Guided Innovation Group
Guided Innovation Group, LLC is a privately held US consulting and software firm that sells the AcceleTrak Operating System and Pipeline Accelerator Framework to industrial manufacturers of highly engineered products, helping them achieve predictable new product growth through workflow automation, WIP control, and disciplined execution.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersRacine, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Guided Innovation Group does
Guided Innovation Group, LLC is a privately held US consulting and software firm founded circa 2005-2006 and headquartered in Mt Pleasant, Wisconsin, that sells the AcceleTrak Operating System and Pipeline Accelerator Framework to industrial manufacturers of highly engineered products. The firm's core offering combines a proprietary methodology framework — organized around three execution levers (Doing Better Projects, Doing Projects Better, Increasing Resilience) and nine named accelerators — with a workflow software platform that captures product-development data end-to-end and integrates with ERP/CRM systems to provide executive KPI visibility. The AcceleTrak platform includes features such as automated WIP management, critical-chain project planning, a digital thread for pipeline tracking, and the Growth Equation diagnostic. The firm monetizes through custom-priced enterprise transformation engagements, software subscriptions for the AcceleTrak platform, and book sales ('Unlocking Innovation Productivity' and 'Simplifying Innovation'), with a free book and whitepaper funnel used as lead generation for qualified US-based prospects.
The company serves a narrow vertical: senior executives, product leaders, and R&D directors at highly engineered manufacturers facing pipeline chaos, poor on-time delivery, and unpredictable time-to-market. Documented client outcomes include cycle-time reductions of up to 70% (e.g., 36 months to 10 months for a $300M energy equipment manufacturer), on-time delivery rates reaching 95% (at a $10B global manufacturer), and development cost reductions of 25-30%. The firm goes to market through enterprise field sales and inside sales motions, supported by a content-led marketing engine spanning the Pipeline Accelerator blog, a LinkedIn newsletter, contributed articles in Industry Week, CFO Magazine, and Research Technology Management, and a free resource library. The founder, Mike Dalton, is the public face of the business and the principal subject-matter expert, drawing on prior leadership experience at SC Johnson's specialty chemicals division. Headcount is reported at 1-10 and there is no disclosed institutional capital, M&A activity, or geographic office network beyond the Wisconsin headquarters.
Guided Innovation Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Guided Innovation Group
- Legal name
- Guided Innovation Group, LLC
- Website
- https://guidedinnovation.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Guided Innovation Group, LLC is a privately held US consulting and software firm that sells the AcceleTrak Operating System and Pipeline Accelerator Framework to industrial manufacturers of highly engineered products, helping them achieve predictable new product growth through workflow automation, WIP control, and disciplined execution.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Guided Innovation Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- New Product Development Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Innovation, Product & R&D Consulting (BPAHACAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Operations & Process Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAB), Innovation Leadership & Leading Growth (EDABAAAO)
Keywords
Where Guided Innovation Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Racine
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Guided Innovation Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Consulting Services & Framework Implementation: Deep organizational transformation engagements involving the Pipeline Accelerator Framework and AcceleTrak OS implementation. Engagements focus on identifying flow constraints and integrating the framework into daily operations for permanent operational shifts.
- AcceleTrak Software Platform: Operating system subscription or license for pipeline management, automated data capture, and digital thread functionality integrated into product development workflows.
- Book Sales: Sale of 'Unlocking Innovation Productivity' and 'Simplifying Innovation' books. Free copies offered for qualified companies with US company addresses. Audiobook and eBook versions also available.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | One time | Free book offer for qualified B2B prospects |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Guided Innovation Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Guided Innovation Group sells enterprise consulting engagements and the proprietary AcceleTrak Operating System software to help industrial manufacturers of highly engineered products achieve predictable new product growth. Engagements deploy the Pipeline Accelerator Framework—centered on Doing Better Projects, Doing Projects Better and Increasing Resilience—hard-coded into daily operations via AcceleTrak to deliver pipeline visibility, WIP control, and disciplined execution across R&D, product management and cross-functional teams.
Product overview
Guided Innovation Group offers the AcceleTrak Operating System as its core software platform, which is complemented by the Pipeline Accelerator Framework methodology. The system focuses on new product development (NPD) for highly engineered products, providing tools to automate pipeline management, WIP control, and execution tracking. Additional offerings include free resource accelerators (Pipeline Learning Accelerator for After Action Reviews, Pipeline Resource Accelerator for capacity planning), the Growth Equation Framework for innovation throughput diagnostics, Speed-Pass for reducing stage-gate bureaucracy, and the Obstacle Crusher Inventory for risk planning. The product portfolio is designed to help manufacturers achieve predictable new product growth through disciplined execution and workflow automation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AcceleTrak Operating System An innovation operating system that hard-codes high-flow habits into daily operations, automating pipeline management, WIP control, and providing real-time executive visibility into new product development for industrial manufacturers of highly engineered products.
- Pipeline Accelerator Framework A three-lever methodology framework for predictable new product growth—Doing Better Projects, Doing Projects Better, and Increasing Resilience—delivered with nine embedded accelerators (Customer Value Lens Firewall, Unmet Needs Discovery Visits, WIP Control, Synchronized Priorities, Team Huddles, Harmonized Roles & Tasks, Early Warning, Rapid & Robust Planning, Ongoing Improvement) and integrated into the AcceleTrak OS.
- AcceleTrak Consulting & Implementation Engagements Professional services engagements that diagnose pipeline friction, deploy the Pipeline Accelerator Framework, and integrate AcceleTrak into client operations to produce permanent operational shifts in NPD discipline for industrial manufacturers.
- Unlocking Innovation Productivity (book by Mike Dalton) Authored book by Mike Dalton providing a roadmap to predictable new product growth, sold as print, eBook, and audiobook editions across sales and freemium distribution channels.
- Simplifying Innovation (book by Mike Dalton) Companion book by founder Mike Dalton distributed in print, eBook and audiobook formats as part of the firm's thought leadership publishing program.
Quantifiable outcome
- Cycle time reduced by 70% (from 36 months to 10 months) for $300M energy equipment manufacturer
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Guided Innovation Group
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Guided Innovation Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Guided Innovation Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ExepronsupportingExepron is mentioned as the preferred web-based critical chain project management software for AcceleTrak integration. Mike Dalton references it as his favorite tool and a Gartner 2016 Cool Vendor in project management software.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Guided Innovation Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Planview: Planview is a large, established PPM, Lean, and Agile portfolio management platform that competes for the same enterprise R&D/governance budget as AcceleTrak, but as a horizontal player serving many functions beyond innovation.
- Doblin (Deloitte): Deloitte's Doblin practice is a large-scale innovation and strategy consulting arm that competes for the same enterprise transformation budget as Guided Innovation Group, especially for industrial manufacturer clients.
Direct peers
- Sopheon: Sopheon provides enterprise innovation management software (Accolade) for product portfolio and pipeline management at industrial firms, directly overlapping with AcceleTrak's software category and target buyer.
- Brightidea: Brightidea sells innovation management software and program services to enterprises, overlapping with AcceleTrak in the pipeline-visibility and innovation-execution category for industrial and large corporate customers.
- Stage-Gate Inc. The Dr. Robert Cooper-founded firm is the closest direct competitor: it sells Stage-Gate innovation methodology consulting and training to industrial manufacturers, the same buyer segment Guided Innovation Group targets with its Pipeline Accelerator Framework.
Emerging players
- Planbox: Planbox is an AI-powered innovation management platform offering idea management, portfolio execution, and analytics; it competes for the same innovation-PPM wallet share as AcceleTrak among enterprise buyers.
- KaiNexus: KaiNexus provides continuous improvement and execution software focused on operational teams; its emphasis on front-line execution, WIP control, and huddles maps directly to several AcceleTrak accelerators and addresses similar mid-market industrial buyers.
- Wazoku: Wazoku offers idea and innovation management software to enterprises, providing a similar 'front-end of the innovation pipeline' capability to portions of the AcceleTrak suite.
- Atrium (now part of KPMG): Atrium is an innovation consulting firm serving mid-market and enterprise clients with services and analytics for innovation portfolios, overlapping with Guided Innovation Group's transformation consulting offering.
Others
- Exepron: Exepron is a critical-chain project management software vendor explicitly referenced as the 'preferred' tool for AcceleTrak integrations; it is an ecosystem/technology partner rather than direct competitor, but operates in the same execution methodology space.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Guided Innovation Group social profiles
Digital presenceGuided Innovation Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Guided Innovation Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Guided Innovation Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Guided Innovation Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Guided Innovation Group
What does Guided Innovation Group do?
Guided Innovation Group sells enterprise consulting engagements and the proprietary AcceleTrak Operating System software to help industrial manufacturers of highly engineered products achieve predictable new product growth. Engagements deploy the Pipeline Accelerator Framework—centered on Doing Better Projects, Doing Projects Better and Increasing Resilience—hard-coded into daily operations via AcceleTrak to deliver pipeline visibility, WIP control, and disciplined execution across R&D, product management and cross-functional teams.
Is Guided Innovation Group a public or private company?
Guided Innovation Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Guided Innovation Group founded?
Guided Innovation Group was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Guided Innovation Group based?
Guided Innovation Group is headquartered in Racine, United States, in the North America region.
How does Guided Innovation Group make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Consulting Services & Framework Implementation is the primary driver. The others are acceleTrak Software Platform and book Sales.
Who are Guided Innovation Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Planview and Doblin (Deloitte). Direct peers are Sopheon, Brightidea and Stage-Gate Inc.. Emerging players are Planbox, KaiNexus, Wazoku and Atrium (now part of KPMG). Exepron is listed as an others.
Does Guided Innovation Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Guided Innovation Group.
What industry is Guided Innovation Group in?
Guided Innovation Group's product category is New Product Development Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAM, Innovation, Product & R&D Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHACAB, Operations & Process Improvement Consulting. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.