Pinestream Consulting
Unparalleled corporate & business development services for technology industries, focusing on measurably improving clients’ success.

About Pinestream Consulting

Pinestream Consulting Group provides unparalleled corporate & business development services for the high-tech industries. Instead of utilizing a one-size fits all approach, Pinestream uses a results-oriented, process-driven methodology to craft each assignment to the specific requirements of our customers.

Pinestream provides a unique alternative to other advisory options. There is no senior partner “closer” that disappears, delegating assignments to junior personnel. We become deeply embedded within our client organizations, operating as extended members of your team.

Pinestream has performed a wide range of assignments for clients in many sectors of the technology business, demonstrating our unique ability to deliver our results-oriented, process-driven methodology successfully across a wide range of needs and industry sectors.

What makes Pinestream unique?

  • Vast network of C-level relationships throughout the global value chain, including industry insiders and the financial community.
  • Unique combination of inspirational leadership, deep strategic insight and tactical “get-it-done” mentality, coupled with exceptionally strong technology expertise and business and financial acumen.
  • Extreme depth and breadth in a wide range of technology sectors, resulting from 20 years of analyzing thousands of technology companies.

Management

Cliff Hirsch is a technology executive with a 30-year career highlighted by myriad successful sales, marketing, business and corporate development initiatives. He has spent his entire career immersed in technology industries as a consultant, analyst and publisher. He has analyzed thousands of technology companies, is a Limited Partner in several venture capital funds, and is an active advisor in technology arena. Read more/less

Services

Corporate Development

Strategic Planning

With senior management and the Board of Directors, conduct strategic planning sessions to define long-term strategies to sustain growth and profitability.

Sell-Side M&A Advisory

Execute entire sales process through closing to achieve best possible valuation by developing core value proposition, preparing presentation materials, identifying and pursing target companies, creating auction process, and leading due diligence and negotiations.

Buy-Side M&A Advisory

Develop and execute strategic acquisition strategy, defining objectives and acquisition criteria, identifying target companies, pursuing candidates, performing due diligence and executing entire process through closing.

Due Diligence

Assess strategy, financials, technology, operations, sales & marketing, and competitive landscape, recommending strategic options to improve short-term and long-term top-line and bottom-line financials, and maximize shareholder value.

Business Development

Partnership and Ecosystem Program Developmentt

Create and execute partnership and ecosystem strategy by developing value-proposition, presentation material, and prospect list, and engaging with targeted companies.

Product Planning, Competitive analysis & Marketing

Identify, evaluate and recommend new product opportunities, features & requirements based on customer needs, market trends, competitive positioning, and financial analysis.

Sales Strategy, Management, Training & Execution

Develop sales strategy, create and manage sales channels, identify and pursue target customers, create product and training presentations.

Copywriting

Executive commentaries, bylined articles & opinion editorials, thought leadership pieces, brand messaging, white papers, website concept and copy.

Assignments

Corporate Development

Pinestream created and facilitated a long-term strategic planning session for the executive team, resulting in multiple new product initiatives.

“Cliff's facilitation of our long-term strategic planning session helped us explore many application and product areas we may not have thought of. He walked us though a comprehensive universe of future semiconductor applications, resulting in multiple new market and product analysis initiatives.” — Chairman, tier-one semiconductor company

Pinestream developed the value proposition, wrote the investment presentation, developed the target list, contacted numerous companies and drove the entire process, resulting in an LOI, definitive agreement and successful sale of the company.

“Cliff drove a challenging and prolonged M&A process from initial strategic positioning to successful sale of the company, methodically leaving no stone unturned. He did not relent in the face of adversity and succeeded where others would have given up.” — Javier Hernandez, CEO INCIDE, S.A.

Pinestream provided a comprehensive valuation analysis using multiple techniques including discounted cash flow, precedent transactions, and comparable peer analysis. Pinestream's insight into revenue growth projections and opex reduction opportunities coupled with real world sensitivity analysis provided the company with multiple scenarios for optimizing its valuation to maximize shareholder returns.

Pinestream assessed the company strategy, technology & operations, resulting in short- and long-term operations recommendations, as well as strategic and exit options.

“Pinestream's assessment of Nextreme and recommendations were 90% on target. I used the report as my operational guide when I first joined the company as CEO and still refer to it.” — John Goehrke, CEO, Nextreme Thermal Solutions

Pinestream developed the acquisition strategy, identified targets, developed a funnel of several hundred companies, analyzed each company against multi-dimension criteria developed in partnership with client executive management and conducted due diligence, resulting in a short-list of vetted acquisition candidates.

Pinestream created and drove the process to spinout a low margin business unit, resulting in discussions with more than 60 companies.

Business Development

Ongoing. Direct sales to tier-one North American customers. Pivoted company from fragmented IoT market to high volume, high value hearables market. Engaged with the largest tier-one hearables consumers with multiple design wins.

Ongoing. Direct sales to tier-one European and North American customers, resulting in numerous new tier-one engagements and the company's largest BMS IC opportunities to date.

“As an integral member of the ByteLight team, Cliff's strategic approach, deep technical understanding and keen entrepreneurial instincts led him to contribute above and beyond his defined role to tackle any need.

 Developed partner ecosystem, driving high-level engagements with more than 50 companies.
 Managed execution of project for data center with one of the largest computer companies in world.
 Revamped hardware supply chain, reducing cost by 70%.
 Architected next-gen hardware platform, greatly increasing flexibility and eliminating costly rework.

In every undertaking, Cliff brought the high level of knowledge, energy and process expertise that was acutely needed.” — Dan Ryan, CEO, Bytelight, Inc.

Ongoing. Consultative sales to financial, insurance, healthcare and pharma. Focus products include Varonis data audit & protection, Digital Guardian data loss prevention, Forescout, Observable, Vectra, Cyphort and KnowBe4. Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Pinestream wrote the Solid State Lighting business plan, developed the strategy, assessed the market and competitors, identified target accounts, directly pursued European and North American customers, and managed company’s China sales channel. Pinestream repositioned the client’s product line, identified key competitive advantages, and completely changed the sales approach. The result is engagements with the top three global lighting companies, among others.

Pinestream collaborated with client management to strategically strengthen the line card and spent considerable time in Asia assessing the technology requirements of tier-one customers. Pinestream harvested its 15+ years of relationship building and its vast knowledge of the entire component universe to seek out companies that could deliver key technologies, resulting in the addition of one new supplier per quarter, successfully meeting the agreed-upon goal.

Developed product value proposition for new markets, developed sales plan and presentation material, identified and pursued prospects.

Testimonials

Cliff's facilitation of our long-term strategic planning session helped us explore many application and product areas we may not have thought of. He walked us though a comprehensive universe of future semiconductor applications, resulting in multiple new market and product analysis initiatives.

Chairman, tier-one semiconductor company

Pinestream's assessment of Nextreme and recommendations were 90% on target. I used the report as my operational guide when I first joined the company as CEO and still refer to it.

John Goehrke, CEO, Nextreme Thermal Solutions

Cliff's analysis is very timely and insightful, and provides our firm with great market intelligence and a view of industry trends.

DA, President & CEO (publicly traded semiconductor company with $800M revenue)

Cliff is a primary source for identifying deals that we did not see and for finding out what happened to deals that we did see, but chose not to pursue.

DL, Partner (venture fund with 20+ semiconductor investments & $1.9B under management)

Pinestream delivered an A+ effort; they are strategic, out-of-the-box thinkers, and were absolutely the right guys to lead our project.

G.D., CEO (U.S. company with $40M+ invested from 4 VCs, spinning-out $20M China operation)

I hired Cliff to help us understand a new market which we were entering into. In very short amount of time, Cliff injected a lot of well planned out, thoughtful, and helpful data for us to quickly move into a market. Throughout the process, Cliff was very careful to not extend beyond his expertise, nor change his commitment to us, despite rapidly changing business climate. Cliff's intellect, his connections, and his ability to analyze market data is extremely helpful to his clients.

C.C., President & CEO (semiconductor IP startup)

Contact Pinestream

Contact us to arrange a confidential review of your needs or for additional information.