Situation
As a startup company, Neurensic and members of its executive team were new to media interaction. The company needed a complete tutorial on messaging, interviews, and media relationship building, particularly when it came to public speaking on record. We recommend walking the line between protecting company strategy and sharing valuable industry insights only after thorough planning and preparation. 3Points came in with a primary focus on helping Neurensic’s leadership team build relationships with journalists covering AI and trading technology. While there are rarely quick wins in this realm, preparation and authentic relationships are eventually rewarded with meaningful media placements.
Strategy
3Points implemented a series of discovery sessions to draw out key industry issues and unique Neurensic solutions. Through detailed discussions and penetrating questions, 3Points created key themes and vocabulary to be used in marketing materials and as ‘go-to’ responses for introductions and interview questions. Once the team was comfortable with the groundwork, 3Points provided practice sessions where Neurensic leaders were able to develop explanations of their precise industry views and their complex technology. The goal was to build their public speaking abilities to the point where leadership could succinctly explain their organization’s intense research and technology with various levels of complexity to both local and trade media.
Business Impact
3Points’ deep-running relationships across all media types led to numerous placements throughout Neurensic’s first year in business, including pieces in Crain’s Chicago Business, Finance Magnates, Chicago Tribune’s Blue Sky Innovation, and MarketVoice. Additionally, Neurensic’s founder and CEO, David Widerhorn, was recognized in the 2016 edition of Inc’s 30 under 30.
These high-profile placements created the credibility for Neurensic to conduct capital raises and for larger firms to consider Neurensic for strategic partnerships and long term licenses. Neurensic became a legitimate force in the artificial intelligence and finance communities, recognized by customers, investors and recruits alike. The company built a team of domain experts in trading compliance, data science, and artificial intelligence and closed millions of dollars in funding throughout multiple rounds.
3Points has been an ideal partner for us. They know the fintech space and could pitch our offering as experts, rather than outsiders. They know media relations, and were able to use their network and expertise to secure a number of high-profile placements. And as a lean firm themselves, they understood our challenges as a startup and remained flexible to our needs throughout our partnership.”
-Mike Cavanaugh, Chief Revenue Officer, Neurensic
