The Firm

Strategic Intelligence for Companies at Inflection Points

KCENAV was built by operators who've grown and exited businesses — not consultants who've only advised. We deliver the same strategic clarity once reserved for Fortune 500 boardrooms to founders and C-suite at $2M–$300M companies.

Built for the Messy Middle

Mid-market companies face inflection points that can make or break a decade of work — scaling past $10M, preparing for exit, entering M&A. Most strategic intelligence is either too expensive or too generic. KCENAV changes that.

Our platform combines deterministic AI diagnostic tools with a senior advisory team — operators who've actually navigated the same terrain. Every score is auditable. Every recommendation is grounded in real-world execution.

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Deterministic Scoring
Same inputs, same outputs. Not chatbot opinions — auditable methodologies.
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Peer Benchmarks
Scores calibrated against companies at your revenue stage and industry.
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Operator-Led
Advice from people who've built and exited — not just analyzed from the sidelines.
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No Black Boxes
Every score traces back to weighted inputs. Defensible to any board or buyer.

Strategic intelligence for mid-market companies at inflection points — without the $500/hr price tag or the 90-day engagement runway.

The KCENAV Mission
6
AI Diagnostic Engines
$2M–$300M
Target Revenue Band
0→$50M
Proven Growth Track

Built by People Who've Done the Work

KCENAV is a co-founded venture. Both founders have operated at scale — not just advised — which means every framework we ship has been stress-tested in the real world.

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Matthew Van Eck
Co-Founder & Strategic Navigator, KCENAV

Matthew Van Eck is a battle-tested entrepreneur and servant leader who believes true business value is built through empowerment, technical integrity, and unwavering commitment to the mission. Over a 15-year tenure, he architected the growth of a geospatial services firm from a $0-revenue startup into a $50M annual powerhouse.

His leadership style was forged in the "messy middle" of scaling — navigating the transition from a founder-led shop to a high-performance enterprise. Having successfully exited his previous venture, Matthew Van Eck has turned his focus to AI-Native Strategic Navigation.

As a CTO and GIS Professional (GISP), he bridges high-level strategy and technical execution. Matthew Van Eck is dedicated to the San Diego community, serving on the Board for the San Diego Center for Children and mentoring the next generation of leaders to find their "Moat" in an AI-driven world.

CTO & GISP $0→$50M Exit 15 Years Operator AI-Native Strategy San Diego Community
JB
Jennifer Barnes
Co-Founder, KCENAV

Jennifer brings over 15 years of experience scaling high-growth businesses at the intersection of strategy, operations, and technology. She holds an MBA from Stanford and spent eight years at McKinsey & Company as a Director, where she built the operating infrastructure for two billion-dollar practices and drove 50%+ revenue growth.

Prior to McKinsey, she served as Principal at Business Talent Group, scaling the professional services firm from under $10M to $50M in revenue — leading many accounts from Greenfield to multimillion dollar engagements.

Jennifer is also an active early-stage investor with a portfolio of 17 pre-IPO technology companies spanning defense tech, AI, nuclear, power, robotics, chips, and quantum.

Stanford MBA McKinsey Director $0→$50M Scaling 17 Pre-IPO Investments Defense Tech & AI

Six Free Scoring Engines

Each tool produces a deterministic score across weighted dimensions — benchmarked against your peer set. Not chatbot opinions. Calculated outputs with auditable methodology.

All free. No credit card.
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Deterministic — same inputs, same score every time
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Benchmarked — calibrated against your revenue band & industry
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Auditable — every score traces back to weighted inputs
H
FREE
HALO Score
Company Diagnostic Engine
Four-pillar HALO Index: High Assets, Low Obsolescence, Growth Readiness, Exit Readiness. HALO 70+ correlates with 8–12x EBITDA multiples vs 4–6x below 50. Benchmark your company in 12 questions.
Take the diagnostic
GS
FREE
Growth Scaling Diagnostic
Revenue Tier Readiness Engine
Seven-pillar diagnostic for founders at $2M–$300M. Pinpoints the exact constraints blocking your next revenue tier — sales infrastructure, ops scalability, hiring velocity, PMF depth, and more.
Take the diagnostic
VO
FREE
Valuation Optimizer
EBITDA Multiple Diagnostic
Seven-pillar valuation score: Revenue Quality, Margin Profile, Customer Diversification, IP & Defensibility, Management Depth, Market Positioning, Financial Readiness. Includes estimated EBITDA multiple range and prioritized improvement roadmap.
Take the diagnostic
LO
FREE
Leadership & Operations
Operational Readiness Engine
Assesses leadership depth, operational infrastructure, team scalability, and process maturity. Identifies the organizational constraints that cap growth and the interventions that unlock the next level.
Take the diagnostic
ER
FREE
Exit Readiness
Exit Preparedness Engine
Six-pillar exit diagnostic: Financial Documentation, Customer Concentration, Owner Dependency, Recurring Revenue Quality, Legal & IP, Buyer Attractiveness. EBITDA multiple estimate and prioritized gap analysis before you go to market.
Take the diagnostic
MA
FREE
M&A Readiness
Deal Preparedness Engine
Five-pillar M&A diagnostic: Due Diligence, Financial Structure, Integration Capability, Deal Team, Cultural Alignment. Buy-side and sell-side. Gap analysis with actionable recommendations before entering a deal process.
Take the diagnostic

Senior Operators. Hands-On.

Our diagnostics tell you where you stand. Our advisory team helps you get to where you want to go. These are not analysts or junior consultants — they are operators who have built, scaled, and exited businesses in the real world.

Every engagement is bespoke. No templated playbooks. No offshore delivery. We work with a small number of companies at a time to ensure the depth and attention your situation requires.

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Experienced Operators, Not Consultants
Every advisor has built and exited companies. They've navigated the exact inflection points you're facing — from founder-led to scale, from scale to exit.
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Bespoke Engagements
No two companies are alike. We tailor every engagement to your company's specific situation, goals, and constraints — not a standardized methodology deck.
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Diagnostic-Led Strategy
Advisory engagements start from your diagnostic scores. Every recommendation is grounded in data, benchmarked against peers, and prioritized by impact.
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Focused on Elite Valuations
Whether you're preparing for exit, M&A, or a significant growth push, we orient every engagement around the metrics and milestones that drive exceptional valuations.

Ready to Work With Us?

Advisory engagements are selective and capacity-limited. We work with a small cohort of companies at any given time. Start with a conversation — no commitment required.

Live Human Team — Not AI

This is not a chatbot. This is not automated advice.

Our AI tools score and benchmark. But our advisory team is made up of real humans — senior operators who have walked the same path you're on. They show up, they engage, they get into the details.

The distinction matters: AI is a diagnostic tool. Humans are the navigators.

AI Tools
Advisory Team
✓ Diagnostic scores
✓ Guided execution
✓ Benchmarks
✓ Bespoke strategy
✓ Gap analysis
✓ Accountability partner
✗ Contextual judgment
✓ Real-world judgment
✗ Relationship access
✓ Network & introductions
Get Started

Start with a Free Diagnostic.
Scale with Expert Guidance.

The tools are free. The advisory is premium. Both are built on the same rigorous foundation — and one naturally leads to the other.

Get Your Free HALO Score → Talk to an Advisor