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R.L. Rigard & Associates
Robert Rigard's boutique advisory, R.L. Rigard & Associates, has shaped the executive ranks of Southern California's enterprise-software ecosystem for...
R.L. Rigard & Associates
Robert L. Rigard built his practice in Manhattan Beach decades before 'Silicon Beach' became a venture-capital destination, embedding himself in the growth trajectories of Los Angeles's foundational enterprise-technology firms. The firm operates as a tightly held strategic advisory, combining executive search with transaction counsel, focused almost exclusively on founder-led enterprise-software, cybersecurity, and industrial-technology businesses in the Southern California corridor stretching from Santa Monica to Irvine. Rigard's model is distinct: rather than taking mandates across industries, the firm concentrates on a narrow band of later-stage, pre-exit enterprise-software companies where Rigard personally knows both the founder and the likely acquirer or public-market positioning. Over the past two decades, he has placed executives and advised on transactions involving firms that shaped LA's tech ecosystem, including companies absorbed into larger platforms like Cornerstone OnDemand, BlackLine, and ServiceTitan's orbit. The work often involves grooming a founder's direct reports into C-suite readiness just as the company approaches a liquidity event. The firm itself does not disclose headcount, assets under advisement, or a portfolio of investments — it does not deploy capital and is not a registered investment advisor. Rigard is known to operate through a network of senior-level relationships across private equity and strategic acquirers, functioning more like a consigliere than a traditional recruiter or banker. September 2024: Rigard facilitated multiple C-level placements at an LA-based enterprise-AI company preparing for a Series D raise (per public record, 2024). Philanthropically, Rigard has been associated with regional technology workforce-development initiatives, though no formal foundation vehicle is on file. What separates Rigard from a conventional executive-search firm or advisory is the duration of the relationship — often spanning a decade or more with a single founder, from early commercial traction through exit and post-exit board composition. This is not a firm optimized for scale but for proximity to a specific set of asymmetric information flows around who is building, hiring, and preparing to sell in the greater Los Angeles enterprise-software market.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Manhattan Beach
Corporate office
Manhattan Beach, CA, United States
Principals
Robert L. Rigard
Founder & CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs R.L. Rigard & Associates and what is the decision-making structure?
Robert L. Rigard is the founder and CEO and operates as the sole named principal. Every placement and advisory mandate reportedly runs through him directly — the firm is not a partnership and does not maintain a multi-tiered committee structure. Decisions on which founders or companies to work with are understood to be made personally by Rigard, who has spent his entire career in the Manhattan Beach and greater Los Angeles enterprise-technology community.
Is R.L. Rigard & Associates a family office, a venture firm, or an executive-search firm?
The firm operates as a hybrid strategic advisory practice combining executive search with transaction counsel, focused exclusively on enterprise-software, cybersecurity, and industrial-technology companies in Southern California. It is not a family office, does not deploy its own capital, and is not registered as an investment advisor. Its model is closer to a consigliere practice for a small number of deep, long-duration founder relationships.
Does the firm invest directly or participate in fund commitments?
No. R.L. Rigard & Associates does not disclose any direct investment activity, fund commitments, or co-investment vehicles. It is not structured as a capital allocator and there is no public record of the firm participating in venture rounds or holding portfolio assets. Its value to clients lies in human-capital placement and strategic-exit advice, not financial participation.
What geography and sectors does the firm cover?
The firm concentrates almost exclusively on the Southern California enterprise-technology corridor, from Santa Monica through El Segundo and Manhattan Beach down to Irvine. Sector focus is narrow: enterprise software, AI/ML, cybersecurity, and industrial technology. It does not market itself as covering consumer internet, digital health, or fintech, and there is no evidence of mandates outside the greater Los Angeles basin.
How does the firm source its engagements, and who are its typical clients?
Engagements are understood to originate almost entirely through Robert Rigard's personal network, built over decades in the LA enterprise-software community. The typical client is a founder-CEO of a later-stage, pre-exit enterprise-technology company in Southern California who needs C-suite placement ahead of a liquidity event or strategic-sale process. Rigard is known to maintain close relationships with the private-equity and strategic-acquirer communities that regularly buy from this ecosystem.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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