Futureworks Incubator champions and supports the growth of hardware startups across New York City. Made possible by NYCEDC and spearheaded by SecondMuse, the Incubator's workshop series focuses on the top priorities in a hardware founder’s journey.

On June 12th, we focus on Storytelling & PR for Product Startups, using Futureworks Fellow Grouphug as a case study. Our panelists will address questions like: How do I build a narrative around my startup? What is my brand proposition? How do I pitch to press, or otherwise raise awareness for my product?

SPEAKERS

Kyle Marzonie, Red Antler

Kyle Marzonie is the New Business Director at Red Antler, the leading brand company for startups and new ventures. In her role, she helps Red Antler identify potential client partners and is continually moving the business forward in fresh, strategic ways. Kyle came to Red Antler from the startup world, where she helped drive revenue and partnerships at LearnVest, a financial tech company acquired by Northwestern Mutual and Fatherly, a digital media destination for young dads.

Jacqui Wimberly, Small Girls PR

Jacqui is a PR professional with 7 years of experience working with media and clients to land top-tier, meaningful press coverage for consumer-facing startups, apps, products and services. As a Director at Small Girls PR, Jacqui leads a team of publicists developing and executing both long-term strategies and creative short-term campaigns to garner earned media coverage for clients ranging from DoorDash to Modsy. Before joining the team at Small Girls PR in 2015, Jacqui worked at BIGfish Communications in Boston. Originally from the D.C. area, Jacqui graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Journalism.

Krystal Persaud, Founder, Grouphug

Krystal is obsessed with developing products that fall in the intersection of education, technology, and society. She's the Founder of sustainable tech company Grouphug, and currently a Fellow in Futureworks 2019 Hardware Incubator. Krystal is the former Senior Director of Product Design at the hardware startup littleBits, and a graduate of the Georgia Tech School of Industrial Design. She's also an adjunct instructor at NJIT & SVA. She's spoken at numerous events including the annual AIGA Design Conference, IDSA’s International Design Conference, FIT's Women & Technology Symposium, MIT’s Sandbox Conference, & Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything Festival.

Nickay Piper, Chief Marketing Officer, Way Creative House

Nickay Piper is an award-winning entrepreneur and digital marketing strategist with over 8 years’ experience in producing digital marketing campaigns for brands and helping leaders tap into their audiences through the magic of storytelling. For the past year, Nickay has been working on her latest brainchild, Way Creative House, where her team designs experiential marketing campaigns and their corresponding technologies. As an Adjunct Professor and author of one of SUNY WCC’s first digital marketing curricula, Nickay has instructed and consulted with corporate team members from companies like Fujifilm, Pepsi, Xerox and IBM.

Agenda

6:00PM Networking & Tour of Collab

6:30PM Intro to Brand, Marketing & PR

7:30PM Case Study: Grouphug

8:00PM Breakout Sesssions

8:30PM Q&A

Hosted by Collab, this Futureworks Incubator workshop is free.

About Collab

Collab gives innovators and creative entrepreneurs access to prototyping and digital fabrication equipment in the heart of Bushwick, Brooklyn as well as the mentoring and space to build their ideas. Collab offers 24/7 open-access space, permanent desks for entrepreneurs and private studios for companies. Members can reserve space for events, classes and seminars. Founded in 2009, the collective has helped launch more than ten companies with a combined valuation of $200 million+, creating more than 250 new jobs.

The Futureworks Incubator Storytelling & PR Workshop