Hc Global
HC Global is a Tokyo-based consulting firm founded in 2015 by UCLA Anderson MBA Sam Haldeman, providing MBA admissions consulting and global business communication training to Japanese applicants and corporations through high-touch, capacity-capped professional services delivered in person or via video conference.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersMinato, Japan
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Hc Global does
HC Global is a Tokyo-based professional services firm founded in July 2015 by Sam Haldeman, a UCLA Anderson MBA graduate (Class of 2015) who serves as the sole head consultant. The company operates two service lines: MBA admissions consulting for Japanese applicants targeting top global business schools, and Global Business Training for Japanese corporations. The MBA side offers tiered packages including Unlimited Hours engagements (3-school at 800,000 yen, 7-school at 1,250,000 yen, and a premium "No MBA, No LIFE" two-season package at 2,000,000 yen), 10/20/30-hour pay-as-you-go packs at 26,000–32,000 yen per hour, hourly counseling at 32,000 yen per hour, and Pre-MBA Case Discussion Training at 120,000 yen. The corporate side delivers seven modular programs — B.Comm, Teleconference and Meetings, Effective Email, Positive-Outcome Negotiations, Persuasive Presentations, Business Cases and Creative Problem-Solving, and Intercultural Communication Success — customized per client.
There is no proprietary technology platform, app, API, or AI component; the offering is delivered entirely through Sam's personal consulting labor, in person at the Tokyo headquarters (Shibaura Island Bloom Tower) or via Skype/Zoom. The firm deliberately caps concurrent MBA clients at 15 even during peak season to preserve service quality, and touts sub-24-hour response times and sub-48-hour document turnaround as differentiators.
The go-to-market is founder-led direct sales with a word-of-mouth referral engine powered by published testimonials of admits to HBS, Stanford GSB/MSx, MIT Sloan, LBS, Yale SOM, UCLA Anderson, Chicago Booth, INSEAD, Kellogg, Columbia, HEC Paris, Dartmouth Tuck, Michigan Ross, Carnegie Mellon Tepper, and USC Marshall — including outcomes with GMATs well below school averages and scholarships up to $110,000. A free 45-minute trial consultation functions as the primary conversion mechanism. HC Global is privately held, founder-owned, has no external funding, no parent company, and no disclosed subsidiaries.
Hc Global firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hc Global
- Legal name
- HC Global
- Website
- https://hcg-japan.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- HC Global is a Tokyo-based consulting firm founded in 2015 by UCLA Anderson MBA Sam Haldeman, providing MBA admissions consulting and global business communication training to Japanese applicants and corporations through high-touch, capacity-capped professional services delivered in person or via video conference.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hc Global industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Consulting Services
- NAICS
- Other Management Consulting Services (541618)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Overseas Secondary School Admissions Consulting & Application Support (EDAIAHAE)
Keywords
Where Hc Global is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minato
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hc Global business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- MBA Application Consulting: One-time and subscription-based consulting services for MBA applicants, including essay review, interview preparation, resume building, and application strategy. Packages range from hourly consulting to unlimited hours plans covering multiple schools.
- Corporate Global Business Training: Customized business English and communication skills training for Japanese corporations, delivered through workshops and coaching sessions tailored to client needs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Unlimited Hours Package (3 schools) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Three-Legged Race Discount (7 schools) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | No MBA, No LIFE (Unlimited hours, unlimited schools, two seasons) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 10 Hour Pack |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 20 Hour Pack |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 30 Hour Pack |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 1 Hour Counseling |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Pre-MBA Case Discussion Training |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Hc Global product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HC Global is a Tokyo-based boutique consulting firm founded in 2015 by Sam Haldeman, a UCLA Anderson MBA graduate. The company provides MBA admissions consulting services (including essay review, application strategy, and interview preparation) to individual applicants, and delivers customized corporate global business training (covering English presentations, negotiations, teleconferences, and email writing) to Japanese corporations.
Product overview
HC Global is an MBA consulting and global business training company offering two core service lines: (1) MBA Essay/Interview Preparation services featuring Unlimited Hours Packages (3-school and 7-school options), Hourly Consulting Packs (10/20/30 hours), and Pre-MBA Case Discussion Training; and (2) Global Business Training featuring seven specialized training modules including B.Comm, Teleconference and Meetings, Effective Email, Positive-Outcome Negotiations, Persuasive Presentations, Business Cases and Creative Problem-Solving, and Intercultural Communication Success. The company was founded in July 2015 by Sam Haldeman, a UCLA Anderson MBA graduate.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- MBA Essay and Interview Preparation One-on-one consulting service helping prospective MBA applicants craft competitive applications through essay review, school selection strategy, and interview preparation. Targeted at Japanese professionals applying to top global business schools.
- English Interview Preparation Coaching service focused specifically on English-language interview performance, including content structuring, delivery, and confidence-building for MBA and professional interview contexts.
- Pre-MBA Case Discussion Training Standalone training program that prepares prospective MBA students for case-style discussions encountered in MBA classrooms and admissions interviews, delivered as a three-case, three-Zoom-session engagement.
- Global Business Training (Corporate) Customized corporate training for Japanese companies covering English business communication skills, including presentations, teleconferences, negotiations, email writing, and cross-cultural business etiquette. Designed for employees who need to operate effectively in English-speaking business contexts.
Quantifiable outcome
- Clients admitted to top MBA programs despite GMAT scores 30-140 points below school averages
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Hc Global
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Hc Global technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Hc Global partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hc Global competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GLOBIS Corporation: Japan-based business education provider offering MBA programs, corporate training, and executive education — comparable in serving Japanese professionals with business skills training and corporate L&D offerings.
- MBA Prep School: Personalized MBA admissions consulting and tutoring service offering school selection, essay editing, and interview prep — directly comparable applicant-facing consulting service.
- Manhattan Prep: Test prep and admissions consulting provider covering GMAT, GRE, and MBA applications with a global instructor network — comparable in offering MBA applicants prep plus admissions support services.
- Stratus Admissions Counseling: Boutique MBA admissions counseling firm with team-based consultants serving applicants to top business schools — directly comparable boutique MBA admissions consulting model.
- Stacy Blackman Consulting: One of the largest MBA admissions consulting firms globally, offering essay editing, interview prep, and application strategy across top business schools — directly comparable service offering to HC Global's MBA consulting line.
- Accepted.com: Long-running MBA and graduate school admissions consultancy providing essay editing, interview coaching, and application strategy — overlaps directly with HC Global's core admissions service line.
Emerging players
- Enlighten Executive Coaching Japan: Japan-focused executive coaching and corporate communication firm serving Japanese multinational clients — emerging comparable in delivering customized business communication and leadership training to Japanese corporate clients.
- ApplicantLab: Tech-enabled MBA admissions platform combining AI-driven school matching with human coaching — emerging comparable in the MBA admissions space, though differentiated by partial automation vs. HC Global's pure bespoke model.
Regional players
- PrepAdviser: Admissions consulting platform operating primarily in non-US markets with GMAT/GRE prep and admissions support — comparable consulting model targeting international applicants, though serving different geographies than Japan.
Broad incumbents
- Berlitz Japan: Global language and corporate communication training incumbent with strong Japan presence — comparable in delivering business English and communication training to Japanese corporate clients, though at much larger scale and broader scope.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hc Global social profiles
Digital presenceHc Global financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hc Global leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hc Global funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hc Global 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 Hc Global
What does Hc Global do?
HC Global is a Tokyo-based boutique consulting firm founded in 2015 by Sam Haldeman, a UCLA Anderson MBA graduate. The company provides MBA admissions consulting services (including essay review, application strategy, and interview preparation) to individual applicants, and delivers customized corporate global business training (covering English presentations, negotiations, teleconferences, and email writing) to Japanese corporations.
Is Hc Global a public or private company?
Hc Global is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Hc Global founded?
Hc Global was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hc Global based?
Hc Global is headquartered in Minato, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Hc Global make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. MBA Application Consulting is the primary driver. The others are corporate Global Business Training.
Who are Hc Global's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GLOBIS Corporation, MBA Prep School, Manhattan Prep, Stratus Admissions Counseling, Stacy Blackman Consulting and Accepted.com. Emerging players are Enlighten Executive Coaching Japan and ApplicantLab. PrepAdviser is listed as a regional player. Berlitz Japan is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Hc Global have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hc Global.
What industry is Hc Global in?
Hc Global's product category is Education Consulting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAIAHAE, Overseas Secondary School Admissions Consulting & Application Support. Its NAICS code is 541618 and its SIC code is 8742.