Mariposa Leadership

What Mariposa Leadership does

Mariposa Leadership, Inc. is a privately held, founder-owned executive coaching and leadership development firm headquartered in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1994 by CEO Sue Bethanis, Ed.D., the firm has operated for approximately 30 years and focuses on serving executives and organizations in technology and other demanding industries. The company delivers a portfolio of coaching services that includes individual Executive Leadership Coaching and Executive Career Coaching, group offerings such as Executive Team Coaching, Group Learning, and Women's Leadership Coaching, plus customized Workshops and Strategy Meetings.

There is no proprietary technology platform underpinning the service. Mariposa's methodology centers on human-facilitated coaching conversations supported by an interview-based 360 feedback process, a Learning Roadmap for tracking objectives, and curated leadership content. The team comprises roughly 14 executive coaches (selected for senior leadership experience and vetted through multiple interviews, reference checks, and observed coaching) alongside a Fractional COO (Tawny Lees) and a Director of Business Operations.

Mariposa earns revenue through professional services fees on a custom, quote-based, engagement-by-engagement basis. Engagements are typically six months with bi-weekly sessions, and distribution is sales-led via direct enterprise engagement, initiated through a 'Book a Chat' consultation. Brand and thought leadership are built through the WiseTalk monthly podcast, the Perspectives blog, downloadable executive guides, and case studies. Notable client references include Amazon, Google, NVIDIA, Salesforce, Meta, Netflix, LinkedIn, PayPal, Gilead Sciences, Genentech, Charles Schwab, and Disney ABC Media Networks, alongside five consecutive years of recognition as a Top LGBTQ+-Owned Business by the SF Business Times.

Name

Mariposa Leadership

Legal name

Mariposa Leadership, Inc.

Website

https://mariposaleadership.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mariposa Leadership is a privately held, San Francisco-based executive coaching firm founded in 1994 that delivers individual, team, and group leadership coaching engagements — typically 6 months of bi-weekly sessions — primarily to executives at technology companies and other demanding industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Coaching Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Team & Group Executive Coaching (Leadership Teams) (EDABANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leadership Assessment, 360 Feedback & Development Planning (EDABAAAK), Leadership Transition & Onboarding Coaching (New Role, New Manager, Promotion) (EDABANAB), Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH), High-Potential & Succession Coaching (EDABANAC)

Keywords

• Executive leadership coaching
• Career coaching services
• Team coaching programs
• Leadership development consulting
• Women's leadership coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Executive Coaching Services: Professional executive coaching services provided to individuals and organizations. Engagements include individual coaching (Executive Leadership Coaching, Executive Career Coaching), group coaching (Team Coaching, Group Learning, Women's Leadership Coaching), and workshops/strategy meetings. Typical engagement is 6 months with bi-weekly sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mariposa Leadership provides transformational executive coaching services for individuals and groups, delivered by a curated team of vetted executive coaches. Core offerings include individual Executive Leadership Coaching and Executive Career Coaching (typically 6-month engagements with bi-weekly sessions), as well as group offerings such as Executive Team Coaching, Group Learning, Workshops/Strategy Meetings, and Women's Leadership Coaching. Engagements leverage an interview-based 360 feedback approach and a Learning Roadmap methodology to develop leadership effectiveness.

Product overview

Mariposa Leadership is an executive coaching services company offering a portfolio of coaching products centered on transformational leadership development. The core offering is Executive Leadership Coaching (individual) and Executive Career Coaching, supplemented by team and group coaching programs including Executive Team Coaching, Group Learning, and Women's Leadership Coaching. Additional offerings include Workshops/Strategy Meetings (custom offsites) and thought leadership products such as the WiseTalk Podcast, Coaching Resource Guide, and the book Leadership Chronicles of a Corporate Sage. The company emphasizes a customizable methodology grounded in coaching conversations, interview-based 360 feedback, and curated leadership content, with programs designed around match, design, coaching, and alignment phases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WiseTalk: A monthly leadership podcast hosted by CEO Sue Bethanis, featuring interviews with inspiring, informative and thought-provoking industry leaders in leadership, tech, design thinking and human resources.

Products and services

• Executive Leadership Coaching Individual executive coaching engagement with a matched coach, featuring interview-based 360 feedback, a Learning Roadmap, bi-weekly confidential conversations over six months, and progress tracking. Focuses on strategizing, energizing, influencing, and achieving results. Targeted at senior executives and directors.
• Executive Career Coaching Career-focused individual coaching for executives seeking greater influence, effective onboarding into new roles, career change exploration, or navigating transitions with clarity. Uses design thinking, values exploration, visioning, and the 4-Point Networking Plan. Targeted at individual executives in transition.
• Executive Team Coaching Coaching for intact leadership teams facilitated by an expert coach to surface individual and collective strengths, identify what is working and what is not, and create a stronger, more effective team and organization. Targeted at executive leadership teams.
• Group Learning Scalable, economical leadership development combining curated content with peer and group coaching conversations. Includes individual leadership coaching, group learning sessions, and peer coaching over 12–16 weeks with weekly or bi-weekly sessions. Targeted at organizations developing cohorts of leaders.
• Workshops / Strategy Meetings High-impact, customized sessions designed to plan for the future, solve problems, target specific skills, or deepen team bonding. Customized formats ranging from hours to multiple days. Targeted at executive teams needing focused facilitation.
• Women's Leadership Coaching Scalable, transformational program for high-potential women leaders. Uses interview-based 360 feedback, self-reflection tools, group learning, and peer coaching with a focus on decisiveness, creativity, clarity, strategic thinking, and influence. Targeted at organizations developing their pipeline of women leaders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3X more likely to be financially top-performing with confident leadership bench (DDI 2023 Global Leadership Survey)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RHR International: Boutique executive coaching and leadership development firm serving senior leaders at large enterprises, with similar 1:1 and team coaching offerings and comparable pricing model to Mariposa.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm offering executive coaching, leadership development and talent management as part of a much broader portfolio; competes for enterprise leadership-development budgets but is far larger and more diversified than Mariposa.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Executive search and leadership advisory firm with a dedicated leadership advisory and coaching practice serving global enterprises; overlaps with Mariposa in C-suite coaching engagements but operates at much greater scale.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with established leadership coaching and team effectiveness practices serving senior executives in technology, financial services and life sciences, the same verticals Mariposa serves.
• Spencer Stuart: Executive search and leadership advisory firm with a leadership consulting practice that includes executive coaching, team coaching and board services; competes for similar C-suite and executive team mandates as Mariposa.
• DDI (Development Dimensions International): Large-scale leadership development and assessment firm whose research (DDI 2023 Global Leadership Survey) is cited by Mariposa; competes for enterprise leadership development programs but with much greater scale and an assessment-led model.
• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Long-established global leadership development research and education organization offering executive coaching, leadership programs and assessments; serves similar senior-leader and high-potential segments as Mariposa at greater scale.
• The Ken Blanchard Companies: Leadership training and coaching firm offering established leadership development curricula, executive coaching and management training programs to enterprises; overlaps with Mariposa in leadership development content and coaching offerings.

Emerging players

• BetterUp: Tech-enabled coaching platform combining a marketplace of coaches with software-driven measurement and AI augmentation; serves enterprise leadership development at lower price points and could compete with Mariposa's Group Learning and cohort programs.
• CoachHub: Digital coaching platform offering 1:1 and group coaching at scale for enterprises; competes with Mariposa on scalable coaching programs with a tech-enabled delivery model rather than a boutique high-touch model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mariposa-leadership
• Xx.com/mariposaleader

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Mariposa Leadership