Sand Hill East

What Sand Hill East does

Sand Hill East LLC is a privately held strategic venture advisory group founded in 2013 and headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey (operating virtually with partners distributed across the US, UK, Europe, and Canada). The firm advises early- and growth-stage technology companies in AI, Data, Security, SaaS, and FinTech, delivering four core services: business plan advice, strategic introductions, consulting (product assessment, market positioning, security review, business optimization), and acceleration. The firm is not a software company and has no proprietary technology, APIs, or patents; its product is the collective experience and network of its partners and advisory network, who collectively hold former C-level positions at institutions including UBS, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Bloomberg, Aon, JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, and Zurich.

The business model is a hybrid of professional services and equity participation. Sand Hill East generates advisory fees from approximately 17 active portfolio companies and accepts equity stakes in those companies in lieu of or alongside cash compensation, creating a carried-interest-style upside tied to portfolio outcomes (e.g., Beacon Platform $56M Series C, Skyflow $45M Series B, LMRKTS acquisition by Capitolis). The Extended Advisory Network adds 26 senior partners covering adjacent verticals such as InsurTech, capital markets, AI/NLP, and digital media. Operating partners maintain board seats at publicly traded companies (Zscaler, Pure Storage, Global Payments), which functions as a deal-sourcing and distribution channel.

Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales through personal partner networks rather than marketing-driven demand generation. The firm does not disclose pricing; engagements are quote-based and range from advisory roles to hands-on fractional team member positions. Customer concentration is moderate given the small number of active clients, and revenue is structurally lumpy due to the equity-participation component. The firm has 1-10 employees and has never raised institutional funding, operating as a partnership-style entity.

Name

Sand Hill East

Legal name

Sand Hill East LLC

Website

https://sandhilleast.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sand Hill East is a privately held strategic venture advisory group advising 17+ early- and growth-stage technology companies in AI, Data, Security, SaaS, and FinTech, combining professional services fees with equity participation in portfolio companies through a network of senior operator partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Venture Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Management of Companies and Enterprises (55111)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI), Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital) (BPAHAOAE), Capital Raising Advisory (Debt/Equity/Private Capital) (BPAHADAG)

Keywords

• Venture advisory services
• Strategic consulting
• Growth-stage advisory
• Business plan consulting
• Executive advisory network

Headquarters

HQ city

Basking Ridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory and Consulting Services: Revenue generated through professional advisory services including business plan advice, strategic introductions, consulting on product assessment, market positioning, security review, and business optimization. The firm also earns equity stakes or ownership in portfolio companies in exchange for advisory services and strategic guidance.
2. Equity Participation: The firm obtains equity stakes or ownership interests in early- and growth-stage technology companies as part of its advisory engagement model, creating potential investment returns alongside service fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sand Hill East is a strategic venture advisory group that provides business plan advice, strategic introductions, consulting, acceleration, go-to-market support, risk management, and ongoing advisory services to founders and executives of early- and growth-stage technology companies in AI, Data, Security, SaaS, and FinTech. The firm also takes equity stakes in portfolio companies as part of advisory engagements to align long-term incentives.

Product overview

Sand Hill East LLC is a strategic venture advisory group providing professional services to AI, Data, Security, SaaS, and FinTech businesses. The company does not offer its own software products; rather, it provides advisory services including Business Plan Advice (creating formal business plans, delivery roadmaps, business and operating models), Strategic Introductions (making meaningful introductions to key influencers and helping develop resulting relationships), Consulting (product assessment, market positioning, security review, and business optimization), and Acceleration (strategic introductions to industry players to change the trajectory of growing firms). The portfolio companies listed are client companies that Sand Hill East advises, not products or services offered by Sand Hill East itself.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Plan Advice Helps founders and executives of early- and growth-stage technology companies create formal business plans, delivery roadmaps, and business and operating models to formalize strategy and prepare for scaling and fundraising.
• Strategic Introductions Makes meaningful introductions to key influencers within the senior financial services and investment community, and provides assistance developing and structuring the resulting relationships for portfolio companies.
• Consulting Covers a wide range of consulting deliverables including product assessment, market positioning, security review, and business optimization for technology companies and enterprise clients.
• Acceleration Makes meaningful strategic introductions to key industry players that can rapidly change the trajectory of a growing firm, leveraging Sand Hill East's extensive network across AI, Data, Security, SaaS, and FinTech.
• Go-To-Market Advisory Works with management teams to better understand critical market segments, refine products, and develop business plans as part of go-to-market strategy execution.
• Risk Management Advisory Assesses risks to security, privacy, operations, scalability, and delivery, providing practical and implementable solutions to mitigate those risks for technology companies.
• CEO/Founder Advisory & Board Participation Serves as a trusted advisor to the CEOs and founders Sand Hill East works with, helping them navigate early-stage challenges through ongoing advisory, board participation, and hands-on fractional team member arrangements.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Spectra AnalyticscoreOthersActive advisory relationship with Spectra Analytics, a leading digital healthcare company improving access to healthcare services through their healthcare marketplace. Spectra covers over 10m primary care patients in the UK and has transitioned from AI consultancy to SaaS model.
• Lab 1coreOthersActive advisory relationship providing supply chain risk management solutions that collect compromised and exposed data from diverse sources like the dark web, converting criminal data breaches into actionable insights.
• Wealthlane FinancialcoreOthersActive advisory relationship providing SaaS solution for publicly-traded companies to issue and manage employee equity compensation plans including RSUs and Stock Options.
• OrbexcoreOthersActive advisory relationship with the world's first dedicated marketplace for authenticated environmental commodities, maximizing use of recycled metals, plastics and other GHG intensive materials.
• Nammu21coreOthersActive advisory relationship providing digitisation and analytics platform deconstructing complex interconnected documents across the finance ecosystem, delivering operational efficiencies.
• SnowplowcoreOthersExtended Advisory Network member. Snowplow is a behavioral data platform trusted by tens of thousands of organizations globally, empowering data teams to solve complex data challenges.
• Beacon PlatformcoreOthersActive advisory relationship with financial technology company delivering cloud-based, end-to-end development and production platform. Sand Hill East provided strategic advice, security risk management, operational advice and connections instrumental to Beacon's development.
• T-REX GroupcoreOthersActive advisory relationship providing enterprise solutions for complex financing of esoteric asset-backed securities and energy project finance.
• SkyhivecoreOthersExtended Advisory Network member. SkyHive is a Certified B Corporation and software provider of global workforce intelligence technology, optimizing labor market efficiencies.
• NetomicoreOthersActive advisory relationship. Sand Hill East worked with Netomi on business model development, financing, and made valuable introductions to clients, strategic partners and individuals. Also helped optimize equity ownership.
• LMRKTScoreOthersActive advisory relationship helping LMRKTS navigate phases of ideation, testing, launch and growth, facilitating key relationships on client side and with industry players.
• ModelshopcoreOthersActive advisory relationship. Sand Hill East accelerated Modelshop's trajectory, translating technical capabilities into tangible business benefit and providing valuable introductions.
• MoogsoftcoreOthersActive advisory relationship from inception to multi-million dollar Series A & B. Sand Hill East introduced Moogsoft to strategic industry players resulting in multi-year generating deals.
• CallsigncoreOthersActive advisory relationship. Sand Hill East connected Callsign with prospective clients and strategic connections, helping position them as market driver in digital identification.
• ZscalerminorOthersBoard participation through Andy Brown who serves on the board of directors of Zscaler (ZS), a publicly traded company providing cloud security services.
• Pure StorageminorOthersBoard participation through Andy Brown who serves on the board of directors of Pure Storage (PSTG), a publicly traded software-defined data storage solutions company.
• Digital AssetminorOthersBoard participation through Andy Brown who serves on the board of directors of Digital Asset, a private company providing solutions in the Digital Ledger workflow fintech ecosystem.
• FinTech Innovation LabminorOthersAndy Brown serves as CTO in Residence and mentor at Fintech Innovation Lab.
• Tifin AGminorOthersAndy Brown serves on the board of directors of Tifin AG, an AI company focused on growing Assets under Management for Wealth Management providers.
• Global PaymentsminorOthersJohn Bruno serves on the Board of Directors for Global Payments (NYSE: GPN), chairing the Compensation Committee and serving on the Technology Committee.
• CapitolisminorOthersLMRKTS (portfolio company) was acquired by Capitolis to expand its optimization suite. Sand Hill East was involved in the transaction.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GP Bullhound: Boutique advisory and investment firm focused on technology companies, providing M&A, growth capital and strategic advisory services — directly comparable to Sand Hill East's model of senior-advisor-led tech advisory supplemented by equity participation.
• Qatalyst Partners: Boutique advisory firm providing M&A and strategic advice, primarily to technology companies. Similar in being a senior-partner-driven boutique that competes for high-quality tech advisory mandates.
• Cascadia Capital: Independent middle-market investment bank with a strong technology, software and FinTech practice, providing M&A and capital raising advisory. Comparable in boutique size, sector focus and senior practitioner-led client engagement model.
• Parker Fitzgerald: Boutique advisory firm focused on financial services risk, regulation and technology strategy. Comparable to Sand Hill East's FinTech/security advisory and risk management practice.
• Drake Star Partners: Global boutique advisor specializing in technology, media and digital sectors, with M&A advisory and growth capital services. Directly comparable in target client base, deal size and senior-advisor-led delivery model.
• Woodside Capital Partners: Boutique investment bank focused on technology and growth companies, offering M&A and capital raising advisory. Closely matches Sand Hill East's positioning as a senior-led boutique serving growth-stage tech companies.

Broad incumbents

• Oliver Wyman: Global management consultancy with deep financial services and technology practices. Competes for strategy and risk advisory mandates in FinTech and digital transformation, the same areas Sand Hill East targets.
• FTI Consulting: Large global advisory firm offering corporate finance, restructuring and strategic advisory services. Overlaps with Sand Hill East's advisory and consulting offering but at much greater scale and broader scope.
• Bain & Company: Global top-tier strategy consultancy serving technology and financial services clients. Represents a scaled incumbent in the same advisory category where Sand Hill East competes, but with vastly larger delivery capacity.

Emerging players

• Accordion Partners: Boutique financial and operational consulting firm serving private equity and growth-stage companies, with strengths in FP&A, restructuring and value creation. Note: Sand Hill East's VP of Business Development previously worked there, indicating an adjacent practitioner community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sandhilleast
• Facebookfacebook.com/sandhilleast
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sandhilleast-ventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments15 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Sand Hill East