Niche companies. Exceptional leadership. Capital-efficient growth.

"Lock 8 is a people first culture that ask questions before they propose solutions. They lead with empathy, vulnerability, honesty, and transparency. They never assume what the right thing to do is, they always ask to understand."

- Denis Whelan CEO Projector PSA

“I expected to push myself and learn what it was like to be CEO of a fast-growing SaaS business. My experience with Lock 8 has done nothing but exceed my expectations. I say this to every new CEO at Lock 8, if you have a chance to work with Todd and Christine, take it. It will be the best career decision you will ever make.”

- Denis Whelan CEO Projector PSA

“Because of Lock 8’s heritage as an operator, the principals had a solid understanding of how to balance the oft-competing priorities of simultaneously running and selling a business. As such, the processes of due diligence, negotiation and transition planning were thoughtfully conceived and well-executed.”

- Steve Chong, COO, Projector PSA

“The biggest concern going into the sale was the impact that new ownership would have on our team and our clients. I worried about losing the family-centric nature of our culture, diluting the strength of our client relationships for commercial gain and eroding our strong company value system that we had established over the years.

“Not only did Lock 8 understand that those were important aspects of our culture that we wanted to preserve, but they also sought out ways to further invest in and bolster those areas. Whether these included investments in DEI, givebacks of time and money to local charities, sponsoring of professional development opportunities, or simply just ‘doing the right thing by the client,’ Lock 8 has demonstrated a commitment to the long-term longevity of employee and client relationships.”

- Steve Chong, COO, Projector PSA

"I was attracted to the Lock 8 team's track record and their methodical approach to supporting first-time CEOs. It was clear from the first interviews and discussions that Lock 8 was interested in a partnership with its CEOs versus a transactional relationship."

- Elliot Zimmerman, CEO, Real Life Sciences

"The time after an acquisition and the introduction of a new CEO often results in some people-related issues. Lock 8 is able to support new CEOs (at arms length) in navigating these issues because of their interactions with various team members through the diligence process and their past operating experience."

- Elliot Zimmerman, CEO, Real Life Sciences

“I know we simply couldn’t and wouldn’t have turned the business into what it is today without Lock 8. Working in a highly regulated industry, having formal organizational and governance structures and hiring the right talent with Lock8 has been a major benefit in terms of winning, securing and retaining business as our contract sizes have grown. And having a smart and understanding board managed by Lock 8 has been a pleasure to work with.”

- Stephen Doogan, Owner-Operator, Real Life Sciences

“The entire team has a deep understanding of financials, operations and positioning, and this really helps provide the different perspectives a business needs to mature. In addition, everyone on the team, has a strong emotional IQ, allowing them to drive initiatives forward while maintaining alignment.”

- Paul Miller, CEO, Relay

“Implementation challenges with larger-sized new clients were putting an unexpected strain on the business. Lock 8 helped us steer a course correction, reset our forecasted expectations, and redefine our ideal customer, so we could optimize future growth.”

- Paul Miller, CEO, Relay

“We have grown in so many ways over the last 18-plus months under Lock 8’s ownership, from the number of employees to investments in advancing our technology platform. It has been extremely rewarding to be a part of it.”

- Michelle Pope, Owner-Operator, Relay

“As a first-time CEO, I’ve had many challenges just in day-to-day business operations and ramping my operational knowledge. The Lock 8 team has created an environment for a true coaching experience, allowing for constant feedback and a sounding board both inside and outside of the board room. This has helped me avoid many missteps and quickly learn and pivot from mistakes.”

- Tom McCarty, CEO, OrgChart

“Lock 8 really did a great job of setting expectations for interactions, support and guidance, and I was able to validate this by visiting with other portfolio company CEOs during the recruiting process. The team has met and exceeded all of my expectations in this area.”

- Tom McCarty, CEO, OrgChart

“The Lock 8 team was professional, made fact-based decisions and were straight shooters throughout the whole process. It was a breath of fresh air.”

- Steve Datnow, Founder and CTO, OrgChart

“Having gone through a number of acquisitions in my career, I was concerned that missteps would lead to stalled, or even contracted, growth. But we’ve continued to grow at a steady clip since the acquisition while investing heavily to strengthen the business’ foundation. While our workload has increased in the short term, there is light at the end of the tunnel as we continue to hire talent and ramp them up. I remain cautiously optimistic that we’ll see stellar growth in 2023.”

- Steve Datnow, Founder and CTO, OrgChart