Penumbra Group
Penumbra Group is a boutique EQ-focused consulting firm founded in 1998 that delivers executive coaching, leadership workshops, keynote speaking, and psychometric assessments to enterprise and mid-market clients across industries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersAzusa, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Penumbra Group does
Penumbra Group Inc. is a boutique talent management consulting firm founded in 1998 and headquartered in Mesa, Arizona. The firm specializes in Emotional Intelligence (EQ)-based leadership development, executive coaching, psychometric assessments, and workshop facilitation. It is led by Principal/CEO Jen Shirkani alongside a small core team of approximately four individuals, including Senior Consultants Steve Friedlein and Angela Bearor and Executive Administrator Jane Mata.
The company's core offerings consist of: (1) half-day and full-day interactive EQ workshops (e.g., Ego vs. EQ, Leading with Emotional Intelligence, SheQ, Building Trust, The Case for Conflict, Leveraging the Power of EQ, How to Build Resilience Using EQ, Interviewing and Hiring for EQ, Changing Minds for Changing Times, Advanced Communication Strategies); (2) one-on-one and group executive coaching engagements structured around in-person sessions every four weeks, live behavioral observation, stakeholder interviews, and telephonic/email support; (3) on-demand webinars sold individually or to groups at a discount; (4) keynote speaking delivered primarily by Jen Shirkani; (5) published books including "Ego vs. EQ" and "Choose Resilience"; (6) sale of third-party-validated psychometric assessment reports (EQi 2.0 Workplace/Leadership, EQ 360°, DiSC, ESCI, MBTI, Social Style, Change Style Indicator, Hardiness Resilience Gauge, Entrepreneurial Edge) through a Square online storefront; and (7) proprietary frameworks including the MOST resilience model and the eight Ego Traps diagnostic. The firm does not operate a software platform; its intellectual property is centered on workshop curricula, coaching methodologies, and facilitation approaches built around licensed, externally validated EQ assessment tools.
Penumbra Group operates a pure professional services revenue model with five streams: coaching engagements (per-program pricing), workshops (per-session pricing), webinars (individual or group pricing with discounts), keynote speaking fees, and unit-priced assessment reports/books. Distribution is direct-to-enterprise through Jen Shirkani's personal network, public profile, media presence (Bloomberg Businessweek, Inc.com, Fast Company, Business Insider), conference speaking, books, and content marketing. The firm claims a worldwide client base spanning Fortune 50 companies to family-owned businesses, with named logos including Mayo Clinic, Charles Schwab, Dell, Microsoft Federal, General Motors, Molson Coors, Nationwide Insurance, AICPA, and Broadcom, alongside government contractors and SMBs. The firm is privately held, founder-owned, and shows no external institutional investors, parent companies, or capital raises in the available data.
Penumbra Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Penumbra Group
- Legal name
- Penumbra Group Inc.
- Website
- https://penumbra.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Penumbra Group is a boutique EQ-focused consulting firm founded in 1998 that delivers executive coaching, leadership workshops, keynote speaking, and psychometric assessments to enterprise and mid-market clients across industries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Penumbra Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Management Consulting Services
- NAICS
- Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- People Analytics, Assessment & Psychometrics Consulting (BPAHAGAH), Team & Group Executive Coaching (Leadership Teams) (EDABANAF)
Keywords
Where Penumbra Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Azusa
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Penumbra Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Professional Coaching Services: One-on-one and group executive coaching engagements, typically delivered over multi-month programs with regular in-person sessions, telephonic/email support, behavioral observation, and stakeholder interviews. Revenue is generated on a per-engagement or per-program basis.
- Training Workshops: Half-day and full-day interactive Emotional Intelligence and leadership workshops delivered to organizational groups. Workshops cover topics including Ego vs. EQ, Leading with Emotional Intelligence, SheQ, Building Trust, The Case for Conflict, Leveraging the Power of EQ, How to Build Resilience Using EQ, Interviewing and Hiring for EQ, Changing Minds for Changing Times, and Advanced Communication Strategies.
- Webinars: Live, interactive webinars offered to individuals and groups on emotional intelligence topics including Understanding Communication Styles, Changing Minds for Changing Times, Interviewing and Hiring for EQ, The EQ Solution for Driving Engagement, How to Build Resilience Using EQ, The Case for Conflict, SheQ, and Building Trust and Gaining Respect. Group discounts are available.
- Psychometric Assessments: Sale of assessment instruments and reports including EQi 2.0 Workplace Report, MHS EQ 360°, DiSC, The Entrepreneurial Edge (Intrapreneur Report), ESCI Leadership Report, EQi 2.0 Leadership Report, Social Style, MBTI, Change Style Indicator, and Hardiness Resilience Gauge. Assessments are sold individually through the company's online store.
- Keynote Speaking: Jen Shirkani serves as a keynote speaker at national and state conferences, universities, government agencies, and business organizations around the world, generating speaking fee revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Assessment Reports (EQi 2.0, DiSC, MBTI, etc.) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Penumbra Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Penumbra Group is a boutique talent management consulting firm that delivers emotional intelligence (EQ) workshops, executive and leadership coaching, psychometric assessments, webinars, and keynote speaking to enterprise and mid-market organizations. Its offerings are built around proprietary EQ frameworks (MOST resilience model, eight ego traps framework) and certified use of leading psychometric instruments, helping clients develop leaders, improve team performance, and enhance hiring decisions.
Product overview
Penumbra Group is a talent management consulting practice specializing in emotional intelligence training, coaching, and assessment services. Their core offerings include Emotional Intelligence Workshops (such as EGO vs EQ, Leading with Emotional Intelligence, SheQ, Building Trust and Gaining Respect, The Case for Conflict, Leveraging the Power of EQ, How to Build Resilience Using EQ, Interviewing and Hiring for EQ, Changing Minds for Changing Times, and Advanced Communication Strategies), Leadership Coaching, and a comprehensive suite of Assessment Tools (EQi 2.0 Workplace Report, EQ 360°, DiSC, Entrepreneurial Edge, ESCI, EQi 2.0 Leadership, Social Style, MBTI, Change Style Indicator, and Hardiness Resilience Gauge). They also offer Webinars, Keynotes, and published books (Ego vs. EQ and Choose Resilience). The company was formed in 1998 and serves clients worldwide from their Mesa, Arizona location.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- The US Air Force invested less than $10,000 for Emotional Intelligence assessment and saved $2,760,000 in recruitment (referenced as a documented case study in EQ FAQs)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Penumbra Group
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Penumbra Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Penumbra Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- MindscalingminorPenumbra Group partners with Mindscaling to offer the 'Raising Resiliency' complimentary course, a video series led by Jen Shirkani. This is a content co-distribution partnership that extends Penumbra's educational reach through Mindscaling's platform.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights4 records
Penumbra Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- BetterUp: Tech-enabled executive coaching platform combining human coaches with AI-driven personalization. Comparable to Penumbra in delivering one-on-one leadership and EQ coaching, but differentiates through a scalable digital platform model rather than boutique human delivery.
Broad incumbents
- MHS (Multi-Health Systems): Publisher of the EQ-i 2.0 and EQ 360 assessments that Penumbra Group administers and sells. Overlaps as an assessment-tool vendor but operates at greater scale as the publisher of the underlying psychometric instruments.
- Korn Ferry: Major global organizational consulting firm offering executive search, leadership development, and talent assessment services. Overlaps with Penumbra in the leadership coaching and psychometric assessment segment but serves a much larger enterprise client base with a broader portfolio of services.
- Wiley (Everything DiSC / PXT Select): Publisher of DiSC and other psychometric assessments that Penumbra Group administers. Comparable as a provider of foundational assessment instruments used in leadership development and selection contexts, with a much broader publishing portfolio.
- FranklinCovey: Global leadership and organizational performance firm best known for 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.' Directly comparable to Penumbra Group in delivering executive coaching, leadership development workshops, and behavioral assessments to enterprise clients, but operates at substantially greater scale with an established content franchise.
Direct peers
- TalentSmartEQ: EQ training and coaching firm associated with the bestselling 'Emotional Intelligence 2.0' book. Highly comparable to Penumbra in specializing exclusively in emotional intelligence assessments, training, and coaching for corporate clients, with a strong author-driven brand.
- Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Nonprofit leadership development provider offering executive education, coaching, and assessment programs globally. Comparable to Penumbra in its emphasis on leadership coaching and behavior-based development, with a much larger research footprint and program catalog.
- The Ken Blanchard Companies: Leadership training and consulting firm built around 'The One Minute Manager' franchise. Comparable to Penumbra in delivering leadership and management workshops, coaching, and assessments to enterprise and mid-market clients through a content-driven, consultant-led model.
- DDI (Development Dimensions International): Specialist leadership development and assessment firm offering leadership pipelines, behavioral interviewing, and executive coaching. Comparable to Penumbra in focusing on evidence-based leadership selection and development tools, including proprietary assessment methodologies, at enterprise scale.
- CoachSource: Enterprise coaching firm providing executive and leadership coaching services to corporate clients. Comparable to Penumbra in offering curated executive coaching engagements to enterprise buyers, but operates with a larger roster of credentialed coaches and a managed-services model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Penumbra Group social profiles
Digital presencePenumbra Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Penumbra Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Penumbra Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Penumbra 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 Penumbra Group
What does Penumbra Group do?
Penumbra Group is a boutique talent management consulting firm that delivers emotional intelligence (EQ) workshops, executive and leadership coaching, psychometric assessments, webinars, and keynote speaking to enterprise and mid-market organizations. Its offerings are built around proprietary EQ frameworks (MOST resilience model, eight ego traps framework) and certified use of leading psychometric instruments, helping clients develop leaders, improve team performance, and enhance hiring decisions.
Is Penumbra Group a public or private company?
Penumbra Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Penumbra Group founded?
Penumbra Group was founded in 1998. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Penumbra Group based?
Penumbra Group is headquartered in Azusa, United States, in the North America region.
How does Penumbra Group make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Professional Coaching Services are the primary driver. The others are training Workshops, webinars, psychometric Assessments and keynote Speaking.
Who are Penumbra Group's main competitors?
BetterUp is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are MHS (Multi-Health Systems), Korn Ferry, Wiley (Everything DiSC / PXT Select) and FranklinCovey. Direct peers are TalentSmartEQ, Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), The Ken Blanchard Companies, DDI (Development Dimensions International) and CoachSource.
Does Penumbra Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Penumbra Group.
What industry is Penumbra Group in?
Penumbra Group's product category is Management Consulting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAJAH, Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture), with a secondary code of BPAHAGAH, People Analytics, Assessment & Psychometrics Consulting. Its NAICS code is 541618 and its SIC code is 8742.