What C.R.O. Partners does

C.R.O. Partners is a privately held boutique consulting firm founded in 2008 and led by Principal Michael Kerans, headquartered in the New York metropolitan area (Westchester County, NY, per area code 914). The firm specializes in helping international digital media and technology companies — historically concentrated in AdTech, programmatic, mobile, and digital video — launch and scale revenue in the US market. Its core deliverable is a structured 9-12 month engagement that develops eight-minute problem/solution/outcome messaging, identifies priority targets, gathers feedback, and closes buy- and sell-side business with referenceable clients.

The firm's underlying "technology" is essentially human-capital-driven: Kerans's senior management background at Paramount Television, Warner Bros. Television, Dish TV, Miva, and Draft FCB, combined with an extensive C-level network across US digital media, is the asset being monetized. No proprietary software, platform, or data product is disclosed. Around the core engagement, C.R.O. Partners bundles adjacent services — legal advisory, recruitment, investment counsel, and M&A/corporate development advisory — delivered as integrated components rather than standalone products.

The business model is straightforward professional services: fees are generated through fixed-scope, time-bound advisory engagements rather than SaaS, licensing, or transaction percentages. Go-to-market is sales-led and network-driven, with content marketing via a company blog used as a top-of-funnel awareness channel. Pricing and engagement rates are not publicly disclosed. The firm claims approximately 70 international digital businesses launched or scaled in the US since 2008, with notable outcomes including Grapeshot's acquisition by Oracle, StickyAds's acquisition by NBC/Comcast, and a $3.3MM funding round attributable to C.R.O.-driven traction.

Name

C.R.O. Partners

Legal name

C.R.O. Partners

Website

https://cro-partners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

C.R.O. Partners is a privately held boutique consulting firm, founded in 2008 and led by Principal Michael Kerans, that helps international digital media and technology companies launch and scale revenue in the US market through 9-12 month market-entry engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG)

Keywords

• US market entry
• Revenue scaling consulting
• International expansion advisory
• Digital media consulting
• Go-to-market strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Advisory and Consulting Services: Professional services revenue from helping international companies launch and scale revenue in the US market. Services include business development, messaging strategy, sales execution, and M&A/corporate development advisory. Additional services include legal, recruitment, and investment counsel.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

C.R.O. Partners is a boutique management consulting firm that helps international digital media and technology companies launch and scale their revenue operations in the US market. Founded in 2008, the firm acts as an outsourced US sales and business development function, building out go-to-market strategies, opening direct and channel sales pipelines, and supporting clients from initial market entry through to scaled revenue. Engagements typically span 9 to 12 months, and the firm has worked with approximately 70 international businesses since inception.

Product overview

C.R.O. Partners is a consulting advisory firm, not a software product company. The company offers a unified consulting service focused on helping international digital media and technology companies launch and scale revenue in the US market. The core offering is a 9-12 month revenue scaling engagement that includes developing messaging, identifying targets, and closing business. Additional services include legal advisory, recruitment, investment counsel, and M&A/corporate development advisory — all delivered as integrated components of the same engagement rather than standalone products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• US Market Entry and Revenue Scaling End-to-end US go-to-market engagement for international digital media and technology companies, functioning as an outsourced US sales and business development arm to launch and scale US revenue over a 9-12 month period.
• Legal Advisory (Partner-Provided)
• Recruitment Services (Partner-Provided)
• Investment Counsel (Partner-Provided)
• M&A Advisory (Partner-Provided)

Quantifiable outcome

• Launched and scaled approximately 70 international digital businesses in the US since 2008
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Pavilion: Membership-based community for sales, marketing, and revenue leaders offering benchmarking, courses, and GTM advisory. Comparable to C.R.O. Partners in target buyer (senior revenue executives at tech companies) and in monetizing senior network access, but operates a community model rather than bespoke engagements.
• Velocity Global: Global expansion platform supporting international companies entering new markets through Employer of Record, payroll, and immigration services. Comparable to C.R.O. Partners as an infrastructure partner for companies expanding into the US, though Velocity Global is more productized around HR/compliance than go-to-market execution.
• Globalization Partners: Global Employer of Record platform that helps companies hire and build teams in new countries without setting up entities. Comparable to C.R.O. Partners as an enabling service for international companies entering the US market, though its specialization is HR/compliance rather than revenue scaling.
• Deel: Global HR and payroll platform enabling companies to hire, onboard, and pay international employees and contractors compliantly. Comparable to C.R.O. Partners as a service commonly used by international companies entering the US, though Deel operates a tech/SaaS model rather than bespoke advisory.
• Sales Assembly: Membership community and training/consulting platform for B2B sales and marketing leaders at growth-stage tech companies. Comparable to C.R.O. Partners in that it serves the same buyer persona (CROs and senior revenue leaders) and monetizes senior-expert access, although delivery is community-based rather than per-engagement.
• Pace Dimensions: Boutique revenue and go-to-market consultancy focused on helping technology companies scale sales operations and pipeline generation. Comparable to C.R.O. Partners in that it sells senior-led, fractional CRO/sales execution services to tech companies, although its focus is broader than US market entry for international firms.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company: Global management consulting firm providing strategy, operations, and corporate development advisory across industries including technology and media. Comparable to C.R.O. Partners in delivering strategic advisory for tech/media market entry and growth, but with a far broader portfolio and institutional scale.
• Bain & Company: Global management consulting firm with a strategy and corporate development practice serving technology, media, and digital clients. Comparable to C.R.O. Partners in offering strategy and corporate development advisory for tech/digital media firms, but at vastly larger scale, broader scope, and higher price points.

Direct peers

• Force Management: Sales methodology and revenue performance consulting firm serving B2B technology and enterprise clients. Comparable to C.R.O. Partners in that it delivers senior-led, methodology-driven sales consulting with measurable client outcomes, though Force Management is more productized around its ForceValue/ForceMatrix frameworks.
• RAIN Group: Sales training and consulting firm helping B2B sales teams improve pipeline generation, win rates, and account development. Comparable to C.R.O. Partners as a senior-led B2B sales performance consultancy, though RAIN Group focuses on capability building rather than direct go-to-market execution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/c-r-o-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 C.R.O. Partners