NVC Consulting

What NVC Consulting does

NVC Consulting is a privately-held Santa Barbara, California firm that delivers training, certification, and consulting services built on Dr. Clare W. Graves' emergent cyclical levels of existence theory, marketed under the registered SPIRAL DYNAMICS trademark. Founded in 1998 by Chris Cowan and Natasha Todorovic as an outgrowth of the National Values Center Inc. (established 1978), the company owns and controls the original Graves publications and the clarewgraves.com domain, giving it direct lineage to the source research that underpins the framework. Its core product is the SD Navigator Training pathway, which bundles an assessment suite (Values Profile II, Change State Indicator, Spiral Dynamics Discover, Change Readiness Index), an online principles course, certification training, practicum, level 3 coursework, and personal development tracks.

The company serves four distinct customer segments: business executives and organizational leaders (including multinational corporations, manufacturing and technology leaders, and government/military organizations), consultants/trainers seeking to add Spiral Dynamics to their professional offering, government and military organizations undertaking large-scale change, and individuals pursuing personal development. Revenue is generated through a mix of subscription-based training programs, multi-day live events (notably the flagship Spiral Dynamics Live 3-day online bootcamp and the Conscious Coaching Conversations bootcamp), certification fees, assessment tool licensing for certified practitioners, and professional services engagements spanning team building, leadership development, change resilience, and strategic planning. Go-to-market is primarily sales-led and event-driven, augmented by an affiliate/partner program and direct self-service enrollment via spiraldynamics.org, with delivery supported by an international partner network spanning 11 countries on five continents.

Operationally, the company is lean (1-10 employees) and remains founder-led under co-founder and CEO Natasha Todorovic-Cowan following the death of Chris Cowan in 2015. There are no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, no institutional investors, and no public listing. The business relies heavily on the CEO's 25+ years of experience and the proprietary content library and trademarks for differentiation.

Name

NVC Consulting

Legal name

NVC Consulting

Website

https://spiraldynamics.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NVC Consulting delivers Spiral Dynamics training, certification, assessments, and consulting based on Dr. Clare W. Graves' developmental theory, serving business executives, consultants, coaches, government organizations, and individuals across 11 countries on five continents from its Santa Barbara headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training and Certification Programs: Revenue from Spiral Dynamics certification programs delivered at multiple levels (Level 1, 2, 3), including in-person and online coursework, practicums, and professional development tracks. Programs range from 8-12 week self-directed courses to intensive multi-day live events.
2. Event Tickets and Bootcamps: Revenue from 3-day intensive online events like Spiral Dynamics Live and Conscious Coaching Conversations bootcamps, typically priced at premium rates for professional development.
3. Assessment Tools and Surveys: Revenue from proprietary assessment products including Values Profile II, Change Readiness Index, and other diagnostic instruments used by certified practitioners.
4. Coaching Development Programs: Revenue from specialized coaching certification programs focusing on human systems, transitions, and applications of Gravesian theory.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NVC Consulting provides training, certification, proprietary assessments, and consulting services built on the Spiral Dynamics framework (Dr. Clare W. Graves' emergent cyclical levels of existence theory). Deliverables include the SD Navigator Training pathway (assessment suite, principles course, certification training at Levels 1–3, practicum, personal development tracks), organizational and professional development consulting, coaching certification programs, and premium live bootcamp events for clients ranging from individual consultants to multinational corporations, government, and military organizations across 11 countries on five continents.

Product overview

NVC Consulting offers a comprehensive suite of products and services centered on the Spiral Dynamics framework—a developmental theory based on Dr. Clare W. Graves' research on human values and existence. The core offering consists of certification training programs delivered through the SD Navigator Training pathway, which includes the Assessment Suite (Values Profile II, Change State Indicator, Spiral Dynamics Discover), online courses (Principles, Personal Development tracks), practicum, and Level 3 coursework. These are complemented by organizational and professional development consulting services (team building, leadership development, change resilience, strategic planning) and specialized live events (Spiral Dynamics Live!, Conscious Coaching Conversations bootcamp). The company also offers the Playbook for Change methodology and various assessments as standalone tools for certified practitioners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Spiral Dynamics: Registered trademark and primary brand for the company's training programs, assessments, and consulting services based on Gravesian developmental theory. The company operates websites including www.spiraldynamics.org, www.spiraldynamics.com, www.spiral-dynamics.com, and owns Clare Graves-related domains.

Products and services

• SD Navigator Training A structured multi-level training pathway for individuals and organizations: includes the Assessment Suite, online SD Principles Course, certification training, practicum, Level 3 coursework, and Personal Development tracks, built on the Spiral Dynamics framework.
• Values Profile II (VPII) An assessment that profiles individual values systems and behavioral patterns within organizational contexts; used by certified Spiral Dynamics practitioners and consultants.
• Change Readiness Index (Change State Indicator) An assessment that measures organizational or individual readiness for change and transition states; used by certified practitioners within the Spiral Dynamics Assessment Suite.
• Spiral Dynamics Discover An introductory assessment designed for discovering individual values systems and their application to personal and professional contexts; part of the SD Assessment Suite.
• Personal Development Online Courses A bundle of five online courses — The Transformational Power of Beliefs, The Values-Based Life, MySpiral Personal Development Track, The Memes That Make Us, and Taking on Thema and Schema — available in DIY, coach-supported, 12-month self-paced, and premium unlimited support formats.
• Organizational Development Services Consulting services for organizations covering team building, change resilience, organizational collaboration, leadership development, and strategic planning, grounded in the Spiral Dynamics framework.
• Professional Development Services Programs for individual professionals covering leadership development, team development, and change resilience, grounded in the Spiral Dynamics framework.
• Coaching Development Programs Certification and training programs for practicing coaches: Human Systems, Transitions, Cases & Applications, Practicum, Certification, and Online Level 3 Coursework tracks; designed to add Spiral Dynamics tools to coaches' professional offerings.
• Spiral Dynamics Live! A 3-day online implementation event for mentors, coaches, leaders and change makers; focused on mastering change using the Spiral Dynamics system and building a Playbook for Change; backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
• Conscious Coaching Conversations (That Convert) A 3-day online bootcamp teaching coaches and consultants how to communicate the value of their services using Spiral Dynamics assessments as part of a client conversion bridge strategy.
• Playbook for Change An 8-step structured methodology for mapping and implementing change, designed for use with clients, teams, and organizations; delivered as a standalone program alongside Spiral Dynamics Live!.

Quantifiable outcome

• A product manufacturer analyzed its culture and used the tools to grow from being one of four competitors to market leadership
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Partners NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1998NVC Consulting operates with international partners and an online Spiral Dynamics-trained coaching team to deliver programs globally across 11 countries on five continents. The partner network enables localized delivery of certification programs and consulting services.
• Local Training HostsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrganization partners with local hosts in various countries (e.g., The Hague, Melbourne, Ecuador) to deliver in-person Spiral Dynamics training programs. These hosts provide venue and local coordination while NVC provides curriculum and certification.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Barrett Values Centre: Values-based organizational culture and leadership assessment provider built on Dr. Richard Barrett's Seven Levels of Consciousness model — a closely parallel developmental-values framework to Spiral Dynamics. Directly competes for the same enterprise culture/change-management budgets and practitioner certification ecosystem.
• Spiral Dynamics Integral: Founded by Don Beck (original collaborator with Chris Cowan) as a parallel interpretation/application of Gravesian theory. A direct historical and conceptual split from NVC's lineage, competing for the same Spiral Dynamics-trained practitioner audience and change-management clients.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm offering leadership development, talent management, and assessment products. Overlaps with NVC in values/leadership assessment and enterprise change work, though at a much larger scale and with proprietary IP portfolios of its own.
• FranklinCovey: Global professional training and consulting firm (e.g., The 7 Habits) with enterprise sales motion and certified-coach ecosystem. Targets similar leadership/change-management buyers as NVC but operates at significantly greater scale with broader content libraries.
• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Large, established leadership development institution offering training, assessments, and coaching to enterprise clients. Competes for the same C-suite and senior leader L&D budget that NVC targets with its Spiral Dynamics-based programs, though CCL's portfolio is broader and less theory-niche.
• Dale Carnegie & Associates: Long-established global training organization offering leadership, communication, and professional development courses with a certified-trainer network. Overlaps with NVC on in-person/virtual leadership training delivery and enterprise customer base.

Emerging players

• Integral Life (Ken Wilber / Integral Education): Community and educational platform for Ken Wilber's Integral Theory, including training and certification offerings aimed at coaches and leaders. Addresses a similar audience seeking developmental-stage-based coaching frameworks, with conceptual overlap to Spiral Dynamics.
• Hogan Assessments: Provider of personality and leadership assessment tools used in enterprise coaching and development. Competes with NVC's assessment suite for the same practitioner licensing and corporate L&D budgets, with a more empirical/research-positioned brand.
• Insights Discovery: Provider of a Jungian-based personality/values assessment and licensed practitioner network used in team and leadership development. Competes with NVC's assessment suite and certification model for enterprise L&D and coach-licensing revenue.
• Realization Institute: Organization applying adult developmental psychology (building on Kegan/Lahey and Torbert frameworks) to leadership and coaching training. Targets an overlapping coach/consultant buyer audience with NVC's certification programs, framed around developmental stage theory similar in spirit to Spiral Dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SpiralDynamics
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Spiral-Dynamics/178621967676
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/pub/chris-cowan/5/252/443

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 NVC Consulting