Recently, I saw a former colleague’s LinkedIn post announcing his startup and sent him a congratulatory message. I also offered my services pro bono (he’s always loved my work) because, although their product is great, their website looked like it was designed by an engineer in a bad mood (I have OCD when it comes to branding).

He replied: “I’ll definitely keep you in mind, but right now we’re focused on trials, early users, and first funding rounds.”

My reply (in my head): “Hmm, precisely, the three reasons why you need to build a brand and protect it fiercely. Early-stage startup branding is your first impression that investors and users judge before they try anything. It’s a necessity.”

I unclenched a few body parts and moved on to the AI-generated sermons that are now the norm on LinkedIn. After 20 years in advertising and marketing, five inside startups and tech, I’ve come to the conclusion that branding is not the highest priority (to put it mildly) at startups and tech. I’ve watched brands being treated like someone who buys a $50 ticket at a U2 concert (true story).  Meanwhile, $20 logos and generative AI are adding ice water to a dying fire.

What’s blasphemous is that everyone agrees branding makes the world go round, but no one follows through. As long as the logo and palette match, we look away. The key ingredient “Consistency” is consistently missing from everywhere else.

And yes, I get it. I’ve been in your trenches. I’ve watched design slide down the sprint board, crowded out by fundraising and “just one more feature.” A brand that changes with every doc. Sometimes it’s the budget. Sometimes it’s priorities. The intent is always good, but early branding drives conversions, boosts investor confidence, and lifts team morale. Most importantly, it shows you believe in your dream enough for others to bet on it. Delaying branding is like having a baby and waiting to name it until everyone else approves.

What should early-stage startups do?

Consistency: A brand isn’t something you design once and tuck away in a pitch deck. It has to live and breathe across every moment your company communicates. That means the visuals, yes, but also the rhythm, the tone, the attitude, the way you tell your story.

Here’s a baseline consistency checklist that goes beyond just focusing on the logo and the colors.

• One voice across deck/site/app
• A first-glance test (7 seconds to “get it”)
• Message hierarchy: Problem → Value → Proof → Next Step.
• Pitch deck aligned to site language
• Glossary & naming rules (file naming convention, product/features, capitalization, tense) applied across all assets
• Owner for policing brand assets

Why early branding matters for early-stage startups?

Investors feel your story before they read your metrics. Users judge your product before they try it. The right creative stops the scroll, sharpens the deck, and turns interest into pipeline.

Startups need a Guardian of the Brand. Someone who looks after it like a skilled soldier with an eye on the border. Someone who says, “Not on my watch,” when a team member disproportionately scales the logo in a pitch deck or the Sales Director deviates from the brand voice on the website.

Punchline: You need someone who looks at good branding the way Travis Kelce looks at Taylor Swift. I’m that fanatical because the distance from startup to enterprise is often just a consistent brand away.

And if you’re still wondering, what do you call a baby with no name? The answer is forgettable.

P.S. Open to a short founder chat about this. No strings. DM “chat” and we’ll set it up. If you’re pre-launch and wrestling with first impressions, ping me, I’ll send my first-glance audit notes.