What True West LLC does

True West LLC is a Denver, Colorado-based consulting firm founded in 2023 by Nancy Harry and Kari Thiessen that provides operational support to independent Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) and private fund managers. The company delivers an integrated suite of services covering RIA and private fund compliance, legal support, IT operations and cybersecurity, and outsourced finance (bookkeeping through fractional CFO), targeting advisors from startup through established firms. Revenue is generated through professional services engagements, managed IT services, and tiered fractional-finance subscriptions; pricing is largely custom with quote-based billing.

The firm's core technology asset is Herdware, a proprietary advisor operating platform positioned as a single source of truth that links compliance, legal, IT operations/data governance, and finance into a unified dashboard. Herdware currently ships an Essentials tier free through the annual ADV filing season as part of its beta, with a paid Managed tier (including IT infrastructure monitoring, cybersecurity alerts, fractional CIO support, and priority support) listed as Coming Soon. The platform integrates third-party partners Go West IT (managed IT), Greenboard (AI-powered compliance archiving), and Advisor Armor (NIST-based cybersecurity), with planned integrations to HubSpot, QuickBooks, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365. Herdware modules on the roadmap include Operational Intelligence (Q4 2026) for real-time risk scoring and an alert dashboard, and a Strategic Growth module for advisor onboarding and acquisition-integration workflow automation.

True West is a privately held LLC, bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, and certified as a Women's Business Enterprise by the WBENC. The team is led by founders with over 20 years of financial-industry compliance experience, complemented by a former SEC senior examiner with 10+ years at the SEC across broker-dealer, RIA, and Enforcement divisions, a 33-year General Counsel (Hugh Simpson), and operators with backgrounds at Goldman Sachs, LPL Financial, and Fidelity Investments. Go-to-market is sales-led via direct consultation bookings, supported by a content blog and email newsletter, with partner referrals from Go West IT, Greenboard, and Advisor Armor feeding the funnel.

Name

True West LLC

Legal name

True West LLC

Website

https://truewest-consulting.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

True West LLC is a Denver-based consulting firm and Herdware technology provider delivering integrated compliance, legal, IT, and finance operations support exclusively to independent Registered Investment Advisers and private fund managers across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Compliance Consulting Services: Comprehensive compliance consulting services including RIA compliance, private fund compliance, regulatory filings, policy development, compliance audits, and training programs for registered investment advisory firms.
2. Herdware Technology Platform: Proprietary advisor operating technology offered as SaaS with tiered pricing. Essentials tier is free through ADV season, then quote-based pricing. Managed tier offers dedicated support with custom pricing.
3. IT Operations & Governance: SEC-compliant secure IT operations and governance services including cybersecurity, network design, cloud solutions, data encryption, endpoint protection, and ongoing threat monitoring through Go West IT partnership.
4. Finance Services: Outsourced finance and accounting services including bookkeeping, KPI reporting, controller oversight, and fractional CFO services at tiered levels (Core, Growth, Fractional CFO).
5. Legal Support Services: Legal consultation and representation services including RIA entity setup, general counsel services, contract review, and legal representation in SEC audits and disputes through partner network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

True West LLC provides integrated compliance, legal, IT operations/governance, and finance services to independent Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) and private fund managers. The firm wraps these consulting services around Herdware, its proprietary advisor operating technology platform that serves as a unified command post linking every system and process into a single interface. Service modules include RIA Compliance (Base, Advisory, and Operational Support tiers), Private Fund Compliance, Legal Support, Finance Support (Core Bookkeeping, Growth Finance, Fractional CFO), and IT Operations & Governance, plus Herdware SaaS offered via Essentials (free during ADV season beta) and Managed tiers.

Product overview

True West LLC operates as a unified operations platform for independent Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs), combining consulting services with Herdware, its proprietary advisor technology. The core product is Herdware, a centralized command post that links compliance, legal, IT operations/data governance, and finance into a single source of truth. Herdware is offered in two tiers: Essentials (free through ADV season beta) and Managed (Coming Soon with custom pricing). Supporting the platform are service modules covering RIA Compliance (Base, Advisory, and Operational tiers), Private Fund Compliance, Legal Support, Finance Support Services, and IT Operations & Governance. The product portfolio also includes strategic partnerships with Greenboard (AI-powered compliance archiving), Advisor Armor (NIST-based cybersecurity), and Go West IT (managed IT services). Upcoming modules include Operational Intelligence (Q4 2026) and Strategic Growth with expanded integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Herdware: Proprietary advisor operating technology platform that links compliance, legal, IT operations/data governance, and finance into a unified view for RIA firms.

Products and services

• Herdware Platform Proprietary centralized advisor technology platform serving as the single source of truth for RIA firms, linking compliance, legal, IT operations/data governance, and finance into a unified view to streamline operations and support firm scalability.
• RIA Compliance Services Comprehensive compliance services for Registered Investment Advisers across three tiers: Base Support (essential IAR filings and document maintenance), Advisory Support (enhanced consulting with SEC exam support), and Operational Support (program management, cybersecurity monitoring, and 13F filing).
• Private Fund Compliance Private fund compliance programs including registrations (full registration or exempt reporting adviser), compliance manual development, compliance calendars, regulatory filings (Form PF and Rule 13F), marketing rule compliance, regulatory exam management, and annual reviews for investment advisers managing private funds.
• Legal Support Services Legal consultation and representation for RIAs including entity setup, general counsel services (contract review, dispute advising), general business consulting, and legal representation in SEC audits and disclosure requirements.
• IT Operations & Governance Services SEC-compliant secure IT operations and governance services including written cybersecurity policies, incident response plans, disaster recovery strategies, secure network design, cloud solutions, data encryption, endpoint protection, penetration testing, vulnerability scans, and continuous compliance audits for RIA firms.
• Finance Support Services Integrated, audit-ready financial management for RIAs offered at three tiers: Core Bookkeeping (monthly reconciliations, RIA-specific chart of accounts, advisory fee tracking), Growth Finance (KPI reporting, controller oversight, quarterly strategy call), and Fractional CFO (cash flow forecasting, partner comp and valuation modeling, capital and budget planning).

Quantifiable outcome

• Condenses 60-day client onboarding cycle into 15-day automated process
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Go West ITcoreTechnology or IntegrationGo West IT is the security-obsessed Managed Service Provider providing IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, Microsoft cloud solutions, backup and disaster recovery. They power True West's IT Operations & Governance services with proactive support and continuous learning approach.
• GreenboardcoreTechnology or IntegrationGreenboard provides SEC-compliant compliance solutions including archiving and review of emails, social media, and texting; marketing review and approval; and trade error reports. Their AI technology reduces flagged email volume for review and is integrated into Herdware platform.
• Advisor ArmorcoreTechnology or IntegrationAdvisor Armor provides cybersecurity and IT governance platform with phishing simulations, vendor due diligence, endpoint protection, and centralized dashboard built on NIST frameworks. Integrated into Herdware for cybersecurity compliance program, testing, and documentation.
• Legal Partners NetworkcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrue West partners with attorneys assisting with legal challenges from new firm setup to legal representation. Services include RIA entity setup, general counsel services, contract review, and legal representation in SEC audits, disclosure requirements, disputes, and expungement requests.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ACA Compliance Group: Large-scale provider of governance, risk, and compliance services to the financial services industry. Wider portfolio and larger scale than True West, but overlapping RIA compliance, cybersecurity, and technology offerings, including ACA's RegTech platforms.
• Smarsh: Communications archiving and supervision platform widely used by financial firms. Plays a parallel role to Greenboard within True West's ecosystem, addressing compliance archiving, marketing review, and supervision for RIAs and broker-dealers.

Direct peers

• Cipperman Compliance Services: Specialist compliance consulting firm for investment advisers and private funds. Compares directly to True West's compliance services practice, working with the same RIA and private fund manager clients on SEC examinations and ongoing compliance.
• Focus 1 Associates: RIA compliance consulting firm offering outsourced compliance, registration, and examination support. Comparable in scale and service offering to True West's RIA Compliance practice, with a similar startup-to-established RIA client base.
• National Regulatory Services (NRS): Long-established RIA and broker-dealer compliance consulting firm. Directly comparable to True West's RIA Compliance and Private Fund Compliance services, with overlapping focus on regulatory filings, compliance manuals, and SEC exam support.
• RIA in a Box: Compliance software and consulting firm purpose-built for RIAs. Closest direct competitor: True West combines compliance consulting with Herdware, while RIA in a Box offers a similar compliance-software-plus-services bundle for the same RIA customer base.

Emerging players

• Smartria: Compliance software platform designed for RIAs. Direct overlap with Herdware's compliance and ADV automation capabilities, focused on the same independent RIA customer segment.
• ComplySci: Compliance and regulatory technology platform for the financial services industry. Adjacent to Herdware's compliance and risk-scoring modules, with overlapping targets in personal trading, gifts and entertainment, and code of ethics administration.
• Red Oak Compliance: Compliance review and surveillance software specifically for investment advisers. Comparable to the Greenboard-powered compliance review and marketing approval functionality embedded in Herdware, targeting the same RIA buyer.

Others

• AdvisorCheck: RIA data and due diligence platform. Not a direct competitor, but a complementary tool that RIAs and their service providers (including True West) may use for advisor verification, Form ADV research, and vendor due diligence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/truewest-consulting

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 True West LLC