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York IE Expands Global Advisory Services with Key Promotions and India Operations Growth

Posted on by York IE News

Manchester, NH – April 8, 2025 – York IE, a global venture capital and advisory firm serving technology companies from pre-revenue to $200 million, is strengthening its advisory services and scaling its India operations center as part of its continued growth and maturation. To support this expansion, York IE is implementing key structural enhancements and leadership promotions across its global teams.

“As we continue to mature and scale, expanding our capabilities in India is a natural next step. As I told the Honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr. Bhupendra Patel, when I met with him earlier this year, we are committed to building a world-class venture capital and advisory firm. These leadership changes will help us further support tech companies across all stages of growth.”

Kyle York

CEO of York IE

Strengthening Advisory Leadership with Key Promotions

To accelerate the growth of York IE’s GTM and G&A advisory services in India, Mohit Surani has been promoted to Director of GTM & Business Systems, overseeing the region’s entire GTM and G&A advisory service delivery teams. Mohit will also lead the Website Squads, SEO/Digital Marketing, and Graphics teams, while continuing to work closely with Harshad Patel (GTM Solutions Architect) and Hima Parsana (GTM Project Management).

“Mohit has been instrumental in expanding our advisory service capabilities, and his leadership will be key in scaling our operations. His expertise and focus on end-user experience and business growth, combined with our proven ability to scale teams and processes, will drive the next phase of York IE’s growth.”

Mike Veilleux

Managing Director of Advisory.

In the R&D division, York IE is restructuring its operations into a matrix-driven organization to support the current scale and breadth of capabilities. As part of this evolution:

  • Evan York has been elevated to VP, Advisory, R&D, reflecting the expansion of R&D services to include our growing AI, data, and emerging technology services.
  • Ishita Agarwal has been promoted to Director of Product & UX, R&D Advisory, overseeing all client service deliveries across subscriptions and projects.
  • Irfan Harun has been promoted to Director of Engineering, R&D Advisory, leading the company’s engineering teams and ensuring technical excellence in service delivery.
  • Several Product and User Experience leadership positions have been opened which the company is focusing on promoting within, but may have more open positions to fill going forward.

“This new structure ensures a streamlined and efficient approach to our R&D services. With Ishita and Irfan leading their respective teams, we are well-positioned to continue driving innovation and delivering exceptional value to our clients. I’m also excited to see Mohit grow our other advisory areas to broaden our entire Advisory-as-a-Service platform.”

Kalrav Parsana

Vice President, India Operations

A Growing Global Team with a Strong Future

With these promotions and structural enhancements, York IE is reinforcing its commitment to global expansion and operational excellence. The company continues to invest in India, both in people and internal technology, as a key hub for advisory services, ensuring it remains at the forefront of helping tech companies grow and scale. This confidence continues to be supported by York IE’s clients who believe the company’s global team is a major differentiator.

“One of the best parts of working with York IE has been the incredible support from their global team. The meetings with the India team were especially valuable. They brought a level of insight, dedication, and enthusiasm that made a real impact on our business. It truly felt like they were an extension of our own team.”

Joe Whitten

CEO, Apparel Impact, a York IE R&D client

With these strategic changes, York IE is poised for its next phase of growth. As the company continues to expand its global reach, it remains dedicated to empowering startups and scaling companies with best-in-class advisory services to support their growing operations.

For more information follow York IE on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/york-ie/.

7 SaaS Website Best Practices for 2024

Posted on by Cassandra Cattabriga Livingstone

An effective SaaS website can be game-changing for a growing company.

Your website is often your first impression on prospective customers, investors and partners. It’s an opportunity for you to tell your story: who you are, how you can help your customers and why you’re the best pick for the job.

It’s also an important business tool. Nearly 75% of internet users judge a company’s credibility on their website’s presentation. And people are making those judgments quickly — like really quickly. It takes about 50 milliseconds (aka 0.05 seconds) for users to form an opinion on your website.

That’s why following SaaS website best practices is so crucial when creating a site for your business.

The SaaS world is notoriously competitive. Your customers often have options. Plus, if they’re going to entrust you with their software needs, they’ll first need to see you’re capable of developing a user-friendly website.

So what’s the best way to make a first impression in this high-stakes game?

At York IE, it’s a question my team helps clients answer every single day. We’re equipped to help growing tech and SaaS companies develop highly effective websites. That includes everything: compelling copy, eye-popping designs and sleek functionality.

Let’s explore seven SaaS website best practices that we follow with our clients:

How Do I Make a Good SaaS Website?

To make a good SaaS website, follow these seven best practices:

  1. Map out your preferences before building.
  2. Focus on high-priority pages.
  3. Answer prospects’ questions before they ask them.
  4. Write clear, concise copy.
  5. Include CTAs above the fold.
  6. Ensure your website is user-friendly.
  7. Optimize high-value pages for SEO.

1. Map out your preferences before building.

You wouldn’t start driving without turning on your GPS. You also wouldn’t pack for a trip without an itinerary. Pick your favorite cliché; it likely applies to building a SaaS website.

Before you start building, it’s important to map out your expectations for the site as a whole. Put yourself into the user’s shoes: What’s most important to them? How can you lead them on an engaging journey through your site?

You can build a website from scratch, or use a templated website from a service such as WordPress to speed up the process. You’ll have to decide on your color scheme, top-level navigation preferences and all necessary integrations.

We always suggest studying some of your favorite websites (competitors, comparators, aspirational companies). What specific elements or functionality do you want to emulate?

2. Focus on high-priority pages.

We recommend focusing on a few page types as you build the foundation for your website:

Homepage

In many ways, the homepage is the “first impression of your first impression.” Make it count!

The first words that appear on the page — also known as the H1 — should provide a clear value prop on the value you bring to your target audience. Include success metrics and customer testimonials high up on the page. A single, strong hero image (ideally a screenshot/animation/video of your product) will help the reader visualize working with you.

Include clear calls to action for visitors (“Try a Demo,” “Contact Us,” “Download Now,” etc.). More on that further down!

Product Page(s)

This can be one or several pages, depending on how many products you have. If you are selling more than one product, consider a product overview page, with subpages for each product.

Include videos, screenshots and other visuals that show off your product as much as possible. Let the power of your product do the talking! Be sure to highlight the features of your product, with a focus on how they benefit your customers. If you have them, quotes and testimonials from customers provide vital social proof.

Pricing

Many subscription-based businesses (i.e., many SaaS companies) create a dedicated page for pricing options for their product tiers, whether that is based on users, usage or product features. You can also add pricing to your product pages.

Resources

A Resources section allows you to showcase industry expertise, thought leadership and more. It’s also a great way to build domain authority, which means your website is viewed by search engines as relevant and credible. Your landing pages help establish domain authority on critical topics, but your blogs can help you test new keyword pillars and learn about what search behaviors are driving relevant visitors to your site. This will help inform which topics are worth building richer content around.

It’s important to keep this up to date with new content at least a few times a month. Having a consistent blog is great to start, but as you expand, consider diversifying your content to ensure your audiences can consume it the way they want to. A Resources page can eventually house your eBooks, one-pagers, webinars, etc.

About Us

At baseline, you should have an About Us page that gives an overview of your company, your mission/history and your leadership. (Building a messaging hierarchy can be a great first step in this process).

Many early-stage companies also use their About Us to link to key news and awards. Once you have a healthy cadence of press releases, we recommend creating a dedicated press release section for prospects and investors to check out.

Have fun with your About Us page! Do you have core company values? A mascot? A rallying cry? All great things to add to your About Us page to give your company personality!

SEO Pillar Pagespillar-long-tail-keyword

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps get more new visitors to your site. Building SEO pillar pages is one way to drive your strategy.

Websites should be approached like a garden; instead of plants, you’re strategically nurturing your ICP. To grow your digital reach in the right direction, you must develop content that is a.) informative for visitors and b.) targets valuable keywords to help build domain authority.

SEO pillar pages concentrate on important use cases or technology keywords. They delve into specific topics to provide valuable information about those keywords and to showcase how your platform adds value in that context.

Supporting top-to-bottom funnel content, SEO pillar pages are highly valuable pages for visitors and search engines as they facilitate awareness, evaluation and conversion.

Comprehensive SEO keyword research can help identify relevant terms and topics that resonate with the target audience.

pillar-pages

3. Answer prospects’ questions before they ask them.

A compelling website will anticipate the questions that arise from its visitors. Prospects should be able to answer these questions quickly when visiting your website:

  • What do you do?
  • Who do you do it for?
  • How does the product work?
  • How can I learn more?

4. Write clear, concise copy.

This tip could easily be called, “Don’t feel the need to cram everything onto one page.”

When it comes to copy, less is often more. People only spend 54 seconds on a webpage on average. Focus on the most important things they should absorb in that short time.

Instead of saying, “We use machine learning to help automotive companies reduce their marketing costs,” try something a little more concise.

“Reduce automotive marketing costs with ML,” says the same thing in half the words — and it’s written in a way that inspires action for the reader.

Also, be sure to use white space effectively. Customers won’t be able to focus if text and images are flooding their screens.

5. Be intentional with your CTAs.

Your website should educate visitors on what you do. It should also inspire them to take action.

Decide what that action is: Request a Demo, Try Now, Contact Us, etc. Then try to get the site visitors to oblige as quickly as possible.

Include CTAs above the fold (top of the website) as much as possible, including in your header. On the footer, you can include links to your social media profiles, along with a CTA for visitors to sign up for your newsletter (if you have one).

6. Ensure your website is user-friendly.

Website user experience (UX) makes or breaks first impressions. Develop your website with UX in mind.

Whether you’re using a template or building from scratch, focus on responsive design. Your website should respond to the user’s behavior, and run smoothly no matter how they’re accessing your site. Remember that 60% of online traffic comes from mobile devices; your website should be optimized for both desktop and mobile usage.

Brands should also be thinking about accessibility. Ensuring ADA compliance in web content provides equal access to information for people with disabilities, fostering inclusivity and accessibility.

7. Optimize high-value pages for SEO.

A tool such as Moz can help you find high-value SEO keywords that your audience is searching for. Ensure those words are thoughtfully sprinkled throughout your website copy — early and often — to achieve a higher ranking in search results.

Here are a few additional technical SEO best practices:

  • H1/title tags should only be between 50-70 characters in length.  Only include one H1 tag for each webpage.
  • Meta descriptions should be 160 characters or less.
  • Shorter URLs are better! Your website hierarchy should be reflected in your URL parameters. Use the exact keyword phrase, if possible.
  • H2/subheads should contain targeted keyword phrases.

Creating a Website for Your Business with York IE

Following these SaaS website best practices will send you on your way to a website that educates, entertains and inspires your site visitors.

If this all seems overwhelming: Fear not! York IE helps growing SaaS and tech brands build effective websites — at a price that fits the budgets of high-growth companies.

Chat with our team today to learn how we can turn your website into an engine for conversion and business growth.

York IE, VCET Partner to Support Vermont’s Startup Community

Posted on by York IE

(MANCHESTER, N.H., Feb. 29) — York IE, a vertically integrated strategic growth firm, today announced its partnership with the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET) to help support tech startups in the state.

Through the partnership, York IE will offer advisory services to VCET companies at a 10% discount. These services, which help businesses navigate the pressure and complexity of rapid scaling, will complement VCET’s benefits, including free business advising, mentorship, accelerator and coworking space in downtown Burlington, access to capital through venture funds and syndicate partners, and a robust platform of events, content and connection.

The partnership reflects York IE’s continued efforts to partner with state and local startup organizations across the country — and the world.

“Working with York IE and VCET gives me access to everything I need to scale,” said Molly Yanus, founder of StrAlign, a Vermont-based provider of strategic decision-making and prioritization software. “VCET offers access to high-level strategy, connections and capital, and the York IE team builds on that strategic guidance while also providing help at the execution level. It’s the right combination for anyone looking to build a sustainable, tech-enabled company.”

The nonprofit Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies opened in 2005 to support technology-enabled startups across Vermont. VCET believes that entrepreneurs can change the future by creating next-generation jobs, bringing new approaches to pressing problems and channeling their creativity, intellect and passion into impactful business solutions. With $15 million in evergreen capital across two funds, VCET has backed over 30 startups and emerging growth firms since 2010.

“York IE’s Advisory as a Service provides a natural extension to what we offer at VCET, and it could be a total game-changer for some of the companies we work with,” said Sam Roach-Gerber, vice president, VCET. “In this age of lean and nimble companies, entrepreneurs deserve partnerships like this that offer them all the tools they need to scale.”

York IE has expanded its network in the state of Vermont, which includes a partnership with the Vermont Technology Alliance. York IE provides hands-on guidance and expertise in three core areas:

  • product development;
  • growth marketing; and
  • finance.

“We’re excited to offer our strategic growth advice and tactical support to VCET’s roster of technology-enabled startups and help supercharge their scaling,” said Adam Coughlin, CMO, York IE. “York IE is ready to build this type of partnership in every state’s startup ecosystem.”

To learn more about VCET, visit https://vcet.co/. And to learn more about York IE’s Advisory as a Service, visit https://york.ie/advisory-services/.

ABOUT YORK IE
York IE® is a vertically integrated strategic growth and investment firm for technology companies. The company supports ambitious entrepreneurs, operators and investors on their quest to build startups, innovate at scale and disrupt markets. York IE leverages its proprietary data and automation technology and deep operational expertise to provide advisory as a service and to selectively invest in early-stage B2B SaaS. Fuel® Your Strategic Growth at York IE.

ABOUT VERMONT CENTER FOR EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES (VCET)
VCET is a 501 (c) 3 public benefit corporation serving all of Vermont. VCET’s programs and capital funds offer select early stage firms substantive business mentoring along with traditional business incubator services and infrastructure. Since 2005, the VCET team has worked with entrepreneurs helping to crystallize concepts, assemble teams, craft business models, secure resources and locate early customers. VCET programs, facilities and capital programs serve a select few firms by supporting the design, positioning and acceleration of a new product idea, a better service offering or a truly breakthrough platform technology.

York IE, Reveneer Partner to Streamline GTM for Growing Companies

Posted on by York IE

(MANCHESTER, N.H., Dec. 12) — York IE, a vertically integrated strategic growth firm, today announced its partnership with inside sales services provider Reveneer.

Together, the firms will offer strategic advice and tech-enabled tactical support to help growing companies integrate sales and marketing, creating a more efficient and effective go-to-market motion.

“Growth at all costs is no longer viable,” said Greg Casale, CEO, Reveneer. “Companies need to build solid foundations for sustainable growth, and it all starts with a strong GTM approach.”

York IE’s GTM Advisory as a Service helps businesses build strong brands, grow their audiences and convert those audiences into customers through a seamless funnel. Reveneer provides fully dedicated and managed outbound sales development representative teams as a service. The company uses cutting-edge technology and data-driven insights to build inside sales operations that quickly generate a predictable, repeatable pipeline for its clients.

The combination of offerings empowers companies to:

  • create a repeatable sales process with predictable results;
  • integrate sales and marketing initiatives for a powerful GTM engine; and
  • provide sales teams and prospects with the content they need to close deals faster.

“Reveneer and York IE have the proven operational expertise that businesses need to overcome the GTM challenges of the current economic climate,” said Adam Coughlin, CMO, York IE. “We don’t provide empty advice; we act as an extension of your team to get the job done.”

To request more information about working with York IE and Reveneer, visit https://york.ie/advisory-services-request/.

York IE, Maine Technology Institute Partner to Help Startups Scale Sustainably

Posted on by York IE

(Manchester, N.H., Sept. 20) — York IE, a vertically integrated strategic growth and investment firm, today announced it has been approved as a consulting advisor in the new Maine Entrepreneurial Resource Corps (MERC) program at Maine Technology Institute (MTI). The program provides Maine startups the tools and expertise they need to achieve sustainable growth.

York IE is now an approved and vetted provider for MTI’s MERC program, which offers a database of startup consultants spanning 40-plus business-building categories. York IE’s advisory services provide hands-on help to startups across three core areas:

  • Product Development and Strategy;
  • Marketing and Communications; and
  • Go-to-Market and Revenue Operations.

The firm has already worked with several Maine-based startups, including Defendify, VETRO and 40GRID.

“In the startup world, it’s not realistic for founding team members to have mastery in every area of business growth,” said Emily Braley, the new manager of the MERC program at MTI. “Partnering with a firm like York IE, which takes a hands-on approach to guiding its clients, ensures that our MERC database is filled with qualified consultants to help Maine’s startup leaders address critical gaps and maximize their growth potential.”

Growing companies can use MERC to match with reliable, affordable consultants that assist in developing short-term projects to address specific skill shortcomings. Maine-based startups in MTI’s seven technology sectors with under $2 million in annual revenue are eligible for the program.

“York IE and MTI have the shared goal of enabling sustainable company growth through affordable, hands-on services and expertise,” York IE CEO Kyle York said. “Especially in uncertain economic conditions, it’s crucial for growing companies to still have access to the resources that can help them reach new milestones. We’re excited to offer our advisory services to more Maine startups, helping them succeed and ultimately give back to the community.”

MERC projects ideally last no more than three months, with defined milestones, and are not to exceed a project fee of $20,000. MTI pays 50% of the fees for approved projects.

Businesses seeking to participate in the MERC program can apply to be matched with a prospective consultant beginning in September. Those seeking more information on the application process can email Emily Braley or call 207-481-7047.

York IE Brings RevOps Expertise to Early-Stage Startups

Posted on by York IE

(Manchester, N.H., Sept. 13) — York IE, a vertically integrated strategic growth and investment firm, today announced the launch of revenue operations services to help startups go to market and scale their sales more effectively.

The firm is acquiring Jameson Strategies, a RevOps as a Service consultancy led by co-founders Craig Handy and Sebastian Silva, who were previously RevOps leaders at Shopify and Assent Compliance. Handy and Silva, who will lead the new services at York IE, bring with them a strong network of consultants and innovators in the areas of RevOps and go-to-market (GTM).

“RevOps expertise is normally available only at later stages of growth,” Handy said. “By offering it to early-stage startups, we’re supporting York IE’s vision of building successful, sustainable companies with a well-defined GTM strategy and a mature tech stack. Additionally, by augmenting existing RevOps teams at later-stage companies, we can help give them the edge to win in more competitive and mature markets.”

The demand for RevOps continues to grow for companies at all stages, and those who invest in it are experiencing tremendous results. Of companies that use revenue operations and intelligence solutions, 59% see improved win rates and 53% report increased net-dollar retention, according to research by Forrester.

York IE’s RevOps services unify people, processes, technology and data to help B2B SaaS companies across a wide range of industries, including ecommerce, cybersecurity, health IT, supply chain software and human resources technology. The services are ideal both for early-stage companies looking to build their tech stack right from day one, as well as for hyperscale companies looking to streamline and increase efficiency in their GTM processes.

The offering is part of York IE’s Go-to-Market and Revenue Operations advisory services, which  include:

  • Bookings and revenue modeling
  • Pricing and packaging modeling support
  • Hiring planning and quota modeling
  • GTM process and technology design
  • RevOps and GTM best practices training
  • Technology stack assessment and overhaul
  • Managed technology stack services

RevOps Leaders

Handy, now York IE’s director of revenue operations, and Silva, lead RevOps strategist, founded Jameson Strategies in 2018 to provide enterprise-grade RevOps expertise to growing businesses in an affordable way.

They previously worked on the global revenue operations and technology team at Shopify, a publicly traded leader in SaaS, where Handy led revenue automation, tooling and enablement, while Silva worked on RevOps. Before joining Shopify, the two were leaders in revenue and marketing operations at Assent Compliance (a unicorn backed by Vista Equity Partners and Warburg Pincus), where York IE CEO Kyle York was an independent board member.

“We want to give growing businesses access to top-notch RevOps expertise — and also break the mold of rigid, big tech consulting in favor of a creative and personal approach,” Silva said. “We balk at the idea of transactional engagements, opting instead to foster long-term, client-focused partnerships.”

To learn more about York IE’s Go-to-Market and Revenue Operations services, visit https://york.ie/advisory-services.

Inside York IE’s Acquisition of Jameson Strategies

Posted on by Craig Handy

Today marks an exciting new chapter as we announce York IE’s acquisition of my firm, Jameson Strategies. What lies ahead is an exciting adventure I am thrilled to embark on. In this moment, reflecting on what brought us together, I am so very grateful for the journey thus far and how that story propels us into the future.

Seb Silva and I started Jameson Strategies as a little side hustle to bring the lessons learned from enterprise-grade RevOps expertise to growing businesses that didn’t have access to it. We started with what we thought at the time was a grand goal to become the de facto Salesforce firm in Canada’s National Capital Region (NCR). We quickly learned two things:

  1. That was easier said than done.
  2. We weren’t thinking big enough.

In the early days, we tried a few different kinds of offerings that likely didn’t make too much sense to our first clients. But after more and more engagements, we finally landed on the RevOps as a Service model that really clicked. From there we enjoyed tremendous growth and had the wonderful opportunity to work with businesses not only in the NCR, but also in Montreal and San Francisco.

We differentiated our RevOps as a Service by focusing on long-term partnerships, as opposed to transactional work, and by expanding our offering to support the full breadth of RevOps. Our brand of RevOps was about the unification of people, process, technology and data to drive business growth. We believe that supporting companies early on with expertise leads to stronger foundations and more responsible and sustainable businesses.

One client of ours happened to be working with York IE, and after introductions we had the classic Spider-Man moment. (You know, the meme where all the Spider-Mans point at each other because they are the same.)

Though we offered different services, it was incredibly obvious that the York IE team shared our ideals of being people oriented, focused on responsible business growth and, most refreshingly, fun. Over the following months we would collaborate and further develop a deep rapport.

It became clear that, to continue to grow and deliver on our objective of providing enterprise-grade RevOps expertise, we wouldn’t be able to juggle full-time jobs and Jameson Strategies at the same time.

While discussing our next moves, fate had another thing in store: York IE approached us with the opportunity to join their family and accelerate our growth plans. York IE provides the platform to amplify and expand on our RevOps mission while we add the connective tissue that is RevOps to York IE’s advisory services offerings. Ultimately it presented an opportunity to mutually take a major step forward.

This next step means that we will be able to help countless more businesses succeed by leveling up their data strategies, optimizing their tech stacks, aligning their go-to-market (GTM) processes across teams and becoming more buyer-centric with enhancements in product-led growth and client-first sales design. York IE completes the full picture with robust marketing and communications, product development and strategy, GTM and financial expertise to take startups and enterprises alike into their next phase of growth.

We are ecstatic to be part of York IE and are extremely thankful to the leadership team for presenting such a thrilling opportunity. What comes next is sure to turn heads, and I can’t wait for you all to see!

York IE Hires New Advisory Services Manager: Aleeza Goodman

Posted on by Aleeza Goodman

When you think marketing and New Hampshire, historically there have not been many opportunities. I couldn’t be happier to see York IE disrupting the status quo for startups and offering advisory services to help them grow, based right here in my home state.

I’m a New Hampshire girl, born and raised, and there was never a question of what I wanted my professional focus to be. If my obsession with Shark Tank didn’t clue me in, my love of every marketing class and eventual degree in marketing should have told me that I’d end up at a startup, working with other startups.

However, the last five years of my marketing career have been spent working either in Downtown Boston or remotely as part of corporate America in the insurance industry — not exactly the Shark Tank dream I had hoped for. This meant my first days either consisted of plugging in my laptop at home or putting on my blazer to go to work, getting a tour of a large corporate office, and being shown to my cubicle for a day of paperwork and meetings with human resources.

My first day at York IE was nothing of the sort.

To start, I got to wear jeans. Already, a huge win. Then I saw the office had every gadget you could imagine a startup having: bean bag chairs, a basketball hoop, cold brew on tap and golf clubs and balls littered about.

What I did not expect was that my first day would kick off with a company-wide meeting to go over last quarter’s results: the wins, the opportunities for improvement, the plan for future growth, all of it. I got a full look into the history, evolution and what was to come at York IE on my very first day.

Walking into a new job can be scary. Walking into a new industry can be terrifying. But receiving the most transparency I’d ever had at any job, let alone one I’d been at for mere hours, only reaffirmed that I had found a company I would be proud to represent.

Transparency is something I am proud to bring front and center when working with clients. To be extended the ultimate level of transparency on my very first day showed me that at the very core, I aligned with the values at York IE.

Although my most recent work brought me to Downtown Boston, my marketing career actually began right here in Manchester, N.H. as an account manager at a direct mail, print and signage company. During that time I discovered my passion for working with a variety of clients from a wide spectrum of industries. The deadline-sensitive, fast-paced environment kick-started my need for efficiency and an acute attention to detail in all aspects of my work, and my focus on creative problem solving.

I’m excited to live out my Shark Tank dream and use those skills to help York IE disrupt the trajectory of the startup landscape, all while bringing marketing and growth opportunities to the Granite State.

York IE Advisory Services Celebrates 2 Years of Helping Startups Grow

Posted on by Kate Campbell

Today we’re celebrating two years of York IE’s advisory services practice, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to help so many startups grow into successful, sustainable companies.

York IE has doubled its monthly advisory services revenue in the past year and now has more than 50 advisory services clients, including ThreatBlockr, StreamShark, Shoobx, Launchable, Naya and Zippity. Roughly 40% of our clients are also in our investment portfolio, demonstrating our commitment as investors to have skin in the game and provide more value to our portfolio companies.

“In a world of commoditized capital at earlier stages, York IE is the team you want on your side,” said Rev Reddy, CEO of VoyageSMS, one of our portfolio companies and services clients.

New Services for Startups

To help meet the evolving needs of startups, York IE launched these new services offerings over the past year:

Research and Development, which is for early-stage companies that have limited or no in-house development teams, as well as for more mature companies looking to complement existing teams, add burst capacity or get functional support.

Financial Operations and Capital Strategy, which helps businesses develop and strengthen their back-office finances and prepare for investment.

Talent and Culture, which helps companies attract and retain the best people and turn their culture into a strategic differentiator to unlock sustainable, profitable growth.

These services joined York IE’s three initial offerings:

  • Market and Product
  • Go-to-Market and Sales Scaling
  • Marketing and Communications

“York IE was instrumental in helping to announce our seed round,” said Bailey Carroll, marketing director of Nurse-1-1, which is also a portfolio company and services client. “We hit the ground running and haven’t looked back.”

To better deliver these world-class services, York IE also hired these key leaders with subject matter expertise:

Further supporting these services is a growing team of advisory services directors, managers and marketing specialists — talented, driven professionals who love to work with startups. And all of these services are tech-enabled by Fuel, our strategic growth platform.

Client Highlights

York IE is unique in the way we provide value to companies. We are building a one-stop shop for companies that need growth help, from product development to brand building and everything in between. We understand that it is the people who make startups great, and we love working together to accomplish some very exciting things.

Some highlights from our advisory services clients include:

  • 4AM Demand launched its demand generation platform
  • Auditoria won the Shared Services Outsourcing Network’s Technology of the Year award
  • Blustream relaunched its product engagement platform
  • Canvs launched its new website
  • CloudApp raised a $9.3 million Series A
  • Cyberhaven raised a $33 million Series B
  • HourWork raised a $10 million Series A
  • Lightlytics raised a $26 million Series A
  • Serenity Engage partnered with Amazon Alexa
  • Shoobx announced an equity management partnership with Fidelity Investments
  • StackShare surpassed 1 million members of its developer community
  • ThreatBlockr announced a rebrand
  • VoyageSMS acquired LiveRecover

For more advisory services clients’ success stories, read our case studies.

The growth of the advisory services practice continues the momentum for York IE. Within the past year:

To learn more about York IE’s advisory services, visit https://york.ie/advisory-services/.

Now Is Not the Time to Stop Marketing

Posted on by Kate Campbell

These are turbulent economic times, but it is not the time to put marketing on the backburner.

We’re watching many companies that received massive funding now looking at slimming budgets and even layoffs. Some have indulged during the past couple of years, and it’s catching up with them with real repercussions.

This is a good reminder that marketing is about the long game. While you may reduce your marketing spend to save money today, you’ll feel the effects of that decrease for a long time into the future. The good thing is, you don’t have to turn off brand. You can invest in it without having to continuously spend more dollars.

Enter Drumbeat Marketing

At York IE, we do this with drumbeat marketing.

Drumbeat marketing is about building your brand every single day. It’s more than one singular moment or a Friday afternoon task. It can’t just be a huge funding round press release or even a single marketing campaign.

Keep Your Drumbeat Going

York IE’s advisory services team is here to help you
build your brand through consistent marketing.

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Consistency is needed, especially as you look to decrease other activities, navigate the economy and position your company for what’s next. It’s important for both startups and their talented folks to create and deliver consistently. To tell the world what you’re doing.

Business doesn’t stop when cuts happen. It’s now essential to solidify your brand, show value, look for the wins and celebrate them daily.

Inside the Marketing Job Market

Complicating things further is the ulta-hot job market, with job seekers having a keen eye on the messages companies are generating and the values they stand for. Even if you recognize the value of marketing and want to make it a priority, it’s never been tougher to land top job candidates. You see the postings. Everyone is hiring, and marketing roles are in high demand.

As our CMO Adam Coughlin has mentioned, the first marketing role at a startup is one of the most crucial hires. That person lives on the front lines and can jumpstart your brand and set your company on the right path.

What do you do if you can’t make that hire?

We’re in the middle of the hardest hiring cycle we’ve ever faced. If you are struggling to hire the right marketing people, we can help you beat your drum and build your brand every single day — no matter the economic forecast.

York IE’s advisory services team acts as an extension of your startup, to help keep you focused on your marketing plan.