Built by Her: Communications in VC
Ways to Lead Comms in Support of a VC Firm & Tech Startups
Setting the Stage đ§
âBuilt By Herâ (BBH) is a podcast that dives deep into the stories of women who are building companies, leading initiatives, or creating and innovating in their fields. In a recent episode with Kanika Choudhary & Matthias Frank, I reflected on my career learnings, roots, and recommendations.
đ You can listen to the podcast episode called Scaling Trust, here.
BBH: Can you give us a quick life elevator pitch about yourself?
EM: I care about stories. They help us understand the world and our role in it. Iâve been building up stories around me and helping others do that, too. Iâm bi-coastal American and lived in 4 other countries, so Iâve found ways to adapt and take inspiration from my international journey. Since 2020, Iâve been leading comms at Earlybird, where I continue to learn each day.
BBH: Youâve moved across industries â from medical writing to health tech to now leading communications at Earlybird VC. Whatâs the common thread thatâs shaped your career decisions?
EM: The through line is storytelling to engage and to help simplify complexity: whether in museums, newspapers, science publishing, startups, or venture capital. I have always loved science and art and did my Masters of Science in Biomedical Communication at the University of Toronto.
Since then, Iâve been using the ability to break down complex processes or tech into bite-size pieces that people can get nourished by. I am quite relationship-based, persistent, and resourceful. So I leverage these stories in my network. I build my network by being helpful and interested in others, and find that in the end, to be very helpful and interesting to me!
BBH: Youâve lived/worked in various countries â do you see any major differences in how communication in VC/Startup context works? (Eg US and Europe)
EM: The majority of my startup and VC support work has been in Europe, but I keep touchpoints with founders, operators, and communications folks stateside. On a hyper-generalized level, you might say that US companies tend to be a bit bolder in their claims or statements and Europe has a certain fragmentation of languages & cultures to grapple with.
But there are so many universal themes of the founder experience that can be channelled through comms. Lately, I like to remember Catherine Shu, a former TechCrunch writer now in VC comms in Asia. She talks about ROW (Rest of World), so I like to think even more globally like that.
VC Communications & Brand
BBH: What role does internal comms play in VC brand-building?
EM: Itâs major. If your fund is known and recognized, then people come to you for jobs, stories, data, and investment. Comms directly supports brand buildings and recognition in VC! Comms people can help investors find and amplify their voice, and position them and the portfolio companies in the international conversation; this builds trust and new bridges.
BBH: Whatâs your process for turning complex, technical startup stories into clear, engaging narratives?
EM: I meet with portfolio companies and other startups in the ecosystem and start by listening. This is key. I let my curiosity drive me to explore what they know well. I take notes that I then turn back into Qs for them, to help them think about audience/goals/purpose/outlets for messaging. Then I encourage writing to clarify thoughts and commit to wording and visuals which can then go through the PR process of embargo and ultimately make a big splash. I also encourage them to think long-term, creating content over time to fill their comms and content strategy, not just a one-off.
BBH: How do you coordinate communications across a multi-fund, multi-sector firm like Earlybird?
EM: This has become my superpower yet I have support on brand, social, ideas, and more! I build an annual strategy to share & discuss with the partnership and then am reactive and proactive during the year, supporting investment activity. I build up our media/journalist/ecosystem network to be able to collaborate on events and amplify news.
There are steady themes and ones that evolve. We have core focus areas at Earlybird (Fintech/Insurtech, Enterprise/AI, Deep Tech, and Commerce), and a range of topics impacting Healthcare at Earlybird Health. So I work with our comms specialist there too, to ensure touchpoints and alignment with our overall brand.
BBH: How do you measure the success or impact of a communications strategy inside a VC firm?
EM: We look at the share of voice, organic follower growth, engagement rates of posts, Click-Through-Rates (CTR), as well as I informally ask people or collect feedback from the ecosystem.
BBH: Whatâs the key difference between building a VC firmâs brand and a startupâs brand?
EM: There are many shared elements of brand building: creating a content strategy, tone of voice, establishing leadership voices to evangelize the work, engaging with media to know and trust you for information/data, etc. I have seen portfolio companies use industry influencers in a cool way, that is not heavily done in VC.
Plus a portfolio company uses more focused messaging, solving a specific problem in their way, rather than a VC investing in solutions for diverse challenges. Typically a startup is using a brand to offer a product/service, or hire to build at scale, etc. A VC is selling trust and usually not hiring rapidly, so the way they are using the brand voice, or the purpose, differs.
BBH: How do you approach shaping a unified Earlybird brand voice while respecting the individuality of each portfolio company?
EM: This is not a big stumbling block. Since we invest in the companies, we have a certain kinship with them. Yet they have different target audiences and personas etc. It is not necessary to match them. We also are respectful about aligning key facts if we do mention them; this is another reason why VC comms role is super important. And why having comms sparring professionally within the portfolio companies is a greater advantage!
BBH: How do you handle simultaneous funding announcements without cannibalizing attention?
EM: This is the FUN part! We are loyal users of an editorial calendar to ensure embargos donât overlap. There are things you as a comms person can control, and also NOT. So we do our best to strategize, avoiding holidays, any major conferences, keeping an eye on journalist mentions of their schedules (whoâs going where and when), as well as advise the portfolio companies that sufficient time is needed leading up to announcements. We also have to double up sometimes, consider timezones, or fund activity.
BBH: Whatâs one funding announcement or any other comms youâre most proud of shaping? Or something that stood out to you in recent times.
EM: It felt rewarding to support teams in landing multiple stories over the years on ClimateTech and FinTech/InsurTech with Tim DeChant and Anna Helm and formerly Christine Hall or Ingrid Lunden of TechCrunch. These stories came from reading the work of the authors, tailoring pitches and allowing enough time for the founders to engage directly with the journalists. I will be really interested to see how this media landscape develops next!
Portfolio Support & Founder Coaching
BBH: Whatâs your process for media training founders? Are there tools or frameworks you give founders to help them develop their own communications muscle?
EM: Iâm a fan of 1-pagers. I donât claim to offer classic media training but I do have a 1-pager where I collected my best practices for interacting with journalists for our investment team, and a lot is the same with founders: Understand key terms: embargo, on/off the record, filter what you say a bit to be clear/truthful but not divulge what you want to walk back. I also encourage a 1-pager to gather your mission/vision, key phrases, hashtag topics, etc so you can learn to reiterate those to media. Repetition is key to being known for something. Get used to repeating yourself!
BBH: As someone whoâs seen so many founders and pitches, whatâs one trait or move you wish more founders would drop because it hurts their credibility? What communication mistakes do early-stage founders make most often?
EM: I love meeting âPR rookiesâ who self-describe that way. I also appreciate a serial founder who knows exactly what the media will do. I enjoy working with both! Generally, When pitching, state the amount raised; you canât get much of a story without certain facts. Have a decent group photo, ideally reflecting some diversity. Donât pitch what isnât final material. There are no backsies. Be ready to talk about customers, and get their approval early so you can mention them in the PR document.
BBH: When supporting these companies with funding announcements or PR, what do founders often underestimate about media strategy?
EM: The timing. Earning an exclusive is tough, and you need to allow sufficient time for a sequential list of journalists to evaluate your story and get back with a Y or N. Itâs worth the wait.
BBH: When coaching founders on narrative, where do you see the biggest âlightbulbâ moment click for them?
EM: Hearing from a portfolio company (founders & operators) that they saw the real benefits of PR: 1) uptick in job applications, 2)more customer inbound, and 3) increased investor interest in follow-on rounds was such a rewarding and full-circle moment.
BBH: Are there times when youâve had to push back on a founder or teamâs communications instincts for the good of the bigger strategy?
EM: I try to respect and guide for the best outcome. Itâs my role to spar with the founder or operator. If you focus on education about whatâs worked in past comms experience then you can offer that and see if it fits. I encourage founders to zoom out and see their news as part of a bigger industry picture or trend that might interest journalists or the public at large.
General VC Comms
BBH: Whatâs one big shift you predict for VC comms in the next 3â5 years? What do you see as the biggest untapped opportunity for comms innovation within VC itself?
EM: The TechCrunch loss in Europe cuts deep. So pitching new outlets, newsletters, and podcasts and telling stories in new ways will be a must. You still need to focus on earned and owned media so that you show up. Interacting with AI is ever more important: Refining what you do, asking we about your brand helps inform where you stand. Some big VC are known for media production but for others, thatâs not their focus.
BBH: How do you set boundaries between personal voice and firm voice?
EM: This is a good one! I believe you can give some Tone of Voice (ToV) guidance and tools but expect that others need wiggle room to improvise and find their voice. Better to show the ropes but say: You do you.
BBH: How do you see the evolving role of AI in comms â is it a tool, a threat, or just another buzzword right now?
EM: AI is critical to keep pace and stay informed. Plenty of tools for voice, graphics, edits, and ideation but ultimately you need good decision-making abilities, taste, and judgment. Thereâs an excellent pod by Natalie here on how comms teams should restructure around this topic exactly!
Wrapping up
BBH: Whatâs a skill completely unrelated to your job that has unexpectedly helped you in your career?
EM: Motherhood â for time management. Using small and larger blocks of time efficiently. And starting ballet as an adult: itâs humbling and makes my brain and body work on something else, copying moves but making them my own.
BBH: If you could put anything on a giant billboard â what would it say?
EM: âFind the goodâ. We tend to get lost in a mad news cycle but there are allies, good moments, and great stories to be told. Our job is to focus on that.
Thanks for having me! Here are some suggestions for further reading:
How PR gives VC an edge by Marie Fabiunke.
What Makes a VC Fund Tier I, shared with me by Janice Sommer.
Meet the Chief Brand Content Officer by Jennifer C. Clemente.
