Online learning platform within the Human Capital Solutions portfolio providing structured training content and modules for organizational development and skill building.
• GoHigher Sales Sales-focused training program designed to help business development teams integrate high-performance techniques into their customer and vendor interactions.
• Procurify Gamified interactive learning application for acquisition training that introduces alternative learning methods to traditional lecture-style training. Developed in partnership with Army Game Studio and SAIC.
• Cyber Solutions Comprehensive cybersecurity offerings including Cybersecurity Operations, Cyber Training, and RMF and Cyber Policy Solutions, supporting the Army Cyber Center of Excellence with a $229.5M contract for instructor and training support services.
• Gaming Solutions Serious Games and Virtual Trainers Development Services, Extended Reality (XR) Solutions, and Virtual Sports Training Applications serving military, defense, and corporate training markets with immersive simulation and gamification solutions.
• Engineering Solutions Systems Engineering, Full Lifecycle Software Development, Program Management, Airworthiness, C5ISR Integration and Testing, and Digital Engineering serving defense and national security sectors with CMMI Level 3 and ISO 9001:2015 certified processes.
• Enterprise Technology Solutions Data Governance and Analytics, Cloud Solution Development, Digital Transformation for Healthcare, AI and ML for Healthcare Data Analytics, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA), including Salesforce implementation services for government and commercial clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of employees say HigherEchelon is a great place to work (vs 59% typical company)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NaseejminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Naseej made an acquisition in July 2023 aimed at strengthening gamified learning content and immersive educational solutions. While this was an acquisition of a gamification company, it indicates HigherEchelon's involvement in the expanding gamification in education market space.
• Army Game StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019HigherEchelon supported Army Game Studio in developing Procurify, a gamified interactive learning game for acquisition training. This partnership resulted in winning the 2022 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge Best Government Audience Game Award and 2022 Unity Government and Aerospace Most Innovative Acquisition Training Solution award.
• SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with SAIC on development of Procurify serious game. Joint development of gamified training solutions for government acquisition training.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SAIC: Large DoD/civilian IT services prime with cyber, digital engineering, and training solutions; collaborated with HigherEchelon on the Procurify serious game and competes for adjacent cyber and training task orders.
• Engility (now SAIC): Pre-SAIC-era federal training, engineering, and intelligence services firm — analogous portfolio to HigherEchelon's full-lifecycle engineering and training bundle across DoD customers.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with leadership development, executive search, and HR advisory — overlap with HigherEchelon's executive coaching and leadership solutions, but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• ManTech: Federal technology and cyber services firm (now under Carlyle) delivering training, cyber operations, and C5ISR support — similar customer set and capability footprint to HigherEchelon's defense engineering and cyber practices.
• Booz Allen Hamilton: Major defense consulting prime providing cyber, digital transformation, and leadership solutions across DoD and federal civilian agencies; an overlapping customer base (Army, VA) with HigherEchelon and named select customer in HigherEchelon's portfolio.

Emerging players

• Wilson Learning: Sales and leadership development firm focused on interpersonal skills and sales performance — directly comparable to HigherEchelon's GoHigher Sales and soft-skills coaching offering, though smaller and not defense-focused.

Direct peers

• BTS: Strategy-aligned leadership and transformation consultancy with deep experience in government and commercial sectors — comparable in scope to HigherEchelon's human capital + business transformation engagements.
• Development Dimensions International (DDI): Global leadership and talent development firm focused on frontline, mid-level, and executive leadership programs — directly overlapping with HigherEchelon's RAL modules and leadership training offering.
• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Nonprofit leadership development and research institution offering R&D-backed leadership programs used by government and Fortune 500 — overlap with RAL module content and applied leadership research.
• FranklinCovey: Public leadership and execution training firm with flagship '7 Habits' curriculum and similar enterprise/government client base. Directly competes with HigherEchelon's RAL for leadership development budgets at commercial and federal buyers including NASA and DoD.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqI6RWKDs6-cRdOszTnzp5w
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/higherechelon-inc-
• Xx.com/HE_Consulting

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HigherEchelon