Accerta Group

Accerta Group builds on Amplifier Ventures’ established reputation as an entrepreneur-friendly organization that provides excellent assistance to technology entrepreneurs by listening and appreciating the specific challenges of technology entrepreneurs. Accerta applies the same strong listening and communication skills to provide sophisticated, practical and actionable advice to family-business owners – delivered free of conflict and from an objective viewpoint. Accerta targets non-technology businesses with revenues of $10 to $100 million.  It will be operated in parallel with Amplifier Ventures, as the overlap in team members of both busineses, will allow each to be stronger and have access to a broader range of expertise.

"The problem with existing solutions for family business is that they are offered by "experts" who generally only are able to advise entrepreneurs to do that which the expert can sell them. This results in narrow and often useless advice. Family businesses need objective, experienced advice that finds the best solution for that family and business and then provides high quality expert resources to help the business succeed and survive," noted Jonathan Aberman, Managing Director of Accerta Group. "Like most of our team, I grew up in a family businesses – two actually -- so when we help a family business owner we understand the real concerns and speak the same language."

Accerta Group’s team includes members of the Amplifier Ventures team and adds members with expertise specifically relevant to the challenges of family-owned businesses. Accerta Group is led by Jonathan Aberman, the founder of Amplifier Ventures and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, where he teaches entrepreneurship in family-owned businesses, business strategy and corporate finance; Edgar Rios, a co-founder of AmeriChoice, a family-owned business that is now as part of UnitedHealth Group, the largest operator of Medicaid managed healthcare programs in the United States; Michael Dering, formerly CEO of Service Bench, a recognized expert in business management and expansion; and Rich Moore, a well-known advisor and board member for public and private companies such as Vocus and Natural Insight, with expertise in marketing, public relations, sales and international expansion.

Edgar Rios, a co-founder of Accerta was specifically drawn to the quality of the team, and when he decided to help start Accerta Group he looked to his own experience as the co-founder of a successful family-owned business. "When we were operating and growing our business, we didn't want advice from someone who looked good in a suit; we wanted advice from someone who walked in our shoes and had been successful in his or her own business. We started Accerta because our team has been there, is sophisticated and can talk with family business owners as peers and confidants. At a time of crisis there is nothing more valuable than that."

Accerta Group benefits from its access to a group of current and former owners of closely-held and family-owned businesses in industries such as government contracting, healthcare delivery and technologies, engineering, retail, distribution, manufacturing, food services, transportation, software and technology. The Accerta Owners Council is chaired by Emilio Fernandez, currently Vice Chairman of Wabtec Corp., and previously the founder and owner of several family-owned businesses.

Added Aberman, “The challenges facing family-owned businesses have never been greater than they are today. The difficult economic environment compounds an already growing crisis – 70% of today’s family-owned businesses are going to face the challenge of ownership transition in the next ten years. We want to make sure that they don’t fail.”