10 Best PR Agencies for Startups
Last Updated: By Michaela Dale
Public relations (PR) is a powerful tool for startups to grow their brand, gain exposure, protect their reputation, and grow their media skills. Regardless of the industry you’re in, PR can provide invaluable marketing support to your startup.
Public relations firms or PR agencies offer the expertise and learned experience to help your startup scale. However, the right PR agency for your startup for your startup is dependent entirely on your needs, budget, and industry. We’re here to help make the choice easier with this guide to the top 10 best PR agencies for startups.
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Top Startup PR Firms
The best PR firm for your startup is largely dependent on your company’s needs. Every PR agency specializes in different services and industries, which means you should search for a firm that aligns best with the type of startup you are running as well as the services your business needs. This list of top startup PR firms ranges from IPO strategy to basic media training specialties to help you find the right PR firm for your startup.
1. Bob Gold & Associates
- Location: Redondo Beach, California
- Founded In: 1997
- Notable Clients: Impossible Cloud, Cisco, Boeing
Founded in 1997, Bob Gold & Associates is a PR and SEO firm that uses data-backed strategies to help startups meet their goals. Their trademarked approach, BG&A Insight™, uses data and analysis to generate effective media strategies.
The firm boasts experience working with over 25 television networks and 20 technology companies, as well as an extensive list of associations such as the National Content and Technology Cooperative. Bob Gold & Associates primarily works with companies in media and entertainment, technology, adtech, social good, crisis management, and corporate.
2. Upright Position Communications
- Location: Silicon Valley, California
- Founded In: 2012
- Notable Clients: Native Voice, Community Phone, Re
Founded by Paul Wilke, Upright Position Communications is a public relations firm that specializes in IPO communications and PR strategy. Upright works primarily with business-to-business (B2B) technology startups but also offers services for venture capital and portfolio companies.
Some of the services offered by the firm include crisis communications, media training, strategic PR counsel, core message development, and much more.
3. Ketchum
- Location: New York, New York
- Founded In: 1923
- Notable Clients: Lego, Frito-Lay, Adobe
Ketchum is a global public relations agency founded in 1923. Since its founding, the firm has worked with hugely successful companies in marketing, branding, and corporate communications. The firm’s global presence includes over 85 offices spanning 40 countries, including Africa, Europe, Asia-Pacific, The Middle East, Latin America, and North America.
Industries served by Ketchum include food, agriculture, finance, public sector and government, energy, CPG, health, transportation, travel, retail, and technology. Their specialty services include earned media, reputation management, and executive advisory services, to name a few.
4. Krupa Consulting
- Location: New York, New York
- Founded In: 2010
- Notable Clients: Our Place, Goop, Frame Fitness
Krupa Consulting dedicates much of its PR efforts to brands with purpose. Primarily serving wellness and food and beverage brands that are disrupting their industries with better-for-you products and standards in ethics and sustainability.
Check out our interview with the founder, Rachel Krupa, to hear more about Krupa Consulting as well as her own startup, The Goods Mart.
5. Hotwire Global
- Location: London, United Kingdom
- Founded In: 2000
- Notable Clients: Klarna, GoPro, Zoom
Hotwire is an award-winning public relations agency based in London with a global partnership network spanning across the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Their primary sectors include startups in the B2B enterprise or consumer tech space, cybersecurity, fintech, telecom, social platforms, and adtech.
Outside of traditional public relations, Hotwire’s primary services include communications and brand strategy, social media marketing, account-based marketing, strategic channel and alliances, and industry marketing, to name a few.
6. Bevel
- Location: New York, New York
- Founded In: 2016
- Notable Clients: Daffy, Stocktwits, Extend
Bevel provides PR services for startups in several industries, including Web3, AI, fintech, real estate, health tech, and DTC luxury. The firm offers investor relations services, social media and content strategy, media and communications strategy, and executive profile development, to name a few.
With offices in New York, Miami, London, and Los Angeles, Bevel offers PR services in many of the major startup hubs across the globe.
7. Cultural Currents Institute
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Founded In: 2022
- Notable Clients: Zapier, Lucidchart, Codecademy
Cultural Currents Institute (CCI) is a startup-centric PR firm experienced in supporting high-growth companies. With strategies rooted in data, CCI uses measurements, reporting, and analytics to plan and track campaigns.
CCI implements its unique SPREAD framework to create culture-shifting concepts with simplicity, plausibility, reliability, emotion, actionability, and duplication at the forefront. The firm offers services in public relations as well as branding and marketing.
8. Six Eastern
- Location: New York, New York
- Founded In: 2019
- Notable Clients: Adventr, Ramp, RudderStack
Six Eastern is a PR firm based in New York City founded by Emilie Gerber. An outcome-driven PR firm, Six Eastern offers services for startups at any stage, including early-stage tech startups that are having trouble achieving success through PR campaigns.
Six Eastern works with startups in the consumer, developer, commerce, enterprise, and finance categories, as well as venture capital firms like Accel and Greylock.
9. Black Unicorn PR
- Location: London, United Kingdom
- Founded In: 2018
- Notable Clients: Startup Wise Guys, CredoLab, Nexpay
Founded by Julija (JJ) Jegorova, Black Unicorn PR takes a different approach to public relations. Their services are more in-depth than some competitors, acting as an extension of the companies they partner with to provide thorough and effective PR services for European startups.
Black Unicorn PR offers several services, including PR and communications strategy, events and public speaking, brand and product launches, as well as media and news placement.
10. Otter PR
- Location: Orlando, Florida
- Founded In: 2019
- Notable Clients: Alibaba, Deep Sentinel, Armoured One
Founded in 2019, Otter PR is a results-driven public relations agency geared towards the generation of valuable media coverage. Achieving client placement in major publications such as Politico, Fast Company, and HuffPost.
Otter PR specializes in media relations, reputation management, crisis management, and media training services. Plus, the firm works with a variety of different industries as well as associations and political campaigns.
