Traditional strategy consulting is broken. We’re doing things differently.
After years in consulting, we saw firsthand how far the industry is from delivering real change. Many firms claim to drive transformation, yet they remain stuck in the past, recycling frameworks and methodologies that fall short of delivering on client needs. We saw this gap as an opportunity and launched COMPANYMEN—ironically named to reflect our approach.
At COMPANYMEN, we believe leaders don’t need yes-men; they need sparring partners. We pride ourselves on being scrappy, bold, and ready to tackle complexity head-on. We understand that markets are dynamic, and companies must constantly adapt to stay competitive. With fresh thinking, analytical rigor, and creative solutions, we’re redefining what it means to help organizations thrive in today’s ever-changing landscape.
Our founding team
Viktoria Wang, Partner
I spent the first decade of my career designing skyscrapers and large, mixed-use urban developments throughout North America, Asia, and the Middle East. I came to see the built environment not only as systems of forms, functions, and movements, but also as the manifestations of political, social, and financial forces at play. Drawn to these complex and shifting dynamics, I traded architectural models and blueprints for strategic frameworks and playbooks. Post business school, I led a wide range of research and strategy programs for Fortune 500 companies and startups, collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams across diverse sectors. My specialization included zero-to-one products, multi-lens competitive insights, and customer experience strategies that span digital/physical products, services, and brands. While my career as an innovation consultant has been both stimulating and fulfilling, I could no longer ignore the structural disconnect between creative endeavors and tangible business outcomes. To bridge this gap, Patricia and I founded Companymen to define and drive strategies that are both visionary and pragmatic, transformative and tactical, abstracted and measurable. It’s not enough to just deliver the brief, our aim is to empower our client partners with the insights, capabilities, and profit formula to thrive in the long run. I studied architecture at Cornell University and earned my Master of Business Administration from UT Austin. A partial list of clients I’ve worked with include Sam's Club, Siriusxm, Southwest Airlines, DXC Technology, CLEAR, Yogi Tea, Kyndryl, Northwestern Mutual, City of Austin, and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. In my free time, I can be found hoisting heavy weights and nerding out about functional fitness, incentive design, and productivity improvements in construction.
Patricia Hart, Partner
I've always been drawn to spaces where meaningful change is needed, especially when the path forward is uncertain or complex. This drive led me to Washington, D.C., where I worked at advocacy groups and think tanks focused on expanding voting rights and reducing wealth inequality in the United States. It was fulfilling work, but often felt too distant from actual impact. After seeing one too many white papers disappear into the ether, I craved something faster, more direct. After business school, I joined a Big Four consulting firm, developing new business models in the public sector—everything from value-based healthcare to expanding rural internet access. But I quickly realized that for large firms, the focus often wasn’t on the end user or meaningful outcomes. Instead, it was more about keeping specific stakeholders satisfied and selling new services. Later, at an innovation and design firm, I encountered the opposite challenge. The focus was entirely on the end user, and we generated bold, transformative ideas. I worked on projects like advancing electric vehicle ecosystems, bringing decarbonization software to market, and shaping the future of connected technologies. But the firm's methods and processes were too slow, too abstract, and often too expensive to be practical for most clients. That’s why Viktoria and I launched COMPANYMEN. We’re here to strike the balance—combining creative, innovative thinking with grounded, practical solutions that deliver results. It’s about more than just ideas; it’s about impact. I’ve worked with clients like General Electric, AT&T, T-Mobile, Audi, Toyota, TJMaxx, JSX, American University, Rice University, Dell Medical School, the State of Texas, and the Territory of Puerto Rico.
Reasons to partner with us
Markets don’t stand still, and neither do we. With 30+ years of combined cross disciplinary experience in research, strategy, and design, we've honed our skills across a multitude of sectors—from retail and energy to tech, aviation, and consumer goods. This multifaceted tapestry of experience allows us to apply diverse perspectives and lenses to help you navigate an increasingly unpredictable future. We don't just think outside the box; we remove the box entirely to deliver truly differentiated solutions that advance your competitive advantage.
What This Means for You:
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Innovative Thinking: Benefit from creative strategies that break the mold of conventional industry approaches.
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Adaptive Strategies: Leverage insights from various sectors to anticipate and respond to market shifts.
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Competitive Edge: Stand out with solutions that are as unique as they are effective.
Innovative Solutions Rooted in Cross-Industry Experience
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In a world where change is the only constant, you need more than just a consultant—you need a partner. Our engagements aren't just transactions and brief-bound, they’re relationships built on trust and shared goals. Unlike traditional consultancies that may hand over a deliverable or a roadmap and move on, we immerse ourselves in your world. Our focus isn't just on serving the immediate sponsor but on uplifting the entire organization. By building your internal capabilities, we ensure you can execute visions, capitalize on opportunities, and achieve long-term success without perpetual external reliance.
What This Means for You:
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Sustainable Growth: Gain the tools and knowledge to continue thriving long after our engagement ends.
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Empowered Teams: Your staff becomes more competent and confident, reducing future dependency on external consultants.
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Organizational Alignment: We work to align all stakeholders, ensuring that strategies are embraced company-wide.
We Enable, Not Just Advise
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We refuse to be confined by traditional approaches to problem-solving. Whether it's leveraging market analytics, harnessing AI, or tapping into the latest consumer trends, we ensure our strategies are as dynamic and adaptable as the environment you're operating in. By combining analytical rigor with creative solutions, we aim to modernize "tried-and-true" methodologies, evolve old textbook frameworks, while continually integrating cutting-edge tools into our workflows. Our innovative and holistic approaches allow us to extract deeper insights and identify opportunities that others might miss.
What This Means for You:
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Deeper Insights: Uncover hidden opportunities through advanced analytics and creative exploration.
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Flexible Solutions: Adapt strategies and approaches quickly in response to new data or market conditions.
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Future-Proofing: Stay ahead of trends by embracing technologies that drive innovation.
Modern Problem-Solving for a Rapidly Changing World
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Consider us your strategic SWAT team. We combine the competencies of larger firms with the agility, responsiveness, and flexibility of a boutique consultancy. Leveraging emerging technologies and our partner ecosystem, we deliver highly personalized, market-ready solutions with speed and precision. With our streamlined approach and lower overheads, we provide top-tier expertise at a fraction of the cost, ensuring you receive maximum value for your investment.
What This Means for You:
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Cost Savings: Receive high-quality consulting without the hefty price tag of traditional firms.
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Faster Delivery: Accelerate your project timelines without sacrificing quality.
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Tailored Solutions: Get strategies specifically designed to meet your unique needs and objectives.
Big Impact Without the Big Overhead
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Your trust is invaluable to us, and we honor it by being fully transparent and candid. Our process often reveals underlying challenges that go beyond the initial brief. We don't shy away from these difficult conversations because addressing the real issues is the only path to meaningful progress. By providing unvarnished insights into the realities of your situation, we help you address the root causes of issues—not just the symptoms.
What This Means for You:
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True Understanding: Gain a clear picture of your organization's strengths and areas for improvement.
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Strategic Clarity: Make informed decisions based on honest, straightforward advice.
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Authentic Partnership: Work with a team that's genuinely invested in your success.
We Tell You What You Need to Hear, Not Just What You Want to Hear
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