Dark Horse CPAs hires Eric Ting for Principal Accelerator Program

Dark Horse CPAs said Sept. 9 that it hired Eric Ting as an Accelerator in its Principal Accelerator Program, adding a new advisor focused on building a client practice inside the firm. The move highlights the firm’s push to pair entrepreneurial ownership with the resources of a larger accounting platform.

Why it matters: - Dark Horse CPAs is using its Principal Accelerator Program to recruit entrepreneurial CPAs who want to build a scalable practice without launching a firm from scratch. - Eric Ting’s hire shows how the program is meant to combine ownership, training and firm resources for advisors serving small businesses. - The firm is positioning itself around advisory-first tax and accounting services, not just compliance work.

What happened: - Dark Horse CPAs announced the hiring of Eric Ting as an Accelerator in its Principal Accelerator Program. - Ting is beginning the program and will build an advisory-focused practice at Dark Horse CPAs. - The announcement was dated Sept. 9, 2026, from Cardiff by the Sea, California.

The details: - Ting brings experience from large multinational companies with teams across the U.S. and abroad, as well as from a family office with a smaller team. - His background includes coordinating across professionals and departments, which shaped his preference for collaborative problem-solving. - Ting said he wanted more control over the practice he was helping build after years in established firm structures. - Ting said Dark Horse gives Accelerators the systems and support of an established firm while letting them keep ownership of the practice they build. - Ting said he wants clients to understand the financial picture well enough to participate in decisions, not just receive answers without context. - Ting said his role is to equip business owners with the tools and financial numbers needed to make decisions on their own. - Ting wants to be involved early enough for tax strategy to affect a decision before the fact, not just document the result later. - Ting said clients need an advisory-first relationship that flags tax opportunities or risks before it is too late to act. - Ting said there is a market gap for advisors who can operate at a high technical level while remaining accessible to clients. - Chase Birky, Dark Horse CPAs CEO and co-founder, said Ting’s mix of large-team and family-office experience fits the firm’s model. - Birky said Dark Horse’s Firm-as-a-Service offering will give Ting resourcing and leverage so he can stay close to clients and build his practice.

Between the lines: - The hire underscores a broader industry pitch: experienced CPAs may want independence, but they still need infrastructure, coaching and staffing support. - Dark Horse is marketing a middle path between starting a firm alone and staying inside a rigid corporate structure. - Ting’s emphasis on advisory work suggests the firm wants principals who can deepen client relationships and expand beyond transactional compliance services.

What’s next: - The Principal Accelerator Program is accepting new Accelerators. - Interested CPAs can learn more at abetterway.cpa or email info@darkhorse.cpa. - Accelerators complete training on the firm’s technology, sales process and practice-building model before developing their own books of business. - Participants receive one-on-one coaching and access to full-time and fractional professional personnel as they grow. - After meeting ownership requirements and completing the program, Accelerators may become equity Principals of Dark Horse CPAs.

The bottom line: - Dark Horse CPAs is betting that more accountants want entrepreneurial upside without the full risk of starting solo, and Ting is the latest example of that strategy.