Storytelling is a Strategy - Insights for Founders
Recently, Elayne wrote a piece that was featured in Viaka - a digital platform for founders, investors, and experts focused on MENA (Middle East & North Africa). Here, she uncovers unique insights and perspectives for Founder’s to consider as they build their product and organizations. Have a read:
Why Every Founder Needs to Master Storytelling, Not Just STEM.
I live in Massachusetts, a state shaped—and powered—by STEM.
From Kendall Square to the Seaport to Greentown Labs, where I’m based, scientific innovation is the lifeblood of our regional economy. The universities are like the bone marrow, always regenerating talent and ideas. Around these parts, people practice a kind of false humility, telling you they went to school “in Cambridge” instead of saying Harvard or MIT. (Note: if you went to one of those schools, just say so - really!)
There’s a lot to admire. A STEM education opens doors to a solid, upper-middle-class life and fuels extraordinary advances in medicine, biotech, and energy. Massachusetts is one of the wealthiest states in the country, and STEM is a big reason for this.
But here’s what I’ve learned after five years of working with early-stage technical founders with STEM-heavy backgrounds:
Technical brilliance drives innovation, but storytelling and emotional intelligence drive belief, connection, and buy-in—and, ultimately, the partnerships and sales you need.
At the risk of sounding archaic, I’ll say this: a humanities education—one that includes literature, philosophy, art history, and even theology—develops muscles we’re neglecting in our STEM-centric world. We need muscles to navigate ambiguity, build emotional depth, and create meaning.
This is where I add value.
Alchemist Meets Fractional CMO
At networking events, I’ve joked that I’m an alchemist. A creative therapist for founders. Like an oracle advising an ancient queen or king—trusted for insight, pattern recognition, and a little unexplainable magic on the battlefield of entrepreneurship.
Usually, I say "I’m a Fractional CMO and Business Development Executive." But what I do is use storytelling as a strategic tool for business growth. I help founders shape their creative direction—videos, decks, brand narratives—not just to make things beautiful but effective and human. I open doors and start conversations. I help build trust with the right investors, partners, and customers. Storytelling is the method, but business development is always the goal.
I’m a professional documentary filmmaker by training. I learned the craft by running around Kashmir with a camera, microphone, and tripod in my twenties (much to my father’s dismay). Later, while doing a PhD in international politics, I filmed Tasmanian poppy fields, US-Mexico border trade, and Massachusetts first responders addressing the overdose crisis—all for research on the global forces behind a national tragedy. I’ve spent years translating complex, emotionally loaded topics into narrative media that engages audiences.
Despite what we might wish the entrepreneurial journey looked like, building a company is never a straight, clean line to success. It’s not an equation. At its core, it’s the ultimate messy, creative act—one that defies engineering, timelines, and even logic.
While science explains the principles of our world, creativity helps us process, communicate, and connect within it. I may not invent the next hardware or software breakthrough—but I help those who will. Without the right story, even the most brilliant innovation risks being ignored. My superpower is translating and alchemizing technical brilliance into clarity, resonance, and momentum—so that it matters in the human world.
I don’t just take great photos or make sleek videos. I work with founders to cultivate a brand and voice that harmonize intuition, pragmatism, emotional intelligence, and cultural awareness—crucial ingredients for building a thriving business.
Why Storytelling Is Strategy
Many founders I work with are innovating in B2B sectors like trucking, mining, power generation, and construction—industries with their own rhythms, cultures, histories, and terminologies. Even the most prestigious education doesn't always prepare you to enter these worlds or to package your innovation in a way that resonates and builds relationships with the real people who make decisions.
So your story has to translate—not just literally, but culturally.
Whether you’re pitching investors, recruiting talent, or going to market, your messaging needs to land in that specific lifeworld. That’s not just branding. That's a survival strategy for early-stage companies.
Founders often start with stock media, generic explainer videos, or AI-generated blurbs to represent their company. These tools can create the illusion of polish at first glance—but without a thoughtful strategy, they fall apart upon closer inspection. Eventually, you need to dig deeper, understand your audience, and build a purposeful brand identity that moves people to support you.
When I create media—whether a 30-second clip or a full-length film—I’m tracking every beat for clarity, story advancement, and distraction points. With AI content in everything, today's audiences are scanning, consciously or not, for authenticity:
Is this real?
Do I trust this?
A heavy reliance on templated or AI-generated content can break the spell and take viewers out of your narrative. Your story deserves better. You need someone who can harness those tools with care—and elevate them with craft.
What to Look for in a Creative Partner
Founders often prioritize technical and operational hires early on—and understandably so. But as your company grows, so does the need for story. How you show up in the world isn’t a luxury; it’s how you recruit, fundraise, and build trust. Storytelling is infrastructure. Without it, even the most brilliant innovation won’t travel, spark buy-in or scale.
Before hiring someone to lead your storytelling, ask yourself:
Does their past work energize you?
Do they listen actively?
Do they ask thoughtful questions that push your thinking forward?
Are they asking about your audience—and what you want them to understand?
Do they reveal parts of your company story you couldn’t see?
Do they treat your vision like something worth honoring and elevating?
Please do not ask creatives to work “for exposure.” Be upfront about your budget from the beginning. Seasoned creative professionals bring hard-earned skill, deep insight, and the kind of narrative intuition that you may not understand at first but can deliver results if you trust the process. They deserve to be treated not as an afterthought but as collaborators, advisors, and strategic partners—alchemists if you will……
