What Smadja & Smadja does

Smadja & Smadja is a privately held, family-owned strategic advisory firm founded in June 2001 by Claude Smadja, the former Managing Director of the World Economic Forum (1995-2001). The firm works with global corporations and government entities on macroeconomic, geopolitical, and globalization-related decision-making, delivering on-call strategic analyses, briefings, corporate seminars, scenario planning exercises, and region-specific advisory mandates. Its core technology is human expertise — trend identification, network orchestration, and curated content — packaged into bespoke advisory engagements rather than software products.

The firm monetizes through two intertwined streams: (i) professional services advisory retainers tailored to corporate and government clients at quote-based pricing, and (ii) event platforms of content, including long-running international conferences and summits such as India Global Innovation Connect (5th edition, New Delhi 2026), Roundtable Japan (21st edition, Tokyo 2026, capped at 180 delegates), the Indonesia Economic Summit (Jakarta 2026), the Shenzhen Global Marine Economy Forum (mandated by Shenzhen Municipal Government since 2019), the Mexico Business Summit (~800 participants annually since 2003), and Agora for next-generation entrepreneurs. A separate event sponsorship line generates recurring revenue through branded alignment with these platforms.

The firm operates from dual headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, and New York, with a core team of 1-10 employees supplemented by an international pool of associates. It has no external institutional funding, no disclosed revenue, and no AI/technology product layer — its value proposition rests on the founder's brand, twenty-plus years of relationship capital, and the durability of its proprietary event formats. Yaël Smadja has led the US subsidiary since 2003 and serves as CEO, while Claude Smadja remains Chairman.

Name

Smadja & Smadja

Legal name

Smadja & Associates Inc. Strategic Advisory

Website

https://smadja.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smadja & Smadja is a family-owned strategic advisory firm, founded in 2001 by former World Economic Forum Managing Director Claude Smadja, serving global corporations and government entities with geopolitical analysis, scenario planning, and proprietary international event platforms across North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Management Consulting

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Meetings, Events & Group Travel Strategy (SMMP) (THACAMAE)

Keywords

• Strategic advisory services
• International business summits
• Geopolitical trend analysis
• Scenario planning consulting
• Executive networking forums

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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

Revenue model

1. Strategic Advisory Services: The firm provides strategic analyses, briefings, corporate seminars, scenario planning exercises, and consulting services to global corporations and government entities. Services are customized to client needs and include on-call sessions, trend analysis reports, and networking support.
2. International Events: The firm creates and organizes international high-profile conferences, summits, roundtables, and workshops. Events range from small private closed-door roundtables to large high-profile conferences. Revenue is generated through event participation fees, sponsorship, and branded partnerships.
3. Event Sponsorship: Individual event sponsorship opportunities for platforms along with bespoke options and exclusivities. Sponsors can align their brand with innovative trends, technologies, and access to influential decision-makers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Smadja & Smadja is a strategic advisory firm delivering on-call flash analyses, executive briefings, scenario-planning exercises, region-specific globalization advisory, and the creation of international advisory boards to multinational corporations and government entities. It complements these services by conceiving, producing, and managing international "platforms of content" — recurring high-profile conferences, summits, and workshops — as well as customized online corporate consultations.

Product overview

Smadja & Smadja is a strategic advisory firm offering a portfolio of interconnected services centered on geopolitical analysis, trend forecasting, and international networking. The core offering consists of strategic analyses, scenario planning exercises, and region-specific advisory services, all designed to help clients navigate globalization. The firm also creates 'platforms of content' — international high-profile conferences and events including India Global Innovation Connect, Roundtable Japan, Indonesia Economic Summit, Shenzhen Global Marine Economy Forum, Mexico Business Summit, and Agora. A recent addition is Online Corporate Consultations, which delivers the firm's advisory expertise through virtual seminar formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Analyses, Briefings and Corporate Seminars On-call sessions providing flash analysis on macroeconomic, business, and geopolitical developments, delivered as briefings and corporate seminars to help top management evaluate new risks and opportunities. Intended for C-suite and senior leadership of global corporations and government entities.
• Scenario Planning Exercises & Corporate Alterness Programming Outcome-oriented, condensed brainstorming exercises designed to maximize management time and evaluate how emerging global trends affect geopolitical and macroeconomic developments. Targeted at senior leadership of multinational corporations and government entities.
• Networking Support & Creation of International Advisory Boards Leverages the firm's global network among business leaders, public personalities, and academic experts to deliver networking support and create/manage high-level International Advisory Boards for corporations and government entities.
• Region-Related & Globalization Strategies Advisory Services Advisory services grounded in in-depth regional knowledge, focused on shaping, developing, and implementing strategies for creating or expanding corporate operations in specific countries.
• International Events Platform End-to-end creation and production of international conferences and summits, from small private roundtables to high-profile events, including concept development, program content, speaker invitations, and on-site management.
• India Global Innovation Connect (IGIC) Two-day annual meeting fostering and promoting technological innovation in India, addressing disruptive technology policies and creating interaction between technology developers and business end-users.
• Roundtable Japan (RTJ) Annual brainstorming platform on key issues shaping Japan's future, bringing together policy-making, business, and academic elites, with an intentional attendance limit of 180 delegates.
• Indonesia Economic Summit (IES) Annual flagship economic forum convening international and national policymakers, global thinkers, industry champions, and business leaders, organized around Indonesia's trajectory toward the world's fourth-largest economy by 2045.
• Shenzhen Global Marine Economy Forum Forum focusing on Blue Economy development, organized for the Shenzhen Municipal Government and hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources of China.
• Mexico Business Summit Premier annual business event in Mexico convening top political leaders and corporate elites, drawing approximately 800 participants annually.
• Agora Two-day annual event for new-generation entrepreneurs to discuss economic, business, technology, and geopolitical trends and to create new business opportunities.
• Online Corporate Consultations Customized online seminars and brainstorms providing top executives with strategic insights tailored to their needs, expert access through interactive video conferences, and executive summaries.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Forma CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Partnership established in 2005 with Forma Corporation for the creation and co-organization of Roundtable Japan, an annual brainstorming platform on key issues shaping Japan's future, bringing together Japan's policy making, business and academic elites.
• Indonesia Business Council (IBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Indonesia Business Council (IBC) for the Indonesia Economic Summit, an annual flagship economic forum organized as Indonesia moves to become the world's fourth largest economy by 2045.
• Shenzhen Municipal GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMandated by Shenzhen Municipal Government since 2019 to organize and manage the Shenzhen Global Marine Economy Forum, hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources of China and Shenzhen Municipal People's Government.
• China Committee for Automotive ExhibitionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with China Committee for Automotive Exhibitions for the Global Automotive Forum, providing an innovative and authoritative approach to discussing issues shaping the future of the automotive industry worldwide.
• Miguel Alemán VelascomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated Mexico Business Summit in 2003 for former Governor of Veracruz, which has become the premier business event in Mexico over 19 years, attracting approximately 800 participants annually.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Eurasia Group: Eurasia Group provides geopolitical risk advisory and analysis to global corporations and investors. It is a direct peer because it serves the same buyer (global corporate strategy and government affairs leaders) with the same type of high-level geopolitical and macroeconomic advisory product Smadja & Smadja offers.
• Kissinger Associates: Kissinger Associates is a strategic advisory firm serving global corporations and government entities. It is comparable to Smadja & Smadja because both monetize senior founder networks to provide high-level strategic and geopolitical advisory on a bespoke, engagement-based model.
• The Conference Board: The Conference Board produces business research, organizes executive conferences, and convenes senior leaders on economic and strategic issues. It directly overlaps with Smadja & Smadja's combination of strategic insight content and high-profile international event platforms targeted at global corporate executives.
• Milken Institute: The Milken Institute operates global conferences and policy research focused on economic and financial issues, engaging corporate executives, policymakers, and investors. It is comparable because both organizations combine thought-leadership content with flagship international event platforms targeting senior decision-makers.
• Atlantic Council: The Atlantic Council is a think tank that produces geopolitical analysis and convenes senior business and government leaders through international forums. It overlaps directly with Smadja & Smadja's mix of geopolitical advisory, trend analysis, and high-profile international event production.
• APCO Worldwide: APCO Worldwide provides strategic communications, public affairs, and advisory services to global corporations and governments. It is comparable because it serves the same multinational and government buyer set with overlapping geopolitical advisory, scenario planning, and international engagement offerings.

Broad incumbents

• World Economic Forum: The World Economic Forum organizes the premier annual international strategic gathering (Davos) and operates broader strategic platforms. It is comparable because Smadja's founder came from WEF and the two organizations operate in the same high-level international strategy forum space, though WEF is vastly larger and serves a broader stakeholder base.
• McKinsey & Company: McKinsey is a global management consulting firm serving large multinational corporations on strategy and operations. It is comparable as a broad incumbent in the strategic advisory market Smadja & Smadja serves, though McKinsey operates at vastly greater scale across many practice areas beyond geopolitics.
• Bain & Company: Bain & Company is a global management consulting firm serving large multinationals on corporate strategy and transformation. It is a broad incumbent in the same strategic advisory buyer category but offers a much broader service portfolio than Smadja & Smadja's specialized geopolitical/trend offering.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG): BCG is a global management consulting firm that serves multinational corporations on corporate strategy and transformation. It is a broad incumbent competing in the same global-corporate strategic advisory market, though it operates at far greater scale across many more practice areas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/claudesmadja

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Smadja & Smadja