What orson does

Orson is a Paris-headquartered CEO advisory firm founded in 2021 by Patrick Ropert and Mouna Sepehri that positions itself as the first global strategy and communication advisory firm leveraging artificial intelligence. It operates through a senior-led model — four experienced executives serve as trusted sparring partners for CEOs and senior business leaders navigating growth, transformation, reputation and crisis, and AI adoption. The firm addresses the full stakeholder spectrum including suppliers, clients, media, and financial markets, and also serves corporate affairs, communications, and technology/innovation leaders within client organizations.

The firm's core products are AI-augmented rather than purely AI-native. Three proprietary offerings anchor the technology stack: Make Sense of AI, an annual analysis and forecasting tool built on AIC's deal flow of over 700 AI startups and enriched by contributions from AI researchers, leading technology funds, and experienced entrepreneurs; AI Mindset, an executive education program delivered to executive committees; and AI Do It Yourself, an advisory offering for scoping and executing internal AI projects. Complementary service lines cover growth acceleration, reputation building, and technology advisory. The underlying AI capability is augmented intelligence over a curated data layer, not in-house model development, and the firm holds no patents or disclosed research output.

Orson is privately held as SAS ORSON, a French Société par Actions Simplifiée with €10,000 in share capital, registered in Paris under RCS 899 405 195. No external funding rounds, investors, or subsidiaries are disclosed. The firm operates from three offices — Paris (37 avenue des Champs-Élysées), San Francisco (595 Pacific Ave), and Singapore (One International Finance Centre) — and generates revenue through bespoke, multi-year advisory engagements on a quote-based model. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is exclusively direct and senior-led, with no channel, reseller, or self-serve mechanism. Thought leadership, distributed via Project Syndicate (500+ media outlets in 150+ countries) and regular columns in L'Opinion and Les Echos, functions as the primary top-of-funnel demand generation channel.

Name

orson

Legal name

SAS ORSON

Website

https://orson.ai

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Orson is a Paris-headquartered, senior-led CEO advisory firm founded in 2021 that combines four executive partners with AI-augmented intelligence to advise enterprise leaders on growth, transformation, reputation, and AI adoption across three global offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive / Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise Architecture & IT Operating Model (BPAHAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regulatory Readiness & Audit Automation (e.g., EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001) (HDAAAMAE)

Keywords

• CEO advisory services
• Strategic communication consulting
• AI transformation advisory
• Executive education programs
• Crisis management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Advisory Services: Senior-led strategic and communication advisory engagements for CEOs and business leaders. Services cover growth acceleration, reputation and crisis management, and technology/AI integration. Revenue is generated through bespoke consulting engagements with enterprise clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Orson is a senior-led, AI-augmented CEO advisory firm providing bespoke strategic and communication advisory services to CEOs and business executives. The firm combines human executive expertise with proprietary AI tools (Make Sense of AI, AI Mindset, AI Do It Yourself) to address growth, transformation, reputation, crisis, and AI adoption challenges across stakeholder groups including suppliers, clients, media, and financial markets.

Product overview

Orson is a CEO advisory firm that offers a portfolio of AI-centric consulting services comprising three core proprietary offerings: Make Sense of AI (an advanced AI analysis and forecasting tool), AI Mindset (an executive education program), and AI Do It Yourself (organizational AI consulting). These are complemented by strategic advisory services in growth acceleration, reputation building, and technology advisory. The firm positions itself as the first global strategy and communication advisory firm that leverages artificial intelligence for companies' success.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Make Sense of AI Annual AI analysis and forecasting tool that leverages proprietary datasets enriched by contributions from AI researchers, leading technology funds, and experienced sector entrepreneurs. Identifies emerging AI technologies capable of accelerating value creation, based on exclusive in-depth analysis of AIC's yearly deal flow of over 700 AI startups.
• AI Mindset Executive education program designed and delivered by Orson, aimed at elevating AI understanding within executive committees and training teams in the latest innovations transforming their fields. Mobilizes high-level AI experts.
• AI Do It Yourself Advisory offering designed to guide organizations in scoping and delivering AI projects. Identifies use cases most likely to benefit from technological transformation and provides strategic accompaniment to teams to transmit best practices and ensure optimal deployment.
• Growth Acceleration Advisory services for identifying new business partners, strategic acquisitions, market entry strategies, IPO preparation, M&A support, and operations diversification to help executives seize opportunities and develop revenues.
• Reputation Building Bespoke communication strategies tailored to each company's business, societal objectives, and audiences, integrating media relations, institutional relations, social dialogue, internal communication, financial communication, and shareholder relations.
• Technology Advisory Bespoke advice on AI-based innovations and applications leveraging a global network of AI experts, entrepreneurs, and specialized investors. Services include AI integration, operational performance, collective creativity, technology roadmap, technology culture, and change acceleration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Analysis of over 700 AI startups annually through the Make Sense of AI tool, identifying transformative opportunities for client organizations

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• AIC (Artificial Intelligence Quartermester)coreTechnology or IntegrationAIQ (Artificial Intelligence Quartermester) advises companies and institutions on the adoption and development of tailored AI applications for all stakeholders. Orson partners with AIC to enrich its AI intelligence layer and provide clients with cutting-edge AI insights.
• Human Technology FoundationsupportingTechnology or IntegrationThe Human Technology Foundation is a research and action network that develops digital ethics solutions to contribute to the development of an inclusive, human-centered society. Orson collaborates with HTF on AI ethics dimensions of its advisory work.
• La Place StratégiquesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Place Stratégique is an accelerator focused on supporting high-potential companies, particularly in the defense and security sectors. Orson works with this partner to provide strategic counsel in sensitive sectors.
• visionnAIressupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisionnAIres is a think-and-action circle bringing together French women executives to anticipate major technological innovations and identify the most promising startups, diagnosing their real transformation potential. Orson collaborates with visionnAIres on AI ecosystem intelligence.
• Project SyndicatecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerProject Syndicate is a non-profit international media organization that distributes original analyses from the world's leading economists, intellectuals, political leaders, and innovators to a network of over 500 media outlets in more than 150 countries. Orson's thought leadership is disseminated through this partnership, providing global reach for its strategic insights.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Teneo: Teneo is a global CEO advisory firm offering strategic communications, consulting, and financial advisory services to senior executives. It is the most direct large-scale peer to Orson, sharing the CEO-advisory framed model but with significantly greater scale.
• Kekst CNC: Kekst CNC is a global strategic communications consultancy advising CEOs on M&A, crisis, corporate reputation, and investor relations. It is a direct peer to Orson in the strategic communications advisory category, with a comparable boutique senior-counselor model.
• Headland Consultancy: Headland is a strategic communications consultancy advising corporate clients on reputation, issues, and crisis management. It is a direct peer to Orson in the strategic communications advisory category, with a comparable boutique senior-led model.
• Abernathy MacGregor: Abernathy MacGregor is a strategic communications advisor to senior executives on M&A, shareholder activity, crisis, and corporate communications. It is a direct peer to Orson in the senior-led CEO advisory model, particularly in financial communications.
• Gladstone Place Partners: Gladstone Place Partners is a strategic advisory firm specializing in corporate reputation, crisis, financial communications, and shareholder activism advice for CEOs and boards. It is a direct peer to Orson in boutique CEO advisory, with a similar senior-led model.

Broad incumbents

• Brunswick Group: Brunswick is a global strategic communications advisory firm serving C-suite clients on reputation, M&A, crisis, and stakeholder engagement. It is a broad incumbent that competes with Orson on strategic communications mandates but at significantly larger scale.
• FGS Global: FGS Global (formed by the merger of Finsbury, Glover Park Group, and Hering Schuppener) is a global strategic communications and advisory firm serving CEOs and boards. It is a broader incumbent offering the same CEO advisory framing as Orson across a deeper bench of senior counselors.
• The DGA Group: The DGA Group (formed by the merger of Albright Stonebridge Group and other firms) is a global strategic advisory firm serving clients on geopolitical, communications, and business strategy. It is a broader incumbent peer to Orson with overlapping CEO advisory and strategic communications positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/orsonai
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orson-ai

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 orson