---
title: About
description: ACTvantage was founded by distribution experts with 20+ years proven—authors of 7 books, trusted across 750+ engagements. Meet the team behind Fusion AI.
---

[![ACTvantage](https://www.actvantage.com/hubfs/blue-actvantage-logo.jpeg)](https://www.actvantage.com?hsLang=en)

- [Fusion AI](https://www.actvantage.com/fusion-ai?hsLang=en)
- [Best Practice Workshops](https://www.actvantage.com/workshops?hsLang=en)
- [About us](https://www.actvantage.com/about)
  
    - [Journey](https://www.actvantage.com/our-journey?hsLang=en)
- Resources
  
    - [Blog](https://www.actvantage.com/blog?hsLang=en)
    - [Books](https://www.actvantage.com/books?hsLang=en)
    - [Client Results](https://www.actvantage.com/client-results?hsLang=en)
- [Contact us](https://www.actvantage.com/contact-us?hsLang=en)

[Schedule a Call](https://www.actvantage.com/meetings/pradip-krishnadevarajan?hsLang=en)

![About Us Image NEW](https://www.actvantage.com/hubfs/2026%20Website/About%20Us%20Page/About%20Us%20Image%20NEW.png "About Us Image NEW")

### 20+

**Years in distribution**

### 7

**NAW co-published books**

 

### 750+

**Client engagements**

### 1,000s

**Professionals trained**

### 5

**Institutional partners**

### 3

**Co-founders: researcher** **+** **engineer** **+** **operator**

 How ACTvantage came to be

## Born from research. Proven in practice. Still evolving.

### “We didn’t just study what great distributors do. We implemented it — hundreds of times. And every time, someone would ask: do you have a tool for this?”

Pradip and Senthil spent years at Texas A&M’s Global Supply Chain Laboratory working directly with distributors—developing and implementing NAW-backed best practices across hundreds of engagements. The methods worked, but one gap remained: embedding them into daily execution.

That gap became clear in one recurring question: ***“Is there a tool to actually do this?”***

Brent, a distribution executive who had already used these frameworks to turn around his business, reached out. That conversation became a shared vision—combining deep research with real-world execution.

**One principle guided everything: if it doesn’t impact the P&L or balance sheet, it doesn’t matter.**

ACTvantage was built on that foundation—delivering practical, data-driven tools rooted in decades of industry best practices. As distribution evolved from spreadsheets to BI to AI, ACTvantage evolved with it.

Fusion AI is the next step—embedding 20+ years of research and execution into an intelligent platform built for the future of distribution, backed by a team of aata engineers and developers, committed to measurable impact.

**Intelligent Action for Distribution.™ · Closing the last-mile gap between data and profitable decisions.**

### Research-rooted, not adapted

*Every framework we use is grounded in original research with real distributors — not borrowed from retail, manufacturing, or generic management consulting and renamed for distribution.*

### Action-biased to the core

*Our very first research consortium taught us a principle that has guided every engagement since: if we can’t find a line in the P&L or Balance Sheet that will be improved by a given process, then that process doesn’t deserve to be performed. That insight has been our foundation for 20+ years. Strategic ROI and financial ROI are front and center of every client engagement — not an afterthought. A dashboard that doesn’t move a number is a failed project. A workshop that doesn’t connect to margin, cash flow, or working capital is an expensive lecture.*

### Continuously evolving with the industry

From consulting to BI tools to AI-powered analytics — ACTvantage has evolved alongside the distribution industry for 20+ years. Our commitment to lifting best practices to the next level is as strong today as it was when we started.

 Meet the co-founders

## Three perspectives. One shared conviction.

A distribution researcher, a data engineer, and a distribution operator — each bringing a different lens to the same problem. Together they cover every dimension of what it takes to close the gap from data to profitable action.

## Dr. Pradip Krishnadevarajan

Co-Founder, Managing Director

Pradip is a strategist helping distribution leaders drive profitable growth through analytics, AI, and execution. He works with mid-market to multibillion-dollar firms. He is also a prolific author and keynote speaker, with 7 NAW books widely used by distributors. 

[LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kpradipk/)

## Dr. Senthil Gunasekaran

Co-Founder, Managing Director

Senthil drives profitable growth through analytics and AI, combining engineering rigor with practical execution. A co-author of 7 best-practice books, he has spent two decades helping distributors turn data into results. He co-leads customer success and product innovation.

[LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/senthilgunasekaran/)

## Brent Johnstone, MBA

Co-Founder, Managing Director

Brent, a former distribution executive, used ACTvantage’s best practices to drive a turnaround and co-founded the company with Pradip and Senthil. He brings deep experience in transformation, private equity, growth strategy, and M&A.

[LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-johnstone-a16a7/)

 Guided by experienced hands

## Our Advisory Board combines deep distribution expertise, investment insight, and technical leadership.

ACTvantage’s Advisory Board is composed of investors and industry veterans who bring direct experience in distribution, entrepreneurship, and enterprise analytics — and who have backed us because they believe in the mission.

### Dave Sachs

#### Entrepreneur & investor. Lifetime experience building successful companies

#### [LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsachs/) 

### David Szary

#### Founder, RogueHire, RogueSearch. Analytics-driven workforce strategy

#### [LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sakurakos/) 

### Jeff Steinberg

#### Entrepreneur, advisor & investor. Building and scaling growth-stage companies

#### [LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyhsteinberg/) 

### Dr. Karthic Madanagopal

#### Sr Applied Scientist. Thomson Reuters. Agentic AI, NLP, analytics systems

### [LinkedIn →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/karthic-madanagopal/) 

 

- ![Book 1_Optimizing Distributor Profitability-1](https://www.actvantage.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2026%20Website/Books/Book%201_Optimizing%20Distributor%20Profitability-1.jpg?width=250&height=326&name=Book%201_Optimizing%20Distributor%20Profitability-1.jpg)
- ![Book 2_Unlock the Power of Inventory Analytics-1](https://www.actvantage.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2026%20Website/Books/Book%202_Unlock%20the%20Power%20of%20Inventory%20Analytics-1.jpg?width=250&height=335&name=Book%202_Unlock%20the%20Power%20of%20Inventory%20Analytics-1.jpg)
- ![Book 3_Customer Stratification-1](https://www.actvantage.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2026%20Website/Books/Book%203_Customer%20Stratification-1.jpg?width=250&height=323&name=Book%203_Customer%20Stratification-1.jpg)
- ![Book 4_Pricing_Optimizing Channel Profitability-1](https://www.actvantage.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2026%20Website/Books/Book%204_Pricing_Optimizing%20Channel%20Profitability-1.jpg?width=250&height=334&name=Book%204_Pricing_Optimizing%20Channel%20Profitability-1.jpg)
- ![Book 5_Sales and Marketing Optimization-1](https://www.actvantage.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2026%20Website/Books/Book%205_Sales%20and%20Marketing%20Optimization-1.jpg?width=250&height=330&name=Book%205_Sales%20and%20Marketing%20Optimization-1.jpg)
- ![Book 6_Driving Profitable Growth-1](https://www.actvantage.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2026%20Website/Books/Book%206_Driving%20Profitable%20Growth-1.jpg?width=250&height=327&name=Book%206_Driving%20Profitable%20Growth-1.jpg)
- ![Book 7_Supplier Performance-1](https://www.actvantage.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2026%20Website/Books/Book%207_Supplier%20Performance-1.jpg?width=250&height=323&name=Book%207_Supplier%20Performance-1.jpg)

 The intellectual foundation behind everything we do

## Seven books. Dozens of research consortia. One industry.

Since 2009, ACTvantage founders have co-authored seven books through the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), each based on original research with real distributor consortia. These books are used as official curriculum by AD, HARDI, ISA, and Texas A&M — and they are the knowledge base embedded inside Fusion AI. The best practices we publish are the ones we build into our tools and teach in our workshops.

Original research, not borrowed frameworks

#### Each book is based on research consortia with 15–84 real wholesale distribution firms per study. Validated from actual distributor data — not adapted from other industries.

The knowledge base powering Fusion AI

#### Our seven books are embedded as the knowledge layer inside Fusion AI — so every AI-generated recommendation is grounded in the same research distribution leaders have relied on for 15+ years.

- ![AD Logo](https://www.actvantage.com/hubfs/2026%20Website/Workshops/Images%20Workshop%20Page/AD%20Logo.jpg)
- ![HARDI Logo-1](https://www.actvantage.com/hubfs/2026%20Website/Workshops/Images%20Workshop%20Page/HARDI%20Logo-1.png)
- ![ISA Logo](https://www.actvantage.com/hubfs/2026%20Website/Workshops/Images%20Workshop%20Page/ISA%20Logo.png)
- ![NAW Logo-1](https://www.actvantage.com/hubfs/2026%20Website/Workshops/Images%20Workshop%20Page/NAW%20Logo-1.png)
- ![TAMU Logo](https://www.actvantage.com/hubfs/2026%20Website/Workshops/Images%20Workshop%20Page/TAMU%20Logo.png)

![about us image 4 bottom section v4](https://www.actvantage.com/hubfs/2026%20Website/About%20Us%20Page/about%20us%20image%204%20bottom%20section%20v4.png "about us image 4 bottom section v4")

 Ready to work with us?

## Let’s close the gap — together.

Whether you’re looking for AI-powered analytics, best-practice training, or both — we’d love to show you what 20+ years of distribution expertise looks like in action.

[See Fusion AI](https://www.actvantage.com/fusion-ai?hsLang=en) [Explore Our Workshops](https://www.actvantage.com/workshops?hsLang=en)

[![ACTvantage](https://www.actvantage.com/hubfs/blue-actvantage-logo.jpeg)](https://www.actvantage.com?hsLang=en)

### Company

- [Fusion AI](https://www.actvantage.com/fusion-ai?hsLang=en)
- [Best Practice Workshops](https://www.actvantage.com/workshops?hsLang=en)
- [About us](https://www.actvantage.com/about)
- [Journey](https://www.actvantage.com/our-journey?hsLang=en)
- [Contact us](https://www.actvantage.com/contact-us?hsLang=en)

### Resources

- [Blog](https://www.actvantage.com/blog?hsLang=en)
- [Books](https://www.actvantage.com/books?hsLang=en)
- [Client Results](https://www.actvantage.com/client-results?hsLang=en)

© 2026 ACTvantage. All right reserved.

 Cookie Settings