Branding and Private Equity

I’m always surprised that more private equity and venture capital firms skip major conferences such as RETECH (this week, D.C.), especially when their portfolio investments in the sector - and in this troubled economy – are so robust. They would see some interesting new ways to accelerate their exit strategies. When we help startup energy/environmental clients reach financial goals, we typically help create brand identity, ratchet up media attention, and launch solid investor communications strategies. The investors make their returns and the entrepreneurs move to the next level or retire. In this depression I’m not sure anything has changed, except the equity shops have extended their timeframes a bit. Still, strategic PR, social media presence, solid branding, aggressive media campaigns, crisis management … they’re all stepping stones to some liquidity event. Good, creative, innovative branding can easily divide the business of emerging energy firms into organizations that grow…and organizations that just grow old.