Brand Stories, Finance,  Social Marketing, Startups and Strategy

Huge Portfolio

New Enterprise Associates is a global venture capital firm. Their portfolio contains many companies across multiple vertical sectors. But they needed a digital marketing agency to raise their profile among younger entrepreneurs and the next wave of startups seeking funding and IPOs.

Startup marketing presents its own conflicting challenges. NEA needs to be conservative enough for its partner investors, but cool and cutting-edge enough to feel like the right fit for inventors in their early 20s.

Telling the Story

Our digital agency has enjoyed a relationship with NEA over many projects related to their latest investments. Our experience across verticals as different from each other as technology, automotive, and health care allows us to act and react quickly to their needs, communicating complex brand stories across multiple industries and different media.

Cohesive Messaging

Marketing startups in NEA’s investment portfolio means developing positioning among many competitors and quickly communicating a value proposition.

Complex Stories Made Simple

NEA uses the films and web videos we’ve produced for them on their website and other digital properties, to promote their investments and further other opportunities.

Updating Partners

NEA’s annual partner meetings – where investment partners come to hear updates on current investments and to evaluate future funds. Most recently, NEA 14 became the largest fund ever raised: $2.6 billion USD.

NEA’s presence at events like SXSWi and Chicago Ideas Week is crucial to their strategy. Being “on the ground” allows them to network and connect with young entrepreneurs, fresh ideas, and new companies.

It’s crucial to be there — but it’s even more important to stand out. Whether we invite double-platinum band Weezer to play an invitation-only concert, or produce a multi-product launch party, these events promote NEA’s portfolio of companies and position their brand as hip and welcoming.

Our company’s role varies with each new engagement. We’ve managed event marketing by producing and promoting NEA events. We’ve produced video and created presentations to communicate the energy of those events to other audiences. We record video and create film and video presentations communicate the energy of those events to a broader audience.

Branding

For an SXSW Interactive networking event, we produced a music video that featured Groupon Founder and CEO Andrew Mason on keyboards and an NEA partner on vocals.

Seating was limited to select investors, and the event positioned NEA as exclusive and one of the hippest places to be at “South-By.”

Event Media

We have produced assets and captured video for NEA in the US, China, and India.

For NEA’s party at Chicago Ideas Week, we created a high-impact video loop to play on stage and in the reception areas.

The video celebrates local NEA success stories and shows why NEA events are where connections are made to bring innovative ideas to market.

Product Promotion & Social Marketing

We helped launch two NEA-funded apps, Loopt and Tabbedout, through a two-day series of parties and cross-promotions that leveraged the social strengths of each.

From a Jack Johnson ukulele — to book signings with Zappos Founder and CEO Tony Hsieh — to round after round of free drinks — the promotion had people running across town, dancing in the streets, and downloading the apps just to be part of the excitement.