Beyond basic messaging, what strategic problems do you actually solve?

Investment firms use us for portfolio narrative audits and communications due diligence on target companies. Dual-use and defense tech companies need us to navigate the geopolitical sensitivities—we've worked with NATO Innovation Fund, ARIA (UK's DARPA), and companies building AI for contested environments. Growth-stage companies deploy us before fundraising to build data-backed investor narratives and train executives for high-stakes presentations. Crisis scenarios: when your technology creates regulatory blowback, ethical questions, or competitive attacks that require forensic messaging. We also handle reputation management for founding teams under scrutiny. If your narrative is creating friction with the outcomes you need, we're the call.

What does Narrative R&D actually involve, and how is it different from positioning work?

Standard positioning is static. Narrative R&D is dynamic. We map the competitive landscape to identify white space you can credibly own. Then we engineer the Messaging House—a framework that defines your unique value proposition for investors, customers, regulators, and talent, tailored by stakeholder priority. The output includes a journalistic-grade corporate profile (anecdotes, third-party validation, tension, and resolution), ready-to-deploy press release templates, tough Q&A with tested responses, and a content calendar aligned with business milestones. For deep tech, we also create data storytelling frameworks—turning technical performance metrics into narratives that matter to non-technical decision-makers.

Can you train executives who hate being trained?

Yes, because we don't do role-playing exercises with fake scenarios. We run stakeholder simulations with real investor questions, real media hostility, and real customer objections—recorded, so executives see exactly where they lose the room. Pitch coaching includes personalized feedback on narrative structure, not presentation theater. Outcome-driven messaging aligns what executives say with what the business needs (hiring, fundraising, selling). We've trained C-suite teams at Stripe, Dropbox, GitHub, Notion, and multiple stealth-mode companies preparing for launch. For high-stakes moments—Series B pitches, acquisition negotiations, crisis interviews—we also offer scenario war-gaming where we stress-test your story against adversarial questioning. No one enjoys it. Everyone improves.

How do you approach media relations differently than PR agencies?

We engineer access. Most PR firms spam journalists with press releases that go straight to trash. We leverage direct relationships with Tier-1 reporters at WSJ, FT, Bloomberg, Reuters, NYT, The Economist, WIRED, and others. We brief journalists with data, documents, and access to credible sources. We also kill bad media opportunities before they damage you. We also handle adversarial media scenarios: when reporters are investigating your company, your investors, or your technology. Crisis comms isn't about spin—it's about controlling information flow and maintaining credibility under fire.

What does go-to-market communications look like for a stealth-mode company?

Stealth-to-launch is a sequenced information campaign, not a single announcement. We start with narrative architecture months before launch—mapping stakeholders (investors, customers, regulators, talent, media) and building tailored messaging for each. Pre-launch, we prime the market: selective briefings with analysts, background conversations with key journalists, quiet outreach to design partners. The launch moment is coordinated across owned channels (blog, social, email), earned media (embargoed exclusive with a Tier-1 outlet), and executive visibility (conference keynote, podcast placement). Post-launch, we maintain momentum with a content drumbeat—customer success stories, technical deep-dives, thought leadership that reinforces your market position.

How do you handle thought leadership that doesn't sound like every other CEO on LinkedIn?

Most thought leadership is content marketing dressed up as insight. We produce editorial-grade analysis that actually advances a conversation. This means identifying a market tension or contradiction that others are avoiding, backing claims with proprietary data or original research, and taking a position that creates strategic differentiation. We build white papers that enterprise buyers reference in RFPs, not lead-gen fluff. We also develop content franchises: recurring formats like quarterly market reports, podcast series, or newsletter franchises that build authority over time.

What's your approach to brand positioning for companies with complex or controversial technologies?

Brand positioning isn't logo design. It's competitive strategy made visible. We start with a positioning audit: who owns what conversation in your market, where the white space is, and what narrative you can credibly dominate. Then we build a positioning framework that defines how you want to be perceived by each stakeholder group—investors see growth story, enterprises see reliability, regulators see responsibility, media see disruption. For controversial tech (AI ethics, surveillance, defense applications, dual-use), we don't avoid the conflict—we reframe it. For emerging categories where no one understands what you do, we create the lexicon: defining the market, naming the problem, establishing your company as category creator. This isn't marketing—it's market-making.

How do you work with investor communications beyond basic LP updates?

We build editorial strategies that turn LPs into advocates, not just check-writers. This includes monthly newsletters with data-driven insights, portfolio success storytelling (not puff pieces—forensic breakdowns of why a company won), and thought leadership positioning for fund partners. For funds with reputational challenges or pivoting strategies, we handle narrative repositioning across all stakeholder channels. We also provide comms infrastructure for funds that don't have in-house teams—drafting announcements, coordinating media around exits, managing investor briefings.