AC Lion

What AC Lion does

AC Lion (legal name AC Lion International) is a New York-based digital executive recruitment firm founded in 1997 by Alan Cutter. The company specializes in placing revenue-generating leadership, sales, marketing, product, and operations talent at the VP, C-Suite, and Board levels for digital and technology companies spanning adtech, martech, fintech, healthtech, ecommerce, and digital media. AC Lion also serves offshore firms entering the U.S. market and offers fractional executive and contract talent placement through its 2025 acquisition of Ampersand Talent Advisory.

The firm's core product layer is AC Lion EQ, a proprietary candidate assessment and delivery platform that combines scientific, visual, and competency-based assessment techniques to reduce time-to-hire by an estimated 2-4 weeks. AC Lion additionally deploys AI and NLP tools for DEI-focused sourcing, candidate matching, and multi-channel outreach, and uses video interview assessment supported by NLP and body language analysis. The firm is part of the Lionseye Group holding structure alongside AC Lion Venture Partners (ACLVP), a venture arm that links the firm to startup capital and customer pipelines from seed through exit.

Commercially, AC Lion operates a professional services model with three engagement structures: Disruptive Retained Search for VP-to-Board placements, Team Builds as a hybrid retained/contingency model for complex or volume hiring, and Contingency Search for mid-level roles. Pricing is custom-fit and not publicly disclosed, and the company offers a placement guarantee with 3- and 6-month follow-up support. GTM is consultative and sales-led, with dedicated vertical heads sourced from the industries they serve, supported by a national network of 50,000+ decision makers and 400,000+ qualified professionals, six offices across the U.S. and Tel Aviv, and six consecutive years (2017-2022) of Forbes Best Executive Recruiting Firm recognition.

Name

AC Lion

Legal name

AC Lion International

Website

https://aclion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AC Lion is a New York-based digital executive recruitment firm founded in 1997 that places VP, C-Suite, and Board-level talent across digital media, adtech, martech, fintech, healthtech, and ecommerce companies using its proprietary AC Lion EQ assessment platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Consumer & Retail Leadership Search (BPACAAAG)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Digital talent recruitment
• Executive recruitment firm
• Leadership hiring solutions
• Talent acquisition services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Disruptive Retained Search: Dedicated retained search for VP to C-Suite and Board-level critical hires. Requires commitment from both client organization and AC Lion.
2. Team Build Search: Hybrid retained and contingency model for complex searches due to unique requirements, geographic location, urgency, or volume team builds.
3. Contingency Search: Mid-level contingency search with minimal upfront commitment from clients. 'Legendary offering' for uncovering untapped talent.
4. DEI Recruiting Services: AI-powered unbiased sourcing complemented by human expertise with compliance reporting for diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring initiatives.
5. Talent Pipeline Development: Sourcing and vetting talent using same standards as regular search, with candidates submitted for internal HR teams to manage further.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AC Lion is a digital executive recruitment firm that sources, vets, and places revenue-generating leadership talent (VP, C-Suite, and Board level) for digital and technology companies. It operates multiple engagement models including Disruptive Retained search for executive/board hires, hybrid Team Builds, and Contingency Search for mid-level roles, supplemented by specialized services such as DEI Recruiting, Talent Pipeline Development, and U.S. Market Entry support for offshore firms. Its service delivery is supported by the proprietary AC Lion EQ assessment platform.

Product overview

AC Lion is a digital executive recruitment firm headquartered in New York with over 25 years of experience, offering a suite of talent acquisition services spanning multiple engagement models. Their core portfolio includes retained executive search (Disruptive Retained for VP to C-Suite/Board), team builds, and contingency search, all supported by their proprietary AC Lion EQ candidate assessment platform. Specialized offerings include DEI recruiting with AI/NLP bias-reduction tools, talent pipeline development, and U.S. market entry services for international firms. The company also operates AC Lion Venture Partners (ACLVP) as a strategic venture arm for startup ecosystem engagement. Their national network spans 50,000 key decision makers and 400,000+ qualified professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AC Lion EQ: Award-winning candidate assessment and delivery platform that combines scientific, visual, and competency-based assessment techniques to improve talent recruitment and retention.
• AC Lion Venture Partners (ACLVP)

Products and services

• Disruptive Retained Search Dedicated retained executive search service for VP to C-Suite and Board-level critical hires. Requires full commitment from both client and firm and is designed for confidential, high-stakes executive placements including Sales, Marketing, Product, Finance/HR, Operations, Client Services, Data/Analytics, and Board/Advisory positions.
• Team Builds Hybrid retained and contingency search model for complex hiring needs due to unique requirements, geographic location, urgency, or volume team builds. Recruits multiple executives for a single client across functions or seniority levels.
• Contingency Search Mid-level recruitment service with minimal upfront commitment from clients. Focused on uncovering untapped talent that other search firms will not find, suitable for mid-level positions below the executive tier.
• DEI Recruiting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion recruiting service that combines AI-powered unbiased sourcing and NLP-based candidate matching with human expertise. Includes compliance reporting capabilities for stakeholders tracking DEI hiring initiatives.
• Talent Pipeline Development Sourcing and vetting service where candidates are screened using the same standards as regular search engagements and then submitted for internal HR teams to manage ongoing relationship and conversion.
• U.S. Market Entry Executive recruitment service for offshore firms headquartered outside the U.S. that need to build U.S.-based teams and establish market presence. Provides local network access and American hiring landscape navigation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Time to hire reduced by 2-4 weeks on average
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers49 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ampersand Talent AdvisorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2025AC Lion acquired Ampersand Talent Advisory, a boutique firm known for innovative talent strategies and executive search expertise. This acquisition expands AC Lion's capabilities in creative and AI talent recruitment and strengthens their ability to place fractional executives, freelancers, and contract talent. Ampersand's specialized methodologies and network are integrated into AC Lion's platform.
• Lionseye GroupcoreOthersAC Lion is a proud member of the Lionseye Group, a collective of brands furthering talent acquisition through Venture Capital, HR Technology, and Thought Leadership. The group includes AC Lion (executive search), AC Lion Venture Partners (ACLVP), and other talent acquisition brands.
• AC Lion Venture Partners (ACLVP)coreOthersACLVP is the Strategic Venture Arm of AC Lion, working with startups to gain access to capital, talent, and customers. The arm empowers the U.S. talent network across enterprises and F1000 companies to help startups scale from Seed to Exit.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ON Partners: Executive search firm focused on technology, digital, and growth-equity backed companies. Closely aligned business model — retained, partner-led search for VP through C-level at VC-backed and public tech firms.
• True Search: Executive search firm with strong focus on technology, digital, and venture-backed companies. Closely comparable business model, customer profile (startups to public tech firms), and retained/contingency hybrid offering.
• DHR International: Global executive search firm with strong technology, media, and digital practice. Comparable in boutique-to-mid scale and serves many of the same venture-backed and growth-stage technology clients.
• Riviera Partners: Tech-focused executive search firm placing digital product, engineering, and go-to-market leaders. Most directly comparable peer given similar focus on digital/technology executive mandates, comparable boutique scale, and overlapping customer base of venture-backed and growth-stage tech companies.

Broad incumbents

• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with deep technology and digital practice. Overlaps directly with AC Lion on CEO, CTO, CMO, and board search mandates for technology and digital media clients.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a large executive search practice. Competes with AC Lion across retained C-suite search, talent assessment, and increasingly via its proprietary assessment and AI-enabled tools.
• Robert Half: Large staffing and talent solutions firm with an executive search division (Robert Half Executive Search). While broader in scope and scale, it overlaps with AC Lion on mid-level to executive digital and technology placements.
• Spencer Stuart: One of the largest global executive search firms with a strong technology, media, and telecom practice. A primary competitor for AC Lion's VP-to-C-Suite and board-level digital mandates at enterprise clients.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. While much larger and broader in scope, Heidrick's technology and digital practices compete head-to-head with AC Lion on C-suite and board-level tech mandates.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a technology and communications practice. A competitor on senior executive and board-level search, particularly for larger enterprise technology mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ac-lion
• Xx.com/aclion
• Facebookfacebook.com/acliondigital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about AC Lion