Indianapolis-based technology, data, and management consulting firm KSM Consulting won the Scale-up of the Year – Tech Service award during TechPoint’s 21st annual Mira Awards gala honoring the best of tech in Indiana.

WATCH VIDEO: Gerry Dick interviews KSM Consulting CEO Mark Caswell.
WATCH VIDEO: KSM Consulting accepts Scale-up of the Year – Tech Service Mira Award.

KSM Consulting (KSMC) was not a traditional candidate for the Scale-up of the Year award. As an 11-year old tech, data, and management consulting firm, they didn’t raise capital and they don’t sell a product. However, the tremendous expansion the company experienced following its acquisition in April 2019 by Renovus Capital Partners thrust KSMC into a growth stage rarely seen by pure consulting firms.

The Mira Awards judges were impressed by KSMC’s 11-year history of profitable growth, cutting-edge work with local and national clients, and exceptional potential. But it was the fact that they grew their staff over 123% from 80 employees to 178 over three years (including 85% growth in 2019 alone), and surpassed their “likely unattainable” revenue goals by achieving double digit growth (34%) in just eight months.

KSMC grew in 2019 by focusing on some of its most meaningful, far-reaching, and innovative work to date at the federal, state, and local levels as well as for private and not-for-profit entities in Indy and beyond. They began helping address national security supply chain risk, developing a national data-sharing platform, supporting quantifiable outcome reporting for not-for-profits, helping organizations make data-driven decisions with KPI dashboards, and many more data- and tech-oriented partnerships that will have a lasting impact in local communities and beyond.

KSM Consulting celebrates the moment the company is named Scale-up of the Year – Tech Service.
KSM Consulting CEO Mark Caswell.

KSMC’s hiring blitz focused mainly on hiring experienced tech-skilled employees who are now serving on data, application development and IT project management teams. In order to be successful at hiring so many people so fast, the company reimagined its employee experience, rightly sharing KSMC as a place to amplify yourself, your career, and your impact. This compelling message combined with its meaningful client work has helped KSMC recruit some of the best and brightest minds from across the country.

KSMC has publicly stated that its headquarters will always be Indy. The company’s commitment to Indy is as strong as its vision to transform the way consulting is done across the nation. The judges recognize that KSMC’s growth goals are ambitious, but based on the company’s achievements so far, they won’t be surprised when KSMC meets them. They plan to start by continuing to grow into over 5 cities, grow to 500 people, and grow revenue north of $100M+ in fewer than 5 years. 

“We’ve invested in the highest quality leaders and employees to ensure that we’re ready and excited to help our clients tackle their most complex problems fearlessly and with empathy, expertise, and client focus – our core values,” they wrote in their Mira Awards application. “KSMC is building a national consulting firm based out of Indianapolis, and that benefits everyone in the tech community, city, and state.”

TechPoint, the nonprofit, industry-led growth accelerator for Indiana’s tech ecosystem, honored the successes and innovation of Indiana people, places, companies and products during the 21st annual and first-ever virtual Mira Awards gala with presenting sponsors Eli Lilly and Company, Genesys, Infosys, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Salesforce.

WATCH RECORDING OF EVENT BROADCAST

A total of 15 award winners and honorees were chosen from the 129 outstanding people, places companies and products that were selected as nominees for their achievements during the 2019 calendar year. Forty-eight independent, volunteer judges spent more than 850 total hours evaluating applications, interviewing nominees, and selecting this year’s winners. Judges included company founders, CEOs and presidents, CTOs, CIOs, and other subject matter experts.

SEE ALL 2020 MIRA AWARD WINNERS

The Mira Awards are named after the first of the brilliant variable stars to be discovered – the Mira Star. It is also the Latin root meaning “worthy of admiration, wonderful, marvelous.” The awards represent the best of tech in Indiana each year.