What HPL Consortium does

HPL Consortium, Inc. is a privately held, founder-led company headquartered in Douglassville, Pennsylvania, that is developing CIRWEP (Comprehensive Integrated Resource Web-based Engagement Platform), an end-to-end software platform designed to unify contact management, invitation/campaign management, resource management, web management, event management, and payment management into a single system. The platform targets six horizontal customer segments: independent consultants, non-profit organizations, authors, integrative health providers, grassroots causes, and individuals, with the strategic thesis that fragmented point tools impose meaningful friction on non-technical users. The firm operates a sub-brand, HPL Publications, which provides Amazon KDP-based book publishing services for authors, and maintains a strategic affiliation with the HPL 501c3 Institute, a non-profit that channels platform access to underserved populations at free or nominal cost.

Originally founded in 2001 as ETM Associates, an international boutique consulting firm serving Fortune 500 clients, the company was rebranded to HPL Consortium in 2012 after founder CJ Rhoads redirected focus from enterprise consulting toward mission-driven technology development in health, prosperity, and leadership verticals. Rhoads serves as President and CEO while simultaneously managing HPL 501c3 Institute and serving as Professor at Kutztown University. CIRWEP has been under development in staged components for over a decade, with full integrated beta testing announced for Summer 2024.

The business model combines planned subscription-style platform access fees (free for small non-profits, nominal for larger ones, no public pricing for commercial users), professional services from HPL Publications, and residual legacy consulting. The firm has no external funding rounds, operates with 1-10 employees, and lists 40+ third-party technology integrations spanning CRM (InfusionSoft), payments (PayPal, QuickBooks), publishing (Amazon KDP, Lulu), events (Eventbrite), and communications (Mailchimp, Skype, GoToMeeting). The company is U.S.-based with global distribution limited to Amazon-published books and digital platform access.

Name

HPL Consortium

Legal name

HPL Consortium, Inc.

Website

https://hplconsortium.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HPL Consortium is a founder-led Pennsylvania company developing CIRWEP, an integrated platform unifying contact, invitation, resource, web, event, and payment management, targeting independent consultants, non-profits, authors, health providers, causes, and individuals, with affiliated HPL 501c3 Institute providing non-profit channel access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Douglassville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Publishing Services: HPL Publications provides book publishing services for authors, taking finished Word documents and book covers to publish through Amazon's KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). Services include applying for Library of Congress control numbers. Authors pay a reasonable donation to Pagoda Writers program.
2. Consulting Services: Original focus on helping independent consultants with technology tools and services. ETM Associates (former name) provided boutique consulting specializing in enterprise, technology, and management issues for Fortune 500 clients.
3. Platform Access Fees: CIRWEP platform services for non-profit organizations - free for small non-profits (less than $25,000 in contributions) working toward health, prosperity, and leadership; nominal fee for larger non-profit organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HPL Consortium develops CIRWEP, an integrated end-to-end web platform that combines contact management, invitation/campaign management, resource management, web management, event management, and payment management into a single seamless system for connecting people and groups toward health, prosperity, and leadership. Beyond the platform, the company offers HPL Publications (book publishing assistance via Amazon KDP) and consulting services, and supports affiliated non-profit HPL 501c3 Institute with free or reduced-fee platform access for qualifying small non-profits.

Product overview

HPL Consortium offers CIRWEP as its core integrated technology platform—a modular system that combines Contact Management, Invitation/Campaign Management, Resource Management, Web Management, Event Management, and Payment Management into a unified ecosystem. Supporting the platform are sub-products including HPL Publications (book publishing assistance via print-on-demand and ebook distribution through Amazon), Seek A Leader (expert/facilitator search database), and ClassesAndGroups (workshop/conference discovery). The company also partners with HPL 501c3 Institute, a non-profit that provides platform access to underserved populations. Individual components are available now, with full platform integration (beta) planned for 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CIRWEP: Contact-Invitation-Resource-Web-Event-Payment integrated technology platform for health, prosperity, and leadership.

Products and services

• CIRWEP Platform CIRWEP (Contact, Invitation, Resource, Web, Event, Payment) is the integrated end-to-end technology platform being developed by HPL Consortium that unifies contact management, invitation/campaign management, resource management, web management, event management, and payment management into one seamless system for people and groups seeking to connect toward health, prosperity, and leadership.
• HPL Publications Publishing assistance service that helps authors produce and distribute books via Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), taking finished Word documents and covers, applying for Library of Congress control numbers, and providing print-on-demand and ebook distribution capabilities; authors make a donation to the Pagoda Writers program in exchange.
• Seek A Leader Searchable online database and map-based directory that enables users to find top experts in various topics, including integrative health providers, consultants, and speakers, with geographic search modes (Inside Map, Region, Center + Radius) and topic/subtopic categorization for locating leaders and experts.
• ClassesAndGroups Platform component designed to help users find classes and groups, including workshops and conferences on specific topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• CIRWEP platform beta testing expected to be available Summer 2024

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration52 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor, primary platform and primary.

• HPL 501c3 InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPL Consortium has a strategic partnership with HPL 501c3 Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people and groups connect toward health, prosperity, and leadership. The institute's goal is to ensure underserved populations get help and support. HPL Consortium develops CIRWEP to enable HPL 501c3 Institute members to complete their mission. Small non-profits working toward HPL mission receive CIRWEP platform access for free; larger non-profits pay a nominal fee.
• Pagoda WritersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate non-profit partner of HPL Consortium. HPL Publications was originally created to help members of Pagoda Writers publish their books. Authors pay a reasonable donation to Pagoda Writers in exchange for publishing services through HPL Publications.
• InfusionSoft / OfficeAutoPilotprimary platformTechnology or IntegrationPrimary customer relationship management, email, and e-commerce platform being integrated into CIRWEP for profiles, contact lists, events, products, and services.
• Amazon / Barnes & NobleprimaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFoundation retail sales partners for HPL Publications books and other products. Sync author profile information and product comments.
• PayPalcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment services integration providing ability to accept credit cards or direct payment through email without a merchant account.
• QuickBookscoreTechnology or IntegrationFinancial accounting integration with contact list, product list, and sales/ecommerce synchronization.
• MailchimpcoreTechnology or IntegrationNewsletter and contact list management integration with sync capabilities and newsletter sending functionality.
• KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)primaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary book publishing platform for HPL Publications enabling ebook and print-on-demand distribution through Amazon.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Planning Center: Vertical SaaS for faith-based and community organizations offering people, event, and giving management — overlapping with CIRWEP's community/causes focus on a narrower segment.

Direct peers

• ClubExpress: Club and association management software offering member management, event registration, payment processing, and website tools — a feature-for-feature competitor in the club/non-profit space CIRWEP targets.
• MemberClicks: Association management platform serving small-staff associations and non-profits with integrated member, event, and payment tools. Closely aligned with CIRWEP's contact/event/payment integration thesis.
• Bloomerang: Donor management and non-profit CRM platform with built-in engagement features. Comparable as a competing integrated platform for the same non-profit and cause-based customer base.
• NeonCRM: Non-profit CRM and donor management platform combining contact management, event registration, and payment processing — overlapping directly with CIRWEP's integrated functionality for non-profits.
• Wild Apricot: Membership management and CRM software purpose-built for non-profits, clubs, and associations. Directly comparable to CIRWEP's club/association management features and small non-profit target segment.
• DonorPerfect: Fundraising and donor management software for non-profits with integrated contact and event management. Comparable as a specialized non-profit platform addressing similar integration pain points.

Broad incumbents

• HubSpot: Broad CRM, marketing, and operations platform with contact, event, and payment features that increasingly compete with integrated platforms like CIRWEP. Far larger and well-funded, but does not specialize in the non-profit/community niche.
• Keap (InfusionSoft): Small-business CRM and marketing automation platform serving consultants and solopreneurs — a segment CIRWEP also targets. Broader and better resourced, but not specialized for non-profits.
• Salesforce: Dominant enterprise CRM with Nonprofit Cloud and extensive AppExchange ecosystem addressing contact, event, and payment integration needs of large non-profits. Sets the competitive ceiling for integrated platforms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hplconsortium

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 HPL Consortium