This article is a part of a series of profiles of CalChamber member companies that are contributing to the state’s economic strength and ability to stay competitive in a global economy. Visit California Works to learn more about this series and read past and future profiles.
Founded in late 2019, Clutch is a business services consulting firm making a splash for its record-breaking growth and award-winning client service. Inspired by the idea to create a company rooted in culture, co-founders Anne Descalzo and Rachel Zillner set out to build a business committed to high-quality experiences for clients, partners and employees.
Just over four years later, Clutch has solidified a reputation for unparalleled experiences for clients experiencing growth and change.
What It Means to Be an Experience Company
“Business services consulting isn’t a new industry, but Clutch takes a new approach to how we support our clients and our employees,” said Descalzo. “We’re not your normal consulting firm — we genuinely want to form human connections and build a team designed specifically to the needs of each client.”
Focusing on the experience, Clutch blends human-centered design methodologies with a curated team of experts to go beyond advising and strategizing for clients, but instead forging strong partnerships.
“Our clients have described this tangible difference they get from Clutch, and it goes back to the experience we create,” added Zillner, CEO and co-founder of Clutch. “We’ve built a culture of connection and curiosity that enables our employees to develop tailored solutions.”
The Work Clutch Does
“When we founded Clutch, we didn’t necessarily have a widget to sell or service to market, we just knew we wanted to create a work environment focused on the experience for the employee and the client,” said Zillner. “Launching in the months before the pandemic opened up a pathway to government contracting where the state, in particular, needed the support of outside contractors to help them navigate the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape.”
That’s when Clutch stepped in, helping the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) launch and operate the state’s public COVID-19 call center. Soon after, opportunities arose to expand the company’s work with CDPH to provider call centers, immunization expansion programs, public health outreach campaigns, and more.
Along the way, Clutch’s engagement with other state and local government agencies, as well as organizations in the private sector, continued to grow.
“The work we did on behalf of our clients ranged from event management to data and IT consulting, and just about everything in between,” said Descalzo. “The common thread woven throughout was to come in clutch for our clients when they needed help the most.”
Since then, Clutch’s talented team has homed in on nine business service areas:
- marketing;
- communications;
- event management;
- program management;
- training and development;
- business process and strategy;
- people operations;
- technology innovation;
- experience management.
With an extensive list of clients, including Sutter Health, California Volunteers, the city of Sacramento, Habitat for Humanity, and many more, Clutch’s commitment to creating exceptional client experiences is making its mark across multiple sectors.
“We’re now expanding into federal contracting markets as well,” noted Descalzo. “We’ve seen our human-centered approach to doing work and operating a business result in tremendous success and are excited to apply it to federal opportunities.”
Creating an In-Person Experience
“The work we do isn’t possible without our incredibly talented team of employees,” said Descalzo. “Being a values-based company means taking the time to listen to our people and finding ways to enhance their working and personal lives.”
Formed as a remote-first organization, Clutch rented coworking space in the Sacramento region in order to create opportunities for connectivity for employees. With limited coworking space, Clutch also hosted monthly coworking events for employees, renting large spaces to hold the nearly 175 team members who were eager to connect in-person.
“To be honest, we were surprised at how quickly we outgrew our coworking and event spaces. Our employees wanted time together and we realized we needed our own space,” said Zillner.
In January 2024, Clutch announced the move to a headquarters building in Rancho Cordova, with a radically flexible working environment for employees looking to connect. “We found a physical location that really matches our company culture,” said Descalzo. “It’s an environment where people want to work, not a building where our employees have to be 9 to 5 each day.”
Multi-Passionate Entrepreneurs
Clutch isn’t the only tenant inside the space in Rancho Cordova. As multi-passionate entrepreneurs, Descalzo and Zillner took inspiration from their past coworking environments to establish Frequency Coworking & Events.
With offices accommodating from one to up to four people, meeting spaces seating up to 160 people, coworking and event space, Frequency contributes to the collective success of entrepreneurs. Its state-of-the-art facilities are home to a vibrant ecosystem for entrepreneurs looking to spark collaboration, engage in ideation, and build a sense of community.
“We also spent time reflecting on our journey as entrepreneurs, which unfortunately didn’t come as easily as we had expected,” said Zillner. “That’s why we created MinervaVerse, an inclusive startup community, advocating for entrepreneurs at all levels.”
MinervaVerse operates three distinct programs — MinervaFund, MinervaAccelerator, and later in 2025, the MinervaIncubator — each tailored to support entrepreneurs at different stages of their journey.
“Our mission focuses on supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs, particularly women and minorities, by bridging gaps in financial access, education, and mentorship,” said Descalzo.
