What Ripple Group does

Ripple Group is a US-based, remote-first boutique consulting firm founded in 2004 that provides fractional technology and product leadership to mid-market companies generating $10M-$150M in annual revenue. The firm operates through four service pillars — Transform & Realign (legacy modernization and cloud migration), Advise & Coach (fractional CTO/CPO advisory), Operate & Augment (interim executives and embedded engineering teams), and Innovate & Create (idea-to-product builds including AI integration) — applied through a proprietary four-step AUTO methodology (Assimilate, Understand, Transform, Operate).

The underlying technology is the people and process, not a software platform: senior operators such as General Manager Philip Barber (previously Senior Director of WebOps at American Media, project management at iVillage/NBCUniversal, CTO at Spanfeller Media) and Fractional Product Leader Ann Howard (former Head of Product at GoNoodle) execute alongside client teams using cloud-native stacks including Azure, .NET microservices, Kubernetes, PostgreSQL, and CI/CD pipelines. Notable client engagements include a 275-application migration off ASP.NET for a national restoration-services franchisor, a five-year bare-metal-to-cloud-native overhaul at RepSpark, decomposition of a monolith for an unnamed national loyalty platform via domain-driven design, and ML-driven title-selection technology with patent filings for Podium Entertainment.

Ripple generates revenue through three streams: professional-services retainers for fractional CTO/CPO engagements, managed services via vetted embedded delivery teams (development, QA, DevOps), and short-duration technical assessments including 72-hour PE diligence and AI/fractional-fit readiness quizzes. Pricing is quote-based with no public disclosure; sales is anchored on a 30-minute strategy call, supported by referrals from 200+ clients over 20 years and a content/assessment funnel. The firm operates deliberately small, refuses work outside its fit, and reports 250+ delivered projects across media, franchising, B2B SaaS, healthcare, publishing, and loyalty verticals.

Name

Ripple Group

Legal name

Ripple Group

Website

https://ripplegroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ripple Group is a US-based, remote-first boutique consulting firm founded in 2004 that provides fractional CTO/CPO leadership, legacy modernization, and embedded delivery teams to mid-market companies ($10M-$150M revenue), operating under a proprietary four-step AUTO methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Consulting Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Change Management & Transformation (Org/HR) (BPACAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

DevOps, SRE & Platform Engineering (CI/CD, IaC, Containers) (EDABAFAC)

Keywords

• Fractional CTO services
• Technology leadership consulting
• Application modernization
• Legacy platform migration
• Executive technology advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Fractional CTO/CPO: Part-time senior technology and product leadership embedded in client companies. Leaders work 'part of every week' alongside existing teams. Revenue derived from hourly or retainer engagements for advisory and coaching services.
2. Managed Services - Embedded Delivery Teams: Execution capacity provided through vetted delivery teams for development, QA, DevOps, and managed services. Teams scale up and down based on client needs. Long-term relationships (e.g., 7+ years with RepSpark).
3. Technical Assessments & Due Diligence: Short-duration diagnostic engagements including 72-hour technical diligence for PE/transaction readiness, AI readiness assessments, and fractional fit quizzes.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ripple Group provides fractional CTO/CPO leadership, embedded engineering teams, and application modernization services for mid-market companies ($10M-$150M revenue). Offerings are organized into four service pillars: Transform & Realign (legacy modernization, cloud migration, monolith decomposition), Advise & Coach (fractional CTO/CPO, executive advisory), Operate & Augment (interim CTO/CPO, embedded delivery teams for development, QA, DevOps), and Innovate & Create (product innovation, AI integration, new venture builds). Engagements follow the proprietary AUTO methodology (Assimilate, Understand, Transform, Operate).

Product overview

Ripple Group is a technology leadership consulting firm offering fractional CTO and executive technology advisory services for mid-market companies ($10M-$150M revenue). The company operates through four core service pillars: Transform & Realign (application modernization, cloud migrations, legacy restructuring), Advise & Coach (fractional CTO/CPO services, strategic advisory, executive coaching), Operate & Augment (interim leadership and embedded engineering teams), and Innovate & Create (product innovation, AI integration, new venture builds). The company follows the AUTO process methodology (Assimilate, Understand, Transform, Operate) and complements its consulting services with two self-service diagnostic tools: the AI Readiness Assessment and the Fractional Fit Assessment. As a consulting firm, Ripple Group provides strategic and execution services rather than a software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transform & Realign Application modernization service that helps companies modernize legacy systems, restructure teams, and minimize disruption during technology changes. Includes cloud migrations, monolith decompositions, and platform moves sequenced in phases. Targeted at mid-market companies with legacy technical debt.
• Advise & Coach Fractional CTO and executive technology advisory service providing senior technology leadership to companies that do not have a full-time CTO. Includes strategic advisory, executive coaching, roadmap development, and decision-quality support.
• Operate & Augment Interim CTO and embedded senior engineering team service that fills leadership gaps and provides execution capacity. Covers roles including interim CTO/CPO, VP of Engineering, engineering managers, product leads, technical program managers, and senior engineers.
• Innovate & Create Product innovation and new venture build service helping companies move from idea to working product. Includes rapid prototyping, AI integration, and new venture builds with a strategy-through-execution approach.

Quantifiable outcome

• 275+ legacy applications migrated in 18 months, on time and on budget, without leaving a single application behind
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Managed cloud-services partner (unnamed)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe engagement with the national loyalty and engagement platform came through a referral from a managed cloud-services partner who introduced Ripple to the client. The partner vetted and referred Ripple alongside other premier partners for consideration.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• West Monroe Partners: National management and technology consulting firm with deep mid-market focus across financial services, healthcare, and energy. Comparable to Ripple on technology modernization and executive-level advisory for mid-sized companies, though at materially greater scale and breadth.
• ThoughtWorks: Global technology consultancy specializing in software modernization, platform engineering, and digital transformation. Overlaps with Ripple's Transform & Realign and Operate & Augment pillars, particularly around legacy decomposition and cloud-native rebuilds.
• Slalom: Large technology and business transformation consultancy with strong mid-market and regional presence. Comparable to Ripple on technology strategy, cloud modernization, and embedded delivery, but Slalom operates with thousands of consultants and a far broader service portfolio.
• Rightpoint (Genpact): Digital experience and technology consultancy acquired by Genpact, serving mid-market and enterprise customers with modernization and product engineering. Overlaps with Ripple on technology strategy, product innovation, and embedded engineering teams.
• Booz Allen Hamilton (commercial/innovation arm): Large strategy and technology consulting firm whose commercial digital and innovation practice competes for the same fractional executive and modernization engagements that Ripple pursues, particularly with PE-backed mid-market clients.
• Levvel (a Cognizant company): Technology consulting and development firm (now part of Cognizant) delivering modernization, cloud, and product development for financial services and other regulated mid-market clients. Comparable to Ripple on fractional technology leadership and modernization execution.

Direct peers

• Palladin Technologies: Mid-sized technology consultancy focused on application modernization, cloud transformation, and managed services for mid-market and enterprise customers. Direct overlap with Ripple's Transform & Realign and Operate & Augment service pillars.
• Adam Stack Group: Boutique fractional technology and product leadership firm serving mid-market companies and PE-backed portfolio companies. Direct peer to Ripple on fractional CTO/CPO engagements, technical diligence, and modernization support.
• Forte Group: Boutique technology consulting firm delivering custom software development, cloud, and data services to mid-market and enterprise clients. Closely matches Ripple on player-coach style engagements, cloud modernization, and embedded delivery teams.

Emerging players

• CTO.ai: Fractional CTO and technology leadership marketplace/platform. Directly comparable to Ripple on the fractional CTO service concept, though CTO.ai operates as a matching platform rather than a player-coach delivery firm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/philipwbarber

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Ripple Group