Case Study
Techstars is a global start-up accelerator and venture capital firm that supports the growth of disruptors around the world. We helped Techstars Toronto develop and refine their brand in Canada in order to attract a larger, more qualified set of applicants to
their 2024 cohort.Decoding Crypto with Henri & Hodler was created to improve literacy on the emerging technologies of Crypto, Blockchain, and Web3.
We worked directly with their managing director, Sunil Sharma, to leverage his brand, network, and personality as a major driver of engagement. Sunil ultimately became the face of the digital marketing campaign we developed and our partnership was crucial to the repositioning and expansion of Techstars Toronto’s offering.
Challenge
Leverage social media to attract qualified applicants to their latest cohort of start-ups.
Outcome
An organic content creation strategy was both an overall highlight of the cohort’s thesis, and twenty-four 60-second interviews were conducted by the managing direction and founders, highlighting the caliber of talent and experience that the target audience would resonate with.
Project Scope
Brand & Marketing Strategy
Full Funnel Campaign Creation
Content Creation
Collateral Design & Production
Community Engagement & Management
Over a two-day facilitated session, we surfaced the challenges SPJA as an organization faced. In the process, they prioritized the needs and goals of the business and its customers. This became the foundation for the branding and marketing plans for the 2017 event. By using an iterative approach to the events and working closely with the Techstars team, we were able to completely revolutionize the way in which investors, founders and partners engaged with one another.
Through a series of exercises in the strategy session, we were able to extract and refine the key pillars of the brand. This defined the brand’s personality: how it should look, sound, and act.
Bringing Will Be Live on board was one of the best program decisions we made! We needed to help our founders cut through the noise and make our accelerator stand out and they delivered beyond expectations. The impact was both immediate and measurable. Within just weeks, our content wasn't just outperforming on metrics, it was being referenced by our community during our calls.
Their partnership transformed our approach to attracting a new wave of founders, partners and investor into our cohort. Will Be Live delivered exactly what we needed: thinking and execution that turns storytelling into tangible business outcomes. Highly recommend!
Shibin Dotco
Portfolio Manager
The long-standing cohort of Toronto’s Techstars has built years of brand recognition into the ecosystem. We took the individuals the represented the true innovation that was being created and refined its representation.
After the program concludes, we focus on amplifying its success and building a lasting legacy for both the cohort and the accelerator. By highlighting founder achievements, sharing success stories, and promoting the program’s impact, we ensure that the momentum continues to attract future applicants, investors, and partners.
Techstars was able to create greater awareness and deeper connection with their target audience. By the end of our initiative, we had seen a 70% overall increase in the number of qualified applicants, increased community involvement from mentors, and heightened brand lift for all founders involved.
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