Stay Strong

What Stay Strong does

Stay Strong is a privately held HR consultancy and leadership development firm headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, serving mid-to-large organizations (400 to 4,000+ employees) primarily in the Middle East. The company was founded by Hossam Abdel Qawi (ex-Head of HR at B.TECH in Egypt) and Talal Arkook (ex-Group CHRO at Al-Sakhaa / Al-Nahdi), both of whom hold dense coaching certifications including Gallup Strengths, StandOut, RBL Leadership Code, and Core Strengths.

Its core offering is the proprietary 5A's Formula — a five-pillar framework (Attract, Aspire, Align, Advance, Award) comprising 25 services that span the full employee lifecycle from talent acquisition and employer branding through engagement measurement, performance management, leadership development, and compensation design. Technology is positioned as an enabler rather than a standalone product: the firm deploys assessment instruments (eNPS, Culture Health Score, Psychological Safety Score, Pulse Check surveys), KPI data collection, and an AI-enhancement layer applied across each pillar — including AI-powered candidate screening, engagement chatbots, skill-gap analysis, personalized learning plans, and compensation benchmarking. There is no SaaS platform, mobile app, public API, or marketplace listing; technology serves the consulting engagement rather than functioning as a productized offering.

Stay Strong generates revenue through bespoke professional services contracts, with two primary engagement models: Tailored Consultancy (the flagship long-term partnership using the 5A's Formula) and Leadership Development Coaching (one-on-one and team-based). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based, anchored by a complimentary consultation as the first touchpoint. The go-to-market motion is enterprise and sales-led, with thought-leadership content (blog, LinkedIn, social channels) feeding top-of-funnel awareness and senior co-founder relationships driving regional deal closure. Customer evidence spans healthcare (International Medical Center), government/telecom (CITC), retail/FMCG (Goody, Al-Nahdi, Panda, Basamh), insurance (NN Insurance), manufacturing (Siemens), consulting (CCC), and a training startup (Brainquil).

Name

Stay Strong

Legal name

STAY STRONG

Website

https://stay-strong.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stay Strong is a privately held HR consultancy serving mid-to-large Middle East enterprises (400-4,000+ employees) with bespoke HR strategy and leadership coaching delivered through its proprietary 5A's Formula, covering the full employee lifecycle from talent acquisition to compensation design.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR Consulting and Leadership Development

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH)

Keywords

• HR consulting services
• Leadership development
• Talent management
• Organizational development
• Employee engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Jeddah

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tailored Consultancy (Flagship Service): Stay Strong's primary revenue stream is its bespoke consultancy engagements, in which the company builds a tailored corporate strategy for clients using the 5A's Formula. These are long-term, in-depth engagements typically involving organizations with 400 to 4,000+ employees. Revenue is generated through contracted consulting fees, which are customized to each client's scope and duration.
2. Leadership Development Coaching: A standalone or embedded coaching service offering one-on-one leadership coaching and team-based development programs. Can be sold as part of the broader consultancy package or as a separate engagement, typically targeting senior executives and leadership teams.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stay Strong is an HR consultancy and leadership development firm that helps organizations find, hire, and retain top talent through its proprietary 5A's Formula (Attract, Aspire, Align, Advance, Award) covering employer branding, candidate screening, engagement measurement, performance management, leadership development, and compensation design. It sells two principal engagement models: a long-term Tailored Consultancy for organizations of 400 to 4,000+ employees, and standalone Leadership Development Coaching for executives and leadership teams.

Product overview

Stay Strong is an HR consultancy and leadership development firm offering services through its proprietary 5A's Formula framework. The core offering consists of five interconnected modules—Attract (talent acquisition and employer branding), Aspire (employee engagement and culture measurement), Align (performance management and strategy cascade), Advance (training, development, and leadership growth), and Award (compensation, job evaluation, and pay equity)—each comprising five specific services. The company delivers these through two primary engagement models: Tailored Consultancy (its flagship long-term partnership) and Leadership Development Coaching (individual and team-based coaching). The framework is designed to help organizations find, hire, and retain A-players while building world-class corporate and HR performance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 5A's Formula Framework Stay Strong's proprietary, science-backed HR consultancy framework composed of five pillars (Attract, Aspire, Align, Advance, Award), each encompassing five specific services for a total of 25 distinct offerings covering the full employee lifecycle from recruitment through compensation design. It is the foundational methodology applied across the firm's consulting engagements.
• Tailored Consultancy The flagship consulting engagement in which Stay Strong builds a tailored corporate HR strategy using the 5A's Formula, covering hiring, training, leadership, and culture transformation. It is an in-depth, long-term partnership typically scoped for organizations of 400 to 4,000+ employees.
• Leadership Development Coaching One-on-one and team-based coaching services to develop essential leadership skills based on strengths-based leadership principles (Gallup, StandOut, RBL Leadership Code). Sold standalone or embedded within the broader consultancy package, targeting senior executives and leadership teams.
• Attract Services The Attract pillar offering, comprising five services: Employer Brand (employee-facing branding), Sourcing & Screening (AI-powered candidate screening), Assessment (assigning candidates to right roles), Onboarding (one-day culture embedding), and Workforce Planning (structured planning for current and future roles). Delivered as part of the Tailored Consultancy.
• Aspire Services The Aspire pillar offering, comprising five services: Employee NPS (engagement measurement), Culture Health Score (organizational health measurement), Safety Score (psychological safety measurement), Thematic Analysis (data-driven insights), and Pulse Check (regular short surveys for workforce clarity). Delivered as part of the Tailored Consultancy.
• Align Services The Align pillar offering, comprising five services: Strategy Cascade (corporate-to-departmental goal alignment), People Goals (individual goal alignment), Rating Scale (customized performance measurement), KPI Data Collection (automated tracking and measurement), and Performance Coaching (personalized and team-based leadership training). Delivered as part of the Tailored Consultancy.
• Advance Services The Advance pillar offering, comprising five services: Training Plan (technical, basic, leadership, culture, and management training), Future Skills Map (skills gap identification), Leadership Development (based on Dave Ulrich's Leadership Code), Leadership Health (360-degree leadership assessment), and Behavior-Based Training (neuroscience-backed transformation of training into behavior). Delivered as part of the Tailored Consultancy.
• Award Services The Award pillar offering, comprising five services: Job Scorecards (customized job evaluation tools), Job Evaluation (objective role weighing), Grading Structure (statistically validated pay structure), Salary Benchmarking (industry and marketplace comparison), and Equality (fairness-focused decision formula for compensation). Delivered as part of the Tailored Consultancy.

Quantifiable outcome

• A 17% higher return on investment is reported for organizations that invest in leadership development (Center for Creative Leadership study, cited by Stay Strong).
• +13 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature9 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hay Group (Korn Ferry): Hay Group (now part of Korn Ferry) invented the point-factor job evaluation methodology. Stay Strong's Award pillar (Job Scorecards, Job Evaluation, Grading Structure) replicates comparable methodology for job evaluation, grading, and salary benchmarking at enterprise clients.
• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): CCL is a top-ranked global provider of executive education and leadership development research. Stay Strong cites a CCL study on leadership development ROI and offers comparable senior leadership coaching and development programs.
• FranklinCovey: FranklinCovey is a global leadership development and performance consulting firm offering flagship frameworks, training, and coaching. Stay Strong's 5A's Advance pillar (leadership development, training plans, behavior-based training) competes in the same category with similar enterprise clients.
• Gallup: Gallup is the global leader in strengths-based coaching and employee engagement research. Stay Strong explicitly cites Gallup methodologies and its founder is a Gallup-certified Strengths Coach, making the engagement and survey framework directly comparable.
• Development Dimensions International (DDI): DDI is a global leadership and talent management consultancy specializing in leadership development, selection, and succession. Its enterprise assessment and coaching services directly overlap with Stay Strong's Advance pillar (Leadership Development, Leadership Health, 360 assessments).

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm spanning talent acquisition, leadership development, and rewards/compensation. Stay Strong's 5A's framework (especially the Award pillar with job evaluation, grading, and salary benchmarking) competes in Korn Ferry Hay's traditional job-evaluation and rewards space.
• Aon (Human Capital): Aon's Human Capital practice provides talent, rewards, and organizational performance consulting globally. Its enterprise HR consulting portfolio competes with Stay Strong's full-lifecycle 5A's offering for multinational client mandates.
• Mercer: Mercer is a global HR and talent consulting firm with deep practices in rewards, workforce strategy, and organizational transformation. Its compensation benchmarking and HR transformation offerings directly overlap with Stay Strong's Award and overall 5A's framework.
• Deloitte Human Capital: Deloitte's Human Capital practice offers organization transformation, HR strategy, leadership, and workforce analytics services to large enterprises globally. It represents the scaled consulting incumbent competing for the same Fortune 500 / large-enterprise mandates that Stay Strong targets.
• Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH): LHH is a global talent development and career transition firm offering leadership coaching, talent assessment, and workforce transformation services. Its enterprise leadership and talent offerings directly overlap with Stay Strong's Advance and Align pillars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stay-strong-for-people-solutions

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 Stay Strong