Our Mission is Simple, yet Bold.
We help organizations advance their mission for social good and economic development.
About Us
Our Story
Early in her career, Lara Vu, MPH was on a mission to make a positive change on a global level. Knowing that this would not be an easy task, she decided to hone her skills from both the private and public sector. Today after 20 years of direct experience in 21 countries working with companies like WebMD and UNICEF, she came back to her hometown of Los Angeles to apply her experiences to help organizations in her own backyard.
Brett Dickstein, MPA on a similar mission, was focused on economic, workforce and small business development. After cutting his teeth in the corporate world with companies like PWC, IBM, UBS, and HSBC, Brett expanded his horizons overseas after graduating from SIPA at Columbia University. He spent over a decade as a technical assistance provider for international governments, development agencies, and the private sector in emerging and frontier markets.
Lara and Brett joined forces to launch Alfabet Soup Consulting after having the great fortune of working with multinational organizations, start-ups and individuals over a combined 36 years and in dozens of countries.
With the addition of other talented individuals, our growing team brings diverse expertise and best practices unmatched by other boutique consulting groups.
See both of their Linkedin profiles.
Lara Vu, MPH Brett Dickstein, MPA
Services
Photo by Neil Massey @mrmasseyman
We Cater to Your Needs.
We bring a diverse skill set and can provide one-on-one expert advisory services and/or a comprehensive team-based approach for more complex projects. We customize solutions for every client, however our core services are listed as follows.
Global and Local Partnerships
Partnership Strategy and Planning
Partnership Development (Prospecting, Pitching, Negotiating, Management)
Fundraising - Corporate (Cause-Marketing and Foundations) and Individuals/Major Donors/HNWI
Strategy, Governance, Research, and Communications
Non-Profit Management (Market Entry, Strategic Planning, Organizational Development, Fundraising)
Corporate Governance Assessments (Pre-IPO and Listed Companies, Internal Management Controls, Board Performance, Stock Exchange Gap Analysis, Investor Relations Department Creation)
Business Process Reengineering (Process Improvement and Performance Auditing)
Program Monitoring and Evaluation (Voice of Customer, Consumer Insight Analysis, Survey Research, Mystery Shopper, Impact Assessments)
Communications and Digital Marketing, Website, Mobile App and Animated Video Development
Small Business and Startup Development
Startup Ideation and Commercialization (Business Formation, Omni-Channel Marketing, Pitch Development, Seed Capital Fundraising, Partnership Development, Human Centered Design, Product Development, Product and Test Marketing, Launch Management)
Workforce and Economic Development (Operations and Grant Management, Curriculum Development and Testing, Sustainability Planning, Capacity Building)
Entrepreneurial and Innovation Ecosystem Building (Incubation and Acceleration Program Development, Digital Innovation and Startup Market Diagnostics, Angel and Investor Network Curation, E-M Commerce and Payments Market Research)
Our Clients
Global, Local and Diverse
Our direct experience with the following companies as partners, employers and clients gives us a competitive advantage in terms of diversity and perspective.
Some of our clients include:
U.S. Commercial Service
Small Business Administration
H&M
LA Regional SBDC Network
CA Center for International Trade & Development
Long Beach City College
Department of Labor/Department of Education
Center for Disease Control (CDC)
Association of Hotel and Tourism of Latin America
JVS-SoCal/America’s Job Center of California
iCare Benefits
American Airlines
Center for Disease Control (CDC)
Innovation Partnership Program Vietnam
Telefonica
BitGive Foundation
UNICEF
World Bank/Asian Development Bank
International Finance Corporation
WebMD
Sony Corporation
Procter & Gamble
Unilever
MasterCard
HSBC
UBS
World Health Organization
Canadian Ministry of Health
Panamanian Ministry of Economics and Finance
Vietnam Ministry of Science and Technology
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
El Camino College
Love from our Clients
“Lara is a strategic leader you must have on your team. She has a breadth of knowledge and experience which clearly shows in her work.”
“Brett goes above and beyond, time after time. He is detail oriented, reliable, and always delivers.”