The Mission:
A global team of 65+, VeUP is the partner of choice for ambitious cloud start-ups, focused on accelerating start-up success through its strategic alliance with Amazon Web Services (AWS). VeUP empowers founders with expert-driven solutions that fuel innovation, scale operations, and unlock new growth opportunities at every stage of a start-up’s growth journey.
Leveraging AWS’s powerful infrastructure and its own vertical expertise across ISVs, E-commerce, Fintech, HCLS, and Generative AI, VeUP specialises in helping start-ups scale quickly, streamline their operations, and secure external funding. By crafting vertical-specific strategies informed by its deep industry knowledge and hands-on expertise, VeUP sets start-ups up for success whatever their growth objective – from leveraging AI, to optimising cloud spend, to investment preparation.
The Brief:
VeUP’s team consists of industry veterans, company founders who have grown businesses from early stage to exit, and venture partners who have invested in some of the world’s most transformative technology – all of whom understand the strategic value of PR. Having recently restructured its UK and US operations, the team had clear business and communications objectives which Element was tasked with supporting. As it continued to scale its marketing division, VeUP needed a PR and content campaign that would:
- Ensure VeUP’s unique differentiators are clearly articulated through customer success, with stories told through the media and across VeUP’s owned channels.
- Raise the profile of VeUPs “limitless concierge service” for SaaS start-ups
- Create a regular cadence of informed, educational content to position VeUP as an expert authority in the market
- Communicate VeUP’s commitment to nurturing and retaining talent, to position the business as an employer of choice
- Position creative content at the heart of the campaign through media, VeUP’s website, and LinkedIn
“Element have been instrumental in helping us to develop out our positioning and effectively manage our international comms across multiple teams. With super reactive responses and a team that puts customer service at its core, it’s been a pleasure to work with Element and we look forward to continuing VeUP’s mission with them!”
Chanelle Preston
Head of Marketing, VeUP
The Campaign:
Element set about tackling VeUP’s communications objectives by developing an authentic communications campaign designed to build:
- Awareness
Helping VeUP stand out from the crowd by raising awareness of its brand and ensuring it is always aligned with the biggest issues concering start-up founders.
- Relevance
Proving VeUP’s relevance to the industry trends dominating the SaaS startup space.
- Credibility
Earning trust and credibility for VeUP among key stakeholders by communicating business growth, momentum and success stories.
Element worked closely with VeUP’s leadership team – notably Head of Marketing Chanelle Preston, and CEO Damian Skendrovic – to develop three content pillars which would underpin the PR and content campaign, designed to resonate with SaaS startup founders, the SaaS ecosystem (incubators, accelerators and VCs), and service providers:
- The one-stop shop for growing SaaS startups
From Seed to Series B, VeUP supports startups with cloud and technical expertise, go-to- market specialties, venture capital funding, and business operations excellence.
- A limitless concierge service
From technology, go-to-market, and finance, VeUP supports startups throughout their growth journey with a truly customer- centric approach.
- Built by founders for founders
Born out of a realization that startup founders didn’t have the right long-term growth partner, VeUP is addressing a critical gap in the market.
Armed with this narrative, Element developed a tailored PR and content plan that would a) drive regular, consistent and targeted media placements in global technology and business publications, and b) supply VeUP with a strong bank of written content for the website and LinkedIn.
With multiple strategic priorities at play, Element built a tactical plan which included:
- Proactive thought leadership: mid-form and long-form opinion editorials, spanning topics including
- CEO profiling: to build CEO Damian Skendrovic’s personal profile in the eyes of start-ups
- Reactive commentary: In response to the start-up, business, and investment related news agenda, with quick-fire, punchy commentary, demonstrating an ability to jump on relevant topical news stories dominating the tech sector
- Customer Success: Website content including customer case studies and the launch of a brand new ‘Founder Series’ Q&A to showcase the ambitious founders within the VeUP portfolio
- Growth momentum stories: Amplification of major business milestones including the appointment of a new CEO and significant industry partnerships to elevate VeUP’s offering
“The first 6 months have been, quite simply, really good. The relationship is completely seamless, communication is fluid and the results speak for themselves.”
Damian Skendrovic
CEO, VeUP
The Results
To date, VeUP’s brand reputation in the media has been significantly improved thanks to regular high quality coverage in relevant business and technology press, complemented by strategic website and LinkedIn content that has successfully positioned VeUP as a leading authority and trusted growth partner for ambitious start-ups looking to scale up. Creating a consistent media profile for CEO Damian Skendrovic following his appointment as CEO has contributed to VeUP’s positive repuation within the ecosystem – from customers, to partners, to employees.
So far in 2024, Element has secured more than 15 targeted media opportunites for VeUP in UK and US media, while creating 16 pieces of unique content from scratch – from website blogs and customer case studies, to Founder Series Q&As and thought leadership. Over the first six months of the campaign, press coverage achieved an impressive average Domain Authority of 61, with more than 40,000 coverage views.
Together, VeUP and Element are now working together to deliver against fresh business and communications objectives to further elevate VeUP’s international market presence – watch this space!