​Building a startup is hard enough—don’t let your brand have an identity crisis before you even get to product-market fit.

​Join Emily Schwartz, who’s navigated everything from NPR newsrooms to software launches and styling businesses, as she unpacks the art (and science) of brand and positioning for early stage founders. Expect candid stories, practical frameworks, and a few hard-won lessons on how to make your startup’s identity as compelling as your pitch deck.

​Whether you’re still in stealth mode or already fielding investor calls, this session will help you cut through the noise and connect with the audiences that matter. Bonus: Emily’s journey includes interviewing Richard Branson and surviving Philadelphia sports fandom—so you know she can handle tough questions.

​Speaker

​Emily Schwartz

​Emily heads Brand + Comms at marketing measurement platform Haus, where she leads a team focused on content, social, visual brand identity, written brand voice, web dev and design, and media/PR. Emily originally started her career as a journalist (NPR, Politico, Washington Post, others) before transitioning into software product management (AddThis/Oracle Data Cloud, Capital One, a few startups) and subsequent stints running her own styling business and app development agency.

​Throughout her career chapters, Emily’s learned a ton about building brands, solving problems, connecting with audiences, and working effectively with others. At various points in her career, she has interviewed names like Mindy Kaling and Richard Branson, been featured as a speaker at the Grace Hopper Celebration, and even quoted as an expert in People and InStyle Magazines.

​Emily lives on 17 acres in Virginia with her husband Erik and their dogs, Wally and Astra. She loves tennis, style, and Philadelphia sports.

​Fun fact for the North Carolina crew: Emily really wanted to go to UNC but couldn’t get in because her test scores weren’t good enough. She ended up at Elon for a year instead.

​Location

​Raleigh Founded North Street — Classroom

​509 W North St, Suite 224, Raleigh, NC 27603QUESTIONS?

​This session is part of Raleigh-Durham Startup Week. Click here to learn more about the event, plus get answers to your FAQs.

​TRACK SUPPORTER

​Thank you to Pendo for supporting the Product & Design Track at #RDSW26!

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