IEEE-CNSV

What IEEE-CNSV does

IEEE-CNSV (Consultants' Network of Silicon Valley) is a non-profit, IEEE-affiliated professional membership organization founded in September 1993 that connects approximately 200 independent engineering consultants in the San Francisco Bay Area with prospective clients seeking electrical, electronic, and software engineering expertise. The organization is structured as an affinity group within IEEE's Santa Clara Valley Section (Region 6, San Francisco Bay Area Council) and is also a member of the Alliance of IEEE Consultants' Networks (AICN). Membership in IEEE is not required to join CNSV. The volunteer Board of Directors, currently chaired by Nathan Iyer, governs operations and rotates leadership on multi-year cycles. The organization's geographic footprint is regional, limited to the Silicon Valley / San Francisco Bay Area, with no disclosed international activity.

The platform is built on a WordPress-based website (californiaconsultants.org) and is composed of several interlocking products: a searchable Consultant Directory in which each member maintains an editable profile page indexed by web search engines; a monthly in-person Events Program broadcast over Zoom and hosted at venues including Covalent in Sunnyvale and SEMI in Milpitas; a Project Posting System through which clients submit requirements that are distributed to the full membership via a listserver; a peer-reviewed White Papers Library; a curated Blog/News section covering AI, electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and semiconductors; and a Vimeo-hosted Video Archive of past presentations. Members span specialties such as semiconductor design, embedded systems, AI/ML, digital storage, medical devices, EDA software, machine vision, and expert witness services. There are no disclosed patents, proprietary software products, mobile apps, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities; the technology stack is conventional web content management rather than a defensible software platform.

The business model is a flat subscription: $50 in annual dues per calendar year with a one-time $50 initiation fee for first-time members, supplemented by in-kind venue sponsorship from Covalent and SEMI. There is no disclosed revenue, no venture or private equity funding, no M&A activity, no paid product tiers, and no advertising or transaction fees. Marketing is content- and event-led, with the consultant directory functioning as a long-tail organic acquisition channel, monthly technical meetings serving as top-of-funnel networking, and the project posting system acting as a bottom-of-funnel conversion mechanism for client-to-consultant introductions.

Name

IEEE-CNSV

Legal name

IEEE-CNSV (Consultants' Network of Silicon Valley)

Website

https://californiaconsultants.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

IEEE-CNSV (Consultants' Network of Silicon Valley) is a non-profit, IEEE-affiliated professional membership network of approximately 200 independent engineering consultants in the Bay Area, providing a searchable consultant directory, monthly technical events, a project posting system, and peer-reviewed content to connect consultants with clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Engineering Consulting Network

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), Management Consulting Services (54161), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical & Scientific Expert Networks (BPAHALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Telecommunications & Network Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAH), Networking & Telecommunications (Routing/Switching, Wireless, VoIP) (EDABAFAG), Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)

Keywords

• Engineering consulting network
• Consultant directory services
• Professional networking organization
• Technical event programming
• Membership association services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sunnyvale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fee of $50 per calendar year with $50 first-time initiation fee

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IEEE-CNSV (Consultants' Network of Silicon Valley) is a nonprofit professional membership organization and IEEE affinity group that operates a consultant directory and networking platform connecting approximately 200 independent engineering consultants in Silicon Valley with organizations seeking expertise in electrical, electronic, and software engineering. Members pay $50 per year (plus a one-time $50 initiation fee) to receive a searchable online profile, monthly technical presentations, a project posting system, listserver access, and inclusion in the Alliance of IEEE Consultants' Networks (AICN).

Product overview

IEEE-CNSV (Consultants' Network of Silicon Valley) is a professional membership organization affiliated with IEEE, offering a suite of services for engineering consultants rather than a traditional software product. The core offering consists of a searchable Consultant Directory where members maintain professional profile webpages, combined with a monthly CNSV Events Program featuring technical presentations. Supporting services include a White Papers Library of peer-reviewed technical documents, a CNSV Blog/News section with curated tech industry content, a Project Posting System for connecting consultants with clients, and a CNSV Video Archive of past event recordings. The organization provides approximately 200 consultants with networking opportunities, job postings, and professional development resources in the Silicon Valley engineering community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consultant Directory A searchable online directory where site visitors and search engines can find CNSV member consultants based on their skills, expertise, and professional profiles. Each member receives a dedicated webpage describing their consulting services.
• CNSV Events Program Monthly in-person meetings broadcast online via Zoom featuring technical presentations on AI, semiconductors, storage technology, autonomous vehicles, FPGA, embedded systems, and professional development topics relevant to engineering consultants.
• Project Posting System A service enabling clients to submit consulting project requirements via a website form that are then distributed to the entire CNSV membership through the listserver, enabling consultants to receive project leads.
• Member Profile System Each member receives a customizable profile webpage describing their skills and consulting services, searchable by site visitors and indexed by web search engines. Members can edit their profiles at any time.
• CNSV Video Archive A library of recorded presentations and past event videos hosted on Vimeo, covering technical topics such as AI, memory technology, robotics, semiconductors, and consulting business practices.
• White Papers Library A collection of peer-reviewed technical white papers authored by CNSV members covering engineering consulting best practices, software process improvement, and technical topics such as thermocouples and hardware access in C++.
• CNSV Blog and Tech News A curated collection of tech news articles and blog posts covering artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, semiconductors, and industry trends relevant to Silicon Valley consultants.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IEEEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNSV is organized under the auspices of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), the world's largest technical professional society. The Institute's US Activities Board began the groundwork for the Network in 1991. CNSV is part of the Alliance of IEEE Consultants' Networks (AICN). IEEE membership is not required for CNSV membership.
• CovalentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCovalent provides meeting venue space in Sunnyvale for CNSV monthly events. Covalent is described as transforming complex material testing data into clear, actionable insights.
• SEMIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEMI provides meeting venue for some CNSV events including the Flash Memory Summit co-sponsorship and other events at their Milpitas location.
• Alliance of IEEE Consultants' Networks (AICN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNation-wide representation organization that connects IEEE Consultants' Networks across the United States.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IEEE Consultants' Network (other regional IEEE chapters under AICN): The Alliance of IEEE Consultants' Networks (AICN) connects other regional IEEE Consultants' Networks across the US. They share the same IEEE affiliation, membership-fee model, consultant directory structure, and volunteer governance as CNSV, making them the closest direct peers for benchmarking and potential replication.

Broad incumbents

• Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG): GLG is the largest paid expert network connecting professionals (including engineers) with consulting engagements. While much broader in scope and operating globally with corporate clients, GLG is comparable as a curated marketplace for technical expertise and would compete with CNSV for high-end consulting project referrals.
• Guidepoint: Guidepoint is a global expert network that connects clients with vetted subject-matter experts across technology, engineering, and other domains. It overlaps with CNSV's mission of connecting engineering consultants with clients but operates at vastly greater scale with paid expert engagements.
• Upwork: Upwork is the largest open marketplace for freelance engineering and software consulting work. It overlaps directly with CNSV's project-posting system and competes for clients seeking Silicon Valley engineering talent, though without curation or IEEE-affiliated credibility.

Emerging players

• Toptal: Toptal is an online marketplace that connects clients with freelance software engineers, designers, and engineering consultants through a curated vetting process. It competes for the same 'finding vetted technical consultants' workflow that CNSV's directory addresses, though it is a paid commercial platform rather than a dues-funded non-profit.
• Catalant (now Built In): Catalant (rebranded as Built In) operates a marketplace connecting independent consultants and boutique firms with enterprise project work. It overlaps with CNSV's project posting system by matching engineering and technology consultants with client engagements, though at much larger scale.
• Clarity.fm: Clarity.fm is an online platform that enables professionals to offer paid consultations by the minute across technical and business topics. It competes with CNSV by providing a transactional layer that helps consultants monetize expertise, an area where CNSV currently captures no fees.
• Maven: Maven is a platform where vetted experts (including many engineers and product leaders) run cohort-based courses and paid consultations. It overlaps with CNSV's monthly-events/community model and offers a monetization framework CNSV's members could otherwise use independently.
• Plex (GLG subsidiary, expert network for engineers): Plex is an expert network focused on engineers and technical practitioners, often competing for the same semiconductor and hardware engineering experts that CNSV's directory features. It offers paid short-term engagements, contrasting CNSV's non-transactional directory model.

Regional players

• Silicon Valley Engineering Council (SVEC): SVEC is a regional alliance of Silicon Valley engineering societies and IEEE-society chapters. It overlaps with CNSV in mission (fostering engineering professional community in the Bay Area) and audience but operates as an umbrella council rather than a consultant marketplace.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ieeecnsv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 IEEE-CNSV