From the outset, Liberty’s has centered around tailor made communication services for technology start-ups and early stage companies. We knew from day one that companies embarking on their business journey don’t always have the resources internally to devise and execute a robust communications program. Whilst they are acutely aware this is what they need to grow the business, it’s always a question of focus and what to prioritize in order to grow the business in a sustained way. Early stage companies need an agency that understands their challenges and growing pains and can work as an extension of their own team, often on an international level, but often don’t have the budget to support global execution. Liberty understands this and has aimed to meet these needs while providing value added, bespoke services that works around what clients can afford.
In our experience, start-ups need specific and dedicated services, including hot-desking, where a member of our staff works from their office, in-depth technology knowledge, to understand the market differentiation and draft strategic, creative thought-leadership content while conveying the right messages to the right media at the right time. It’s not just about the usual set of PR tactics on offer from many agencies, all of our campaigns are underpinned by market and technology knowledge, the competitive landscape, the needs of those who purchase the technology offered and how the industry is pivoting.
In over 20+ years of service, we have seen a shift in how start-ups and early stage companies are approaching their growth plans. Previously, the goal for a majority of start-ups was to get to IPO quickly, but lately we’re seeing more clients needing support to obtain Unicorn status. In 2013, when Aileen Lee of Cowboy Ventures, coined the term “Unicorn” there were only 39 venture-backed Unicorns in the world. Today, the herd of Unicorn companies in the Bay Area alone has grown to 109, with an additional 30 firms identified so far this year. Twelve of the region’s new unicorns are enterprise-focused businesses, six are consumer-focused startups and two became $2 billion-plus Unicorns within three years after launch.
Today, companies aren’t feeling the pressure to IPO due to the availability of private capital in the market and less of a rush for liquidity. And there’s limited downside as companies have enough cash to do things like compensate, attract and retain employees, that leads them to wonder if there’s really a need to go public at all.
Whatever the desired outcome, Liberty works alongside our clients to achieve their long-term goals, whether it’s to be a Unicorn or to IPO, and beyond. We develop our strategy from day one to make sure our key performance indicators align with a client’s desired end-result and that we’re creating the right strategies to get them there. One client we recently helped launch is Pactum, an AI-based system that helps global companies to autonomously offer personalized, commercial negotiations on a massive scale. Due to our strategic messaging and distribution tactics of their unique offering, we were able to create a buzz around their services which led to them receiving meeting requests from some of the world’s largest businesses.
But of all of our clients, the one’s that have seen the most success are the ones that envelope us into their company and share their aspirations and allow us to support them long-term, seeing them through to their next level, whatever that may be!
