What Growthink does

Growthink is a privately held, founder-owned business consulting and advisory firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, founded in 1999 by Jay Turo (CEO) and Dave Lavinsky (President), both MBA graduates of the UCLA Anderson School of Management. The firm operates through three integrated business units: Growthink Advisory (strategic consulting), Growthink Capital (a wholly-owned FINRA/SIPC broker-dealer investment bank), and GT Investment Management (a wholly-owned Registered Investment Advisor). Its core service offerings include business and strategic planning, exit strategy advisory, capital raising, M&A advisory, market research, financial modeling, healthcare advisory, private equity operational advisory, innovation strategy, and impact advisory. The firm's documented track record includes over 5,000 business plans written, over 250 businesses sold with aggregate value exceeding $3 billion, and advisory support to over one million entrepreneurs.

The company's product portfolio spans downloadable business plan templates (free PDF/Word versions plus the premium "Ultimate Business Plan Template" with 100,000+ buyers), 300+ free business plan examples covering 200+ industries, and PlanPros.ai, an AI-powered business plan generator launched in 2025. Revenue is generated through professional services fees (consultative advisory and investment banking engagements), managed services (AUM-based wealth management fees through GT Investment Management), and one-time product licenses (template sales via Growthink.com and PlanPros.ai). Pricing for advisory services is quote-based and engagement-scoped rather than publicly disclosed.

Growthink employs between 11 and 50 people across six offices (Los Angeles, El Segundo, Westlake Village, San Francisco, Bend/Oregon, and London). Its go-to-market is consultative and content-led, leveraging an extensive SEO-optimized content library, the "Entrepreneur Unscripted" podcast, webinars, email newsletters, and social media distribution. The firm has been recognized for four consecutive years (through 2026) by Forbes and Statista as one of America's Best Management Consulting Firms, with media coverage extending to over 500 outlets including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fast Company, Fortune, and TechCrunch.

Name

Growthink

Legal name

Growthink Inc.

Website

https://growthink.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Growthink is a founder-owned consulting firm founded in 1999 that delivers strategic advisory, investment banking, and wealth management services through three wholly-owned subsidiaries to emerging and middle-market companies and entrepreneurs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Strategic Advisory Services: Growthink Advisory develops strategies, research, plans and innovations to help businesses and organizations grow and succeed. Services include business and strategic planning, AI consulting, exit planning, private equity operational advisory, healthcare advisory, innovation strategy, financial modeling, market research, and impact advisory.
2. Investment Banking (Growthink Capital): Through wholly owned FINRA/SIPC broker-dealer investment bank Growthink Capital, the company raises capital and advises on M&A transactions and stakeholder liquidity events for emerging and middle market companies. Services include business sale, capital raising, and acquisition advisory. The team has worked on hundreds of transactions with aggregate size over $3 billion.
3. Asset and Wealth Management (GT Investment Management): GT Investment Management LLC, a wholly owned Registered Investment Advisor (FINRA CRD# 325619), provides wealth management services to businesses, individuals and families with a focus on entrepreneurs who have created wealth by starting and/or growing their businesses.
4. Business Plan Template Products: The company offers free business plan templates (PDF and Word) as well as premium products including the Ultimate Business Plan Template. Dave Lavinsky also launched PlanPros.ai as an AI-powered business plan generator.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Growthink is a business consulting and advisory firm that delivers strategic planning, business plan writing, market research, financial modeling, exit strategy, AI consulting, and innovation advisory services to entrepreneurs and middle-market companies through Growthink Advisory. Through its wholly owned subsidiary Growthink Capital (a FINRA/SIPC broker-dealer), it provides investment banking services including M&A advisory, capital raising, and business sale transactions. Through GT Investment Management (a wholly owned RIA), it provides asset and wealth management to entrepreneurs, individuals, and families. Additionally, Growthink sells the Ultimate Business Plan Template and operates PlanPros.ai, an AI-powered business plan generator.

Product overview

Growthink is a business consulting and advisory firm offering a portfolio of services and products. The company operates three main divisions: Growthink Advisory (strategic consulting services), Growthink Capital (FINRA/SIPC broker-dealer investment bank), and GT Investment Management (Registered Investment Advisor). The product portfolio includes the Ultimate Business Plan Template (world's #1 business plan template), PlanPros.ai (AI-powered business plan generator), and over 300 free business plan examples across 200+ industry-specific templates. Services include strategic advisory, exit strategy planning, AI consulting, financial modeling, market research, healthcare advisory, private equity advisory, innovation strategy, and impact advisory. Growthink also provides investment banking services for capital raising, M&A transactions, and business sales through Growthink Capital, and wealth management through GT Investment Management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ultimate Business Plan Template The world's #1 business plan template, available as PDF and Word. Features 10 essential sections (executive summary, company overview, industry analysis, customer analysis, competitive analysis, marketing plan, operations plan, management team, financial plan, appendix), step-by-step instructions, investor-ready structure, expert-approved format built on 25+ years of real-world success, and a customizable financial model. Used by over 500,000 entrepreneurs, sold with a 4.9-star rating.
• PlanPros.ai AI-powered business plan generator that uses generative AI to automatically create comprehensive business plans including executive summaries, company descriptions, industry analysis, customer analysis, competitive analysis, marketing plans, operations plans, management team descriptions, and financial plans with projections, plus a customizable financial model. Launched by Growthink co-founder Dave Lavinsky and available via planpros.ai.
• Strategic Advisory Services (Growthink Advisory) Management consulting and strategic advisory services delivered by Growthink Advisory to develop strategies, research, plans, and innovations that help businesses and organizations grow. Includes business and strategic planning, AI consulting, exit planning, private equity operational advisory, healthcare advisory, innovation strategy, financial modeling, market research, and impact advisory.
• Investment Banking Services (Growthink Capital) Wholly owned FINRA/SIPC broker-dealer investment banking services for emerging and middle-market companies, covering selling businesses, acquiring businesses, and raising capital. The team has executed hundreds of transactions with aggregate size of over $3 billion.
• Wealth Management Services (GT Investment Management) Asset and wealth management services provided by GT Investment Management LLC, a wholly owned Registered Investment Advisor (FINRA CRD# 325619), focused on entrepreneurs, individuals, and families who have built wealth through starting and/or growing businesses.
• Exit Strategy Planning Exit strategy consulting services that help business owners maximize their business sale value through business valuation, exit planning, and succession planning. Backed by Growthink's track record of selling over 250 businesses for over $3 billion in total value.
• AI Consulting Services AI consulting practice that helps businesses assess needs and objectives, determine the most suitable AI solutions for growth and profitability goals, and implement those solutions across marketing, customer service, finance, accounting, and sales functions.
• Financial Modeling Services Financial modeling services developing thousands of financial pro-forma and projection models for organizations of all sizes, including early-stage companies, middle-market enterprises, and Fortune 500 businesses.
• Market Research Services Market research services providing businesses with the insights needed to make informed, data-driven decisions about target markets, competitors, and industry trends for new business launches or market expansions.
• Healthcare Advisory Practice Healthcare advisory specialty practice catalyzing growth and innovation for businesses and organizations across the healthcare ecosystem, serving both healthcare institutions and emerging health-tech startups.
• Private Equity Operational Advisory Operational advisory for private equity teams and portfolio company leaders that blends strategic advisory insight with hands-on experience to accelerate growth, improve performance, and prepare businesses for successful exits across the investment lifecycle.
• Innovation Strategy Services Innovation strategy services that work with businesses to develop innovation strategies by analyzing best practices of leading companies and identifying areas needing re-engineering and rejuvenation.
• Impact Advisory Impact advisory specialty practice serving companies and organizations worldwide seeking strategies that support their mission, drive growth, and maximize organizational reach and impact.
• 300+ Free Business Plan Examples Collection of over 300 free business plan examples across numerous industries and sectors, provided as a free resource to help entrepreneurs create comprehensive, professional plans.
• Industry-Specific Business Plan Templates Collection of industry-specific business plan templates covering 200+ industries, including 3D printing, advertising agency, bakery, cannabis, construction, ecommerce, food truck, healthcare, hotel, manufacturing, nonprofit, real estate, restaurant, SaaS, trucking, and many more.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 growth and exit strategy business plans written
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Growthink CapitalcoreOthersGrowthink Capital is a wholly owned FINRA/SIPC broker-dealer investment bank subsidiary of Growthink. It executes business sale, capital raising, and acquisition transactions for emerging and middle market companies. The team has worked on hundreds of transactions with aggregate size of over $3 billion.
• GT Investment Management LLCcoreOthersGT Investment Management LLC (FINRA CRD# 325619) is Growthink's wholly owned Registered Investment Advisor subsidiary providing wealth management services to businesses, individuals and families with a focus on entrepreneurs who have created wealth by starting and/or growing their businesses.
• PlanPros.aiminorOthersPlanPros.ai is an AI-powered business plan generator launched by Dave Lavinsky, co-founder of Growthink. It has been called the best AI business plan generator.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• LivePlan (Palo Alto Software): Business planning software platform serving entrepreneurs and small businesses, competing directly with Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template and broader template product line.
• West Monroe Partners: Management and technology consulting firm serving middle-market companies across industries, comparable to Growthink Advisory's strategic, operational, and PE operational advisory practices.
• Bessemer Trust: Wealth management firm focused on ultra-high-net-worth families and entrepreneurs, comparable to GT Investment Management's RIA practice targeting entrepreneurs who have built and exited businesses.
• Brown Gibbons Lang & Co. Middle-market investment bank providing sell-side, buy-side, and capital-raising advisory, closely mirroring Growthink Capital's transaction-led model for emerging and middle-market companies.
• Generational Equity: Middle-market M&A advisory firm specializing in business sales, acquisitions, and capital raises for emerging and middle-market companies, directly comparable to Growthink Capital's broker-dealer practice in scope and target client.

Emerging players

• Upmetrics: AI-enabled business planning software for entrepreneurs and SMBs, an emerging direct competitor to Growthink's PlanPros.ai with overlap on automated business-plan generation and financial modeling.

Broad incumbents

• Bain & Company: Top-tier global management consulting firm, a broader incumbent that competes with Growthink Advisory for strategy and exit-planning mandates from growth and mid-market companies.
• FTI Consulting: Global business advisory firm offering corporate finance, strategic communications, and consulting services, a broader-scale incumbent that competes with Growthink Advisory and Growthink Capital on complex mandates.
• Kroll: Financial advisory firm providing corporate finance, restructuring, and business consulting for middle-market and enterprise clients, overlapping with Growthink Advisory and Growthink Capital across advisory and capital-markets activities.
• Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank with a leading middle-market M&A and capital-markets franchise, comparable to Growthink Capital as a larger, scaled peer serving the same emerging and middle-market deal profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/growthink
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/growthink
• Facebookfacebook.com/growthink
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/growthink

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Growthink