Novio

What Novio does

Novio is a private, fully virtual brand strategy consultancy founded in 2012 and headquartered in San Francisco. Operating as a California LLC (La Pasión del Novio, LLC), the firm is led by founder and creative director Jay Rendon and co-founder Paul Curtin, with Eric Solomon joining as CMO in Residence in October 2019. The firm positions itself as a "creative consiglieri" rather than a traditional agency of record, engaging directly with C-suite executives, founders, entrepreneurs, and board members on short, high-impact projects designed to lay a foundational brand narrative that clients can subsequently extend with other partners.

Novio's service portfolio spans the full brand-building lifecycle, including brand strategy and story development, creative direction, identity and visual design, advertising, digital and social marketing, content development, short-form films, product innovation, internal communications, brand management, messaging strategy, sales enablement, and corporate communications. Technology is not a core component of the offering; the firm's value proposition rests on senior human creative judgment and direct collaboration with decision-makers rather than proprietary platforms or software. The firm supplements client work with a thought-leadership content engine, notably the biweekly Afternoon Delight podcast launched in late 2019.

Commercially, Novio runs lean with a headcount of 1-10 and has served 90+ enterprise clients since inception across technology (Google, Apple, HP, Microsoft, Informatica), financial services (Visa, Silicon Valley Bank, Personal Capital), healthcare (UCSF, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, Children's Hospital Oakland), hospitality and gaming (Sun Valley Resort, Carmel Valley Ranch, Ameristar Casinos), private aviation (XOJET), and consumer goods (Nike, Peet's Coffee, Callaway Golf). Revenue is generated through project-based and retainer professional-services engagements; pricing is bespoke and not publicly disclosed. The firm has no institutional investors, parent company, or external ownership.

Name

Novio

Legal name

La Pasión del Novio, LLC

Website

https://novio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Novio is a fully virtual brand strategy consultancy that works directly with C-suite executives, founders, and entrepreneurs on brand storytelling, creative direction, and advertising for enterprise clients across technology, finance, healthcare, and hospitality.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Strategy Consulting

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Brand Strategy & Positioning (BPAFAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performance Creative & Ad Production (Dynamic/Iterative) (BPAFACAI), Reputation Management & Online PR (BPAFADAN), Reputation Management & Executive Thought Leadership (MPAAADAK)

Keywords

• Brand strategy consulting
• Creative direction services
• Advertising campaign development
• Brand identity design
• Content development services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Brand Strategy Consulting: Novio generates revenue through professional services engagements focused on brand strategy, creative direction, design, advertising, digital marketing, content development, and brand management. They work on project-based and potentially retainer arrangements with C-suite executives and founders to solve business problems through brand transformation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Novio is a creative branding consultancy that operates as a "creative consiglieri" rather than a traditional agency of record. The firm works directly with C-suite executives, founders, entrepreneurs, and board members on brand strategy, brand story development, creative direction, design, advertising, digital marketing, content development, films, and internal communications. Engagements are short, focused, and aimed at building a robust brand foundation that clients can extend with other partners. The firm is completely virtual and run as a lean operation, sourcing best-of-breed talent for each client objective.

Product overview

Novio is a virtual creative branding consultancy offering a unified portfolio of services centered on brand strategy and storytelling. Their core offering consists of integrated service modules including Brand Strategy and Story, Creative Direction, Design, Advertising, Digital, Social Marketing, Content Development, Product Innovation, Identity, Films, Internal Communications, Brand Management, Messaging Strategy, Sales Enablement, and Corporate Communications. The company operates as 'creative consiglieri' working directly with C-level executives and founders on short-term, high-impact engagements. They supplement their service offering with the 'Afternoon Delight' podcast as a thought leadership content vehicle. Novio runs lean and virtually, partnering with specialized talent as needed rather than maintaining in-house teams for all disciplines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Strategy and Story Collaborative brand strategy and story development working directly with C-suite executives, founders, and entrepreneurs to uncover authentic, provocative brand narratives. For enterprise clients who own the brand and need a strategic creative partner.
• Creative Direction and Design Strategic creative direction and visual identity design including logos, brand guidelines, marketing materials, and comprehensive design systems. Functions as creative consiglieri for brand development and storytelling.
• Advertising and Digital Marketing Advertising campaigns across traditional and digital channels (TV, billboards, transit, digital, print) plus website design, microsites, digital campaigns, online brand experiences, and social media strategy.
• Content Development and Films Thought leadership platforms, e-books, collateral, blogs, short films, brand films, documentary-style video content, and motion graphics for brand storytelling.
• Internal Communications and Brand Management Internal brand campaigns, employee engagement materials, brand owner's manuals, annual reports, executive communications, sales enablement tools, and ongoing brand stewardship with guidelines to ensure consistent brand expression.
• Afternoon Delight Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

• 65% sales increase for Peet's Coffee expansion into mid-Atlantic grocery chains
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Red Antler: Red Antler is a boutique brand strategy and creative agency known for launching and repositioning consumer brands. It is directly comparable to Novio in offering brand strategy, identity, and storytelling for founders and executives.
• &Walsh (formerly Gin Lane): &Walsh is a small, founder-led brand strategy and design studio. It mirrors Novio's boutique, story-driven approach to brand building for modern consumer and tech companies.
• Pentagram: Pentagram is a partner-led design and branding consultancy serving major global brands. It is a comparable boutique peer in brand identity, strategy, and creative direction.
• Mucca: Mucca is a small, founder-led brand strategy and design studio. It competes with Novio for the same kind of brand-driven, story-led engagements with mission-driven companies.
• Lippincott: Lippincott is a brand strategy and design consultancy that serves large enterprise clients. It is comparable to Novio in core brand strategy work but operates at a larger scale with a more formal consulting model.

Broad incumbents

• Landor & Fitch: Landor & Fitch is a global brand consulting and design firm that competes with Novio for enterprise brand strategy mandates. It is a much larger, established incumbent with worldwide offices.
• Interbrand: Interbrand is a global brand consultancy offering strategy, identity, and brand analytics. It is a broad incumbent that competes with Novio for enterprise brand transformation work.
• R/GA: R/GA is a global creative and digital agency that blends brand, product, and marketing innovation. It competes with Novio for tech-forward brand and product innovation engagements.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Wieden+Kennedy is an independent global creative agency known for culturally resonant brand storytelling. It is a broad incumbent comparable to Novio's narrative-driven brand work.

Emerging players

• Gundersen Partners: Gundersen Partners is a small strategic brand and creative consultancy. It is comparable to Novio as a similarly sized boutique peer targeting C-suite brand engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/noviotweets
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/novio-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Novio