Why Clean Tech Startups Need PR to Raise Capital and Scale

What We Need to Grow, Episode 042: If You're Not Popping Up, You Don't Exist. A Founder Talk conversation with Kari Kylo, Founder and Managing Director of SOMA Public Relations. Cleaned for readability; the words are the speakers' own.

Caleb Pedosiuk: All right, Kari, it's great to see you again. It's funny to me, with all of the AI stuff going on, and certainly generative AI, people writing articles and publishing, you see this tsunami, this enormous amount of content going out there. One of the things I've noticed is the increasing importance of really strong signal in the noise. The more that's generated, the more people take a default position. They've got bigger filters. So I feel like PR, and agencies or people who can help brands hone in and understand first their own message, what they need to signal, and then strategically guide them on the ways and platforms to do that, are of increasing importance. Can you share a little about your agency and some of the work you do?

Kari Kylo: Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me, Caleb. SOMA is a PR agency located here in Vancouver. We work specifically with purpose-driven organizations in the health and wellness space, environmental sustainability, and the technology for good space. We help companies build their credibility and their visibility using strategic communications and thought leadership. Some of our clients are solving some really difficult problems.

What we're finding is that even if they have an amazing solution, if their potential customers, investors, stakeholders and the media don't understand what they're doing, why it's important, or what the impact is, it's really hard for them to trust them and give them credibility, and to adopt the technology and solutions. So SOMA really sits at this intersection, between innovation and understanding, helping to communicate to these very important stakeholders why these companies are doing what they're doing, talking about the proof points and getting it out there.

And to your point, with large language models and AI, you might have two technologies, and the one we're talking to might even be the better technology. All the pilots are up and running, the technology is sound, but they might be wondering why the competition keeps getting the investment dollars and the big customers. One of the main reasons is that the competition is out there. They're having the media talk about them. So when investors ask, hey, what is this company doing, they do a bit of research on their Claude or Gemini or wherever they are to figure out solutions. If your company is not popping up as a solution, you don't exist. Commercialization and communication really go hand in hand in this day and age. You can't grow and you can't scale if you aren't communicating in a credible way to your stakeholders.

Caleb: We've noticed it with AI visibility. Fourteen years of working with different brands across the spectrum, full stack, heavy on the creative the first few years, and then you quickly realize, like you said, if it's not seen by the right person at the right time, it's like it doesn't exist. It looks pretty somewhere on the internet. So those campaigns, no matter how clever the copywriting or how strong the message, have got to get in front of people. For us it was pixels, tags, tracking code, managing paid traffic, and the last couple of years have been heavy on AI tools.

But one of the pieces of the puzzle we realized is really important is PR specifically, and we don't specialize in that area. I'm thinking of one client doing really great work in the humanitarian space. Seeing their message, at certain times, with the PR team they were working with, put in front of large audiences who cared about that issue at that moment was crucial. It worked as a force multiplier for all the other work being done. If we've done everything right on our end to structure things properly for the machine layer to understand, and the message is clear, the PR piece amplifies it completely. It's almost like putting compost on everything else. It causes the whole thing to come alive. Specifically with AI visibility, I know that being cited by recognized platforms is a significant help.

Kari: Yeah, exactly. For a couple of our clients in the clean tech space trying to grow nationally or even globally: recently one of our companies has incredible technology in lithium processing, producing clean lithium as opposed to using heavy chemicals. They were breaking ground on a new partnership and a new facility in Germany, and we were able to expand the story, and the pickup it received on a global scale was incredible. It really helps them get new customers, new partnerships and investment dollars. So from seeing something really move the needle, we've shown that PR is definitely the way to go.

Caleb: Is clean technology specifically the centre of the bullseye for your firm?

Kari: It's an area we're really excited about right now. Canada has never been short on innovation. It has definitely had challenges on the investment side, on commercialization and scaling, and we think this is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness and share the stories of a lot of these startup companies. But it's really trying to get to that next level, and part of that is advocacy work with government and policy. It's making sure people understand what they're doing, that it's proven, that it's not a leap of faith. This technology works. So it's building trust and getting those investment dollars. For us, it's bringing these founders forward and letting them tell the story: not just what they're doing, but why. What's the problem they're solving, how are they doing it, and getting people excited about it. It really is getting their voice out there.

Caleb: When a new client or prospect comes to you, do you find their message is typically 80% clear, where you're going to refine it for the market or the season or the news cycle? Or is one of the first things you have to do to say, we're going to start with a blank sheet of paper. A lot of these answers will come easy, but we're going to start fresh and get to some of the more challenging parts. Let's start at the beginning.

Kari: It's a really good question. Quite often we'll start working with a client and they feel they have a story to be told. They're like, I think this is what we want to say. And we're like, okay, let's sit down and really get to know each other. Let's have that onboarding, a deep dive, and as we start to ask questions, things start to unfold, sometimes quite differently than they even expect. We go to a deeper level and pull out stories that have even more impact.

Some of our founders and teams are very good communicators. Other teams are really good at their technology. They might be engineers, scientists, developers. They really know their technology, but they don't necessarily know how to take these complex ideas and simplify them in a way that the media, a potential customer or government understands. So we help them define what they're trying to say, and then how to say it. We'll take them through media training to really articulate the benefits to their organization and the impact, some crisis comms, the whole gamut. It depends on the client, the experience they've had, and what they're trying to communicate.

Caleb: What would the scope of PR be? If it's public relations, there's the public aspect with media, and you mentioned government. I can see that. Would it almost be private relations too, in the sense of investors? An investor can hear about something published in a news cycle. I get that part. But once you've helped a company clearly articulate the problem they solve, what they're building and their vision, I can see instances where the version for public-facing media isn't the same as what a family office considering investing might want to see or hear. So for what you do specifically, is there an aspect that helps shape relations for a private audience?

Kari: We don't do investor relations specifically. That's not our specialty. We definitely help create the key messaging, and we don't simplify the technology, but we simplify the communications, and that translates into some of their decks and how they communicate to their investors. But I wouldn't say we're an investor relations firm, and we're not a government relations firm. In the external PR and media work we do, though, there's a lot of overlap. We work with organizations like Active Impact Investments, NorthX, Light House and UBC, and in this whole ecosystem there's a lot of overlap. Companies are coming in looking for research, for resources, for human resources and talent. We need investors. We need to talk to somebody about policy with government. How do we commercialize?

So where we sit as an organization is an area we're growing more and more into. We're holding an event in October that's exactly about this: not technology for the sake of technology, but all the pieces that make technology scale. Bring in the media, bring in the investor, bring in an infrastructure partner like a utility that actually adopts the technology, and ask what they're looking for, as well as accelerators like Light House or NorthX. It's so important right now, with where Canada sits, for all these groups to come together, share information and knowledge, and learn from each other. That's a long answer to your question, but there's definitely some overlap.

Caleb: It feels a little like a superpower you bring to a client's overall strategy. They probably have the other pieces assumed to be in place, the engine built, and you supercharge it to take it to the next level. How are people typically finding you? Word of mouth, obviously, is a great source. Are there other ways your ideal client hears about what you do?

Kari: We've been fortunate that most of our work comes in through referrals. A lot of our clients we've had for a couple of years, they take a break, and then they come back. So there's a lot of repeat business. We really believe in building relationships one on one. I love sitting across the table over a coffee, truly investing in those relationships and understanding our customers, and understanding the space we're in right now, because things are changing and moving so quickly that you can't just sit back and think you've got it figured out. You have to have your finger on the pulse, constantly going to conferences and meetups, having your own internal lunch and learns. For us it's been about being part of that ecosystem and getting the referrals, and then hopefully, through large language models and AI, getting coverage, and doing podcasts like this, people start to find us that way as well.

Caleb: I heard something recently: the best way to ensure you have a seat at the table is to host the dinner. There's a gentleman, Graham Barlow, I don't know if the name rings a bell. I've been to a couple of Graham's founder dinners. We connected through Dan Martell. He hosts them in different cities when he travels, and I've so enjoyed getting into the room alongside other founders across all different industries. I feel it more and more: a lot of people are looking for real-world connection when there's so much noise, such a sea of launches and tools and advancements, and people are trying to navigate their time as precisely as possible. So networking, meetups, and I guess dinners, sit in that spot too. I think we'll see more of those things.

Kari: I love that. I need to pick up golf and get out on the golf course and have more meetings. From a new business development standpoint, my ability to win business through lunches and coffees compared to a bunch of conference calls is really amazing. It makes so much sense, but I think people are coming back to it. There was a gap after COVID, obviously, when people thought it was so much more efficient to just do conference calls, text and email. Now people are gravitating more to in-person. It takes more time, but it's more valuable, you learn more, and I think you gain trust and credibility in a greater way.

Caleb: This series itself, I think this will be about the 36th Founder Talk episode published, and it's been about two months. A slower start at the beginning, but the lion's share has been in the last month and a half, and it's been remarkable. I've probably had about 60 conversations in total, and I've been shocked by what has felt like a renaissance of human connection from my perspective. It's so refreshing, within minutes, to hear: what are you working on, what problem are you solving, who does it help, why does it matter? To hear that signal come through, and then see the connections made, to logically look and say, this company is looking for what you do, or this tool they've built solves that problem.

I did a short video over the summer, in my bare feet in the forest up at the lake after a call, because it occurred to me that one of the most beautiful aspects of the era we're in is humanity. So many of the people I talk to are from different parts of the world, totally different backgrounds and perspectives, impacted differently by geopolitical or economic things. And yet there's such a beautiful symmetry when you see people trying to solve a meaningful problem, doing it with a team, and doing it in a way that still makes time to feel the sunshine and the grass under their feet, which I think is a really important thing these days. The digital side has been great, but I find myself wondering more and more what else could be built to create more opportunity for people to connect.

Kari: Yes, 100%. It's truly slowing things down to have greater impact, and it's the human element. Maybe it takes a bit longer, but it's going to be more authentic, and at the end of the day it's going to work better, whatever the relationship is, whatever you're communicating or developing. It's making sure that when you connect with people, you're doing it the right way, and I think people are returning to that for sure. With PR and communications, whether it's a podcast like this, a long-form radio interview, or an opportunity to write an op-ed or an article, it's about authentically telling your story, rather than quick soundbites. Take the time to explain it. Where did you come from? What was the problem? How did you come up with this technology? Who's impacted by it?

Almost always when we work with these founders, I get so excited, because I'm like, why does everybody not know about this technology? I think it's because quite often they talk about all the how of the internal workings. But once people understand why they're doing it and the problem they're solving, it is so exciting. And then you can always give examples of who's impacted at the end, and bring them forward to tell their story. It all comes back to having the human element involved.

Caleb: The question I try to ask everyone as a final question: if there was one thing you could put your finger on, if you could wave a magic wand and solve or increase or address it, what is the one thing you feel you need most right now to grow?

Kari: I think definitely, and the team I have right now is unbelievable, it's ensuring you have good talent, that senior level of strategic thinking. And I know you said one thing, but it's also building those relationships and doing great work. Ultimately it's those things: doing great work, solid relationships, and having a good team.

Caleb: Very cool. It sounds like you're already doing that, so I guess it's staying strong and keeping the course. Awesome. Well, Kari, thank you so much for sharing. Really appreciate it.

Kari: Thank you, Caleb. This was great. Have a great day.