David Hori

I've spent 25+ years building and scaling businesses - three VC-funded startups through acquisition, including CARMERA which sold to Toyota. My sweet spot is helping founder-dependent businesses break through growth ceilings or transition out entirely while keeping employees and culture intact. I'm not your typical coach - in fact my primary focus is buying businesses, which means I think like an owner, not an advisor selling billable hours.
My background is unconventional: a decade in hospitality management (everything from Five Diamond hotels to neighborhood spots) taught me how to run tight operations and keep people engaged, then I took those lessons into tech scaling. At Vitu, I integrated 1,100 new employees post-acquisition with 98% retention. That's the kind of work I do - building systems that actually stick and treating people like humans, not resources.
Private Equity and other buyers seek a quick flip/exit. I buy local businesses to preserve what the founder built, not strip it for parts. And when I advise, I help owners who are either stuck or running on fumes and need a way out that doesn't destroy what they've created. Straight talk, fast decisions, and solutions that work in the real world - not some consultant's slide deck.