Stern Strategy Group
Stern Strategy Group is a speakers bureau and advisory firm representing 200+ exclusive thought leaders, connecting enterprise clients and event planners with keynote speakers and consulting engagements across AI, leadership, strategy, and innovation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersIselin, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Stern Strategy Group does
Stern Strategy Group, founded in 1985 and headquartered in Westfield, New Jersey, is a professional services firm operating as an exclusive speakers bureau and advisory consultancy (DBA: Stern Speakers & Advisors). The company represents a roster of more than 200 thought leaders — including Nobel laureates, Harvard and MIT faculty, bestselling authors, and senior practitioners — covering domains such as AI, leadership, organizational behavior, strategy, innovation, sustainability, and geopolitics. It earns revenue through two service streams: (1) keynote speaking bookings and workshops for conferences, corporate events, and leadership programs, and (2) one-on-one or small-group advisory and consulting engagements that allow clients to implement the frameworks introduced in keynotes.
The business model is relationship-driven, direct-sales, and professionally priced. Pricing is quote-based with no public tiers, and engagements are structured as multi-year contracts customized by speaker, duration, format (virtual or in-person), and scope of advisory services. Stern responds to client inquiries within 24 hours and maintains a global service orientation, with offices in Westfield, NJ (headquarters), Tacoma, WA, and Lisbon, Portugal. Supporting content marketing assets include the "Minds Worth Meeting" podcast (distributed on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, YouTube, and Amazon Music and ranked in Goodpods Top 100 Innovation Podcasts) and a subscription newsletter/insights blog. The company is not a technology firm: it operates no proprietary software, API, or AI platform, and its underlying product is human-expert matching and relationship brokering rather than technology architecture.
Ownership appears to be founder/management-controlled with no disclosed venture or institutional capital. Stern operates as a wholly-owned parent of Pluribus Strategy Group LLC. The firm was founded by Susan Steinberg Stern and remains private. There is no public listing, no disclosed funding history, and no revenue disclosure available. Notable customers are not publicly named; the segment mix emphasizes enterprise leadership (boards, CEOs, C-suite) and corporate event planners across North America, with international coverage through its Lisbon office.
Stern Strategy Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stern Strategy Group
- Legal name
- Stern Strategy Group
- Website
- https://sternstrategy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Stern Strategy Group is a speakers bureau and advisory firm representing 200+ exclusive thought leaders, connecting enterprise clients and event planners with keynote speakers and consulting engagements across AI, leadership, strategy, and innovation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stern Strategy Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Services — Speaker Bureau & Executive Advisory
- NAICS
- Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Management Consulting Services (54161), Public Relations Agencies (541820)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Reputation & Thought Leadership (MPAAAOAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA), C-Suite & Senior Executive Coaching (EDABANAA)
Keywords
Where Stern Strategy Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Iselin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Stern Strategy Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Speaker & Keynote Booking Services: Connecting organizations and event planners with transformative keynote speakers. Revenue generated through booking fees for keynote speaking engagements at conferences, corporate events, and meetings.
- Advisory & Consulting Services: One-on-one or small-group consulting arrangements, executive counseling, and customized workshops. 'Learn the frameworks in a keynote. Implement the strategy with an advisor.' Services are tailored to organizational goals and needs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom enterprise engagements with speakers and advisors |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Stern Strategy Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stern Strategy Group operates as a speakers bureau and advisory firm that connects corporate organizations and event planners with more than 200 exclusive thought leaders for keynote speaking engagements, workshops, and one-on-one or small-group advisory consulting. It sells professional services (speaker bookings, customized workshops, executive counseling) directly to enterprise clients through a quote-based, relationship-driven sales motion, with no proprietary software product or third-party marketplace.
Product overview
Stern Strategy Group operates as a speakers bureau and advisory services firm offering a portfolio of thought leadership services. The core offering consists of connecting organizations with transformative keynote speakers and corporate advisors through the Speakers & Advisors platform, supplemented by Advisory & Consulting Services for deeper implementation support. The company also produces the Minds Worth Meeting Podcast as a content platform and maintains a Newsletter & Insights Blog for ongoing engagement. There is no unified software product or platform—these are service-based offerings rather than technology products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Minds Worth Meeting: A podcast hosted by Stern Strategy Group's marketing team featuring accessible conversations with top thought leaders about thought-provoking business topics.
Products and services
- Speakers & Advisors (Speaker Bureau) A speakers bureau service that connects corporate organizations and event planners with more than 200 exclusive transformative keynote speakers for conferences, corporate events, leadership programs, and meetings. Offered virtually and in-person under the DBA "Stern Speakers & Advisors."
- Advisory & Consulting Services One-on-one or small-group consulting arrangements, executive counseling, and customized workshops designed to help business leaders and boards implement the strategic frameworks introduced in keynotes. Engagements can be tailored or hybrid based on organizational goals and needs.
Companies that use Stern Strategy Group
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Stern Strategy Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Stern Strategy Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
Stern Strategy Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AlphaSights: Global expert network facilitating consultations between professionals and industry experts. Adjacent in the paid-expert-advisory model but serves investment and consulting clients rather than event audiences.
- Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG): The largest expert network connecting professionals with subject-matter experts for paid consultations. Operates at much greater scale in the adjacent expert-advisory market that Stern's advisory services competes in.
Direct peers
- BigSpeak: Speakers bureau representing business and motivational keynote speakers. Comparable in core service offering — speaker booking for corporate events — and competitive positioning.
- All American Speakers: Speakers bureau with a broad roster covering business, technology, and leadership topics. Comparable in offering curated keynote recommendations for corporate and association events.
- Harry Walker Agency: The premier U.S. speakers bureau, representing high-profile political, business, and thought-leadership speakers. Directly comparable to Stern in its exclusive-representation model and enterprise customer base.
- Keppler Speakers: Established speakers bureau representing business authors, futurists, and leadership experts. Comparable in subject-matter focus (leadership, strategy, innovation) and corporate-client base.
- Leading Authorities: A leading speakers bureau and consulting firm representing business thought leaders, authors, and former executives. Closely comparable in roster composition (business/strategy/leadership) and corporate-event booking model.
- Washington Speakers Bureau: Long-established speakers bureau with a roster of political leaders, business executives, and thought leaders. Competes directly for keynote engagements at corporate events and conferences.
- Leigh Bureau: Speakers bureau representing authors, academics, and business experts. Directly comparable in academic/business thought-leader representation and university-to-corporate event clientele.
- Executive Speakers Bureau: Speakers bureau focused on business, leadership, and personal-development keynotes. Competes for the same corporate event planner budgets and overlapping speaker profiles.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Stern Strategy Group social profiles
Digital presenceStern Strategy Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stern Strategy Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Stern Strategy Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Stern Strategy Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stern Strategy Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Stern Strategy Group
What does Stern Strategy Group do?
Stern Strategy Group operates as a speakers bureau and advisory firm that connects corporate organizations and event planners with more than 200 exclusive thought leaders for keynote speaking engagements, workshops, and one-on-one or small-group advisory consulting. It sells professional services (speaker bookings, customized workshops, executive counseling) directly to enterprise clients through a quote-based, relationship-driven sales motion, with no proprietary software product or third-party marketplace.
Is Stern Strategy Group a public or private company?
Stern Strategy Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Stern Strategy Group founded?
Stern Strategy Group was founded in 1985. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Stern Strategy Group based?
Stern Strategy Group is headquartered in Iselin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Stern Strategy Group make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Speaker & Keynote Booking Services are the primary driver. The others are advisory & Consulting Services.
Who are Stern Strategy Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AlphaSights and Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG). Direct peers are BigSpeak, All American Speakers, Harry Walker Agency, Keppler Speakers, Leading Authorities, Washington Speakers Bureau, Leigh Bureau and Executive Speakers Bureau.
Does Stern Strategy Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Stern Strategy Group.
What industry is Stern Strategy Group in?
Stern Strategy Group's product category is Professional Services — Speaker Bureau & Executive Advisory. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAOAF, Corporate Reputation & Thought Leadership, with a secondary code of BPAHACAA, Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting. Its NAICS code is 5418 and its SIC code is 8742.