Starbridge Benefits Solutions

What Starbridge Benefits Solutions does

Starbridge Benefits Solutions is a privately held, Lakeland, Florida-based professional services firm that delivers third-party administration and consulting for ERISA-qualified retirement plans. Its core offering consolidates plan review and design, IRS-approved plan document preparation, annual reporting (including electronic filing of Form 5500 and 1099R), contribution allocations, and required compliance testing (IRS discrimination, top-heavy, and new comparability cross-testing) into a single engagement. The firm supports a horizontal set of plan types—401(k), SEP, SIMPLE IRA, profit sharing, and cash balance defined benefit plans—serving primarily small and mid-sized businesses seeking to outsource plan administration burden.

The business is built on individualized professional service delivery rather than proprietary software; technology is limited to industry-standard recordkeeping practices plus registered third-party administrator relationships with five national custodial/recordkeeping platforms (Empower, Voya, John Hancock, Alerus Retirement Solutions, and American Funds). Revenue is generated entirely through professional service fees for plan administration and consulting, with pricing described as competitive but not publicly disclosed. The firm is led by Managing Member Michael J. Gardyasz, CPA, alongside Member Katie E. Pennethy, QKA, and markets primarily through a content-driven website (erisapilot.com) and referrals from financial advisors and tax accountants across Florida and the broader Southeast US.

Name

Starbridge Benefits Solutions

Legal name

Starbridge Benefits Solutions

Website

https://erisapilot.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Starbridge Benefits Solutions is a Lakeland, Florida-based professional services firm that provides third-party administration and consulting for ERISA-qualified retirement plans, including 401(k), SEP, SIMPLE IRA, profit sharing, and cash balance plans, primarily for small and mid-sized businesses in the Southeast US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan Administration Services

NAICS

Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (5412)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employee Benefit & Retirement Plan Trust Services (FSAAANAC), Benefits Administration & Enrollment Support (BPAAAIAB)

Keywords

• Retirement plan administration
• ERISA compliance consulting
• 401(k) administration services
• Plan document services
• Third-party administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakeland

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Plan Administration and Consulting Services: Starbridge Benefits Solutions generates revenue through professional service fees for ERISA retirement plan administration, consulting, plan document services, reporting, and compliance testing. Services are offered on a highly individualized basis, providing only the services each client wants, with fees described as competitive with other plan service providers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Starbridge Benefits Solutions provides personalized, full-service administration and consulting for ERISA-qualified retirement plans offered by employers. The firm delivers plan review and design, IRS-approved plan document drafting and amendments, customizable plan reporting with electronic filing of annual information returns (Form 5500, 1099R), and annual census gathering, contribution allocations, and compliance testing including IRS discrimination, top-heavy, and new comparability (cross-tested) plan testing. It supports 401(k), SIMPLE IRA, SEP, profit sharing, and cash balance defined benefit plans for small and mid-sized businesses, operating as a registered third-party administrator with major national recordkeeping custodians.

Product overview

Starbridge Benefits Solutions offers a unified Plan Administration and Consulting Service for ERISA-qualified retirement plans. The core offering consists of integrated service modules including Plan Review and Design, Plan Document Services, Plan Reporting, and Plan Allocations and Testing. These services support multiple retirement plan types: 401(k) plans, SEP plans, SIMPLE IRA plans, profit sharing plans, and cash balance defined benefit plans. The company operates as a third-party administrator, leveraging affiliations with national recordkeeping custodial firms (Empower, Voya, John Hancock, Alerus Retirement Solutions, and American Funds) to provide comprehensive plan administration. Downloadable compliance resources including plan checklists and IRS publications are also provided to support plan sponsors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plan Administration and Consulting Service Full-service ERISA-qualified retirement plan administration and consulting for plan sponsors, including plan review and design, IRS-approved plan documents, annual reporting with electronic filing (Form 5500, 1099R), contribution allocations, and compliance testing for plans of various types and sizes.
• 401(k) Plans Administration Administration services for 401(k) qualified retirement plans, including annual recordkeeping, compliance testing, and governmental filings, targeted at small and mid-sized business plan sponsors.
• SEP Plans Administration Administration services for Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) retirement plans designed for small businesses and their employees.
• SIMPLE IRA Plans Administration Administration services for SIMPLE IRA retirement plans targeted at small businesses, with associated compliance checklists and small-business guides.
• Profit Sharing Plans Administration Administration services for profit sharing retirement plans, including plan design, compliance testing, and annual reporting for plan sponsors.
• Cash Balance Defined Benefit Plans Administration Design and implementation of cash balance defined benefit plans, a type of hybrid pension plan, with associated administration, documentation, and compliance services.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EmpowercoreTechnology or IntegrationStarbridge Benefits Solutions is registered with Empower as a third-party administrator for retirement plan recordkeeping and custodial services.
• VoyacoreTechnology or IntegrationStarbridge Benefits Solutions is registered with Voya as a third-party administrator for retirement plan recordkeeping and custodial services.
• John HancockcoreTechnology or IntegrationStarbridge Benefits Solutions is registered with John Hancock as a third-party administrator for retirement plan recordkeeping and custodial services.
• Alerus Retirement SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationStarbridge Benefits Solutions is registered with Alerus Retirement Solutions as a third-party administrator for retirement plan recordkeeping and custodial services.
• American FundscoreTechnology or IntegrationStarbridge Benefits Solutions is registered with American Funds as a third-party administrator for retirement plan recordkeeping and custodial services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Principal Financial Group: Large retirement plan provider with dedicated small-business retirement offerings (SEP, SIMPLE, 401(k)) and bundled administration. Competes with Starbridge for the same small-employer plan-sponsor segment and bundles similar services at scale.
• ADP Retirement Services: Retirement arm of ADP providing 401(k) administration, often bundled with payroll for SMB employers. Directly comparable in serving small employers with retirement plan administration, but with technology scale and payroll cross-sell advantages.
• Fidelity Investments (Workplace Investing): National recordkeeper and plan administrator offering 401(k) and other qualified plans to employers of all sizes. Comparable as a full-service retirement plan administrator and a competitor for plan-sponsor mandates Starbridge targets.
• Voya Financial: Major retirement plan provider offering recordkeeping, administration, and investment products to corporate plan sponsors. Registered-TPA relationship with Starbridge parallels the Empower dynamic; Voya also competes directly for plan-administration mandates.
• Ascensus: Largest independent retirement TPA in the U.S., administering 401(k), SEP, SIMPLE, and defined benefit plans for employers of all sizes. Directly comparable as a TPA serving SMB plan sponsors, but at vastly greater scale and with proprietary technology.
• John Hancock Retirement Plan Services: National retirement recordkeeper with a TPA channel serving small and mid-sized plan sponsors. Comparable because Starbridge is registered as a TPA with John Hancock and because John Hancock competes for the same SMB plan-administration work.
• Empower Retirement: National retirement recordkeeper and TPA serving millions of participants across 401(k), 403(b), and defined benefit plans. Starbridge is registered as a TPA with Empower, making Empower both an upstream recordkeeper partner and a scaled competitor for plan sponsors.

Direct peers

• SageView Advisory Group: Mid-market retirement plan advisory and TPA practice providing consulting, plan design, and administration to corporate sponsors. Highly comparable in business model — credentialed, service-led ERISA administration — though at a larger scale.
• Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group: Independent retirement plan administration and consulting firm serving small and mid-sized plan sponsors with 401(k), 403(b), and defined benefit plans. Closest size and model comparable to Starbridge as a credentialed, boutique TPA.

Emerging players

• Ubiquity Retirement + Savings: Tech-enabled 401(k) recordkeeper and TPA serving small businesses with a streamlined digital platform and bundled compliance. Represents the technology-enabled competitive threat that could compress pricing on the SMB plan-administration segment Starbridge serves.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/starbridge-benefits-solutions

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 Starbridge Benefits Solutions