What Headstand does

Headstand is a private U.S.-based marketing and communications consultancy that combines agency and creative-shop capabilities, serving clients from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises. The firm delivers an integrated suite of services including strategic planning, brand purpose platform development, ESG strategy, media and influencer relations, content development, digital marketing, creative campaigns, event management, and thought leadership programs, organized around five practice verticals: Technology, Consumer, Purpose (its primary segment), Corporate, and Health & Wellness. The company's signature "Idea Labs" workshop methodology and a deliberately selective client intake model (rarely responding to traditional RFPs) form the basis of its go-to-market motion, which is executed through direct, high-touch enterprise sales rather than templated agency pitches.

The business model is professional services: revenue is generated through ongoing agency retainers and project-based engagements, with quote-based pricing tailored to client scope. Headstand employs 11-50 people, operates from Redwood City, California, and serves a global client base across North America and Europe. The firm does not disclose any proprietary technology platform, software products, patents, or API offerings; its core "technology" is its human capital and the intellectual property embedded in its campaign methodology and case-study library. Notable enterprise clients include Xiaomi, SAP, Aflac, NerdWallet, LivePerson, Tongfang Global (Element/Westinghouse), TiNDLE, Snow Monkey, FIRST Robotics, and Ceres.

Headstand was founded in 2019 as an independent agency emerging from a prior global firm, with leadership drawn from Allison+Partners, Edelman, Weber Shandwick, Zeno Group, and Cone Communications. The company has no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or institutional investors, indicating founder/operator ownership of a self-funded services firm. Award recognition includes a Bulldog PR Gold (2020), Fast Company World Changing Ideas finalist and Shorty Award finalist (2022), a Brand Storytelling official selection at Sundance (2022), and an SXSW Film Festival selection for the FIRST documentary 'More Than Robots' (2022).

Name

Headstand

Website

https://headstandgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Headstand is a private Redwood City, CA-based marketing and communications consultancy delivering integrated PR, brand purpose, ESG, media relations, and creative campaign services to enterprise and growth-stage clients, led by senior alumni of top global agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marketing and Communications Consulting Services: Headstand generates revenue through professional services engagements including strategic communications consulting, integrated marketing campaigns, media relations, content development, thought leadership programs, and brand purpose/ESG strategy services. Engagement types include ongoing agency partnerships and project-based work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Headstand is a marketing communications agency operating as part consultancy, part creative shop, delivering integrated marketing services including strategic communications consulting, media and influencer relations, content development, brand purpose and ESG strategy, thought leadership programs, creative campaign development, and event management for enterprise and growth-stage clients across technology, consumer goods, financial services, and nonprofit sectors.

Product overview

Headstand is a marketing communications agency combining consultancy and creative shop capabilities. The company operates as a single integrated offering rather than a modular platform, delivering customized solutions through practice areas (Tech, Consumer, Purpose, Corporate, Health & Wellness) and service capabilities including Idea Labs workshops, brand purpose platform development, ESG strategy, thought leadership programs, influencer marketing, media relations, content development, digital marketing, creative campaigns, strategic planning, event management, and research & insights. All services are customized per client without templates, delivered by an entrepreneurial team serving clients from startup to Fortune 500.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Integrated Marketing Services Full spectrum of integrated marketing services including strategic planning, content development, digital marketing programs, media and influencer relations, and creative campaign development tailored to client needs across technology, consumer, purpose, corporate, and health and wellness practice areas.
• Idea Labs Workshopping methodology where Headstand collaborates with prospects or clients to address their specific business challenges or brainstorm high-impact creative campaigns, bringing fresh thinking to each engagement from scratch.
• Brand Purpose Platform Development Helping companies identify their brand and purpose differentiators, develop purpose-driven strategies, and unlock potential to capture audience attention and loyalty while accelerating positive impact authentically.
• ESG Strategy and Positioning Developing and executing authentic environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy and positioning for brands, including nonprofit partnerships and purpose amplification through storytelling and thought leadership.
• Thought Leadership Programs Strategic positioning of executives and brand leaders as industry experts through media relations, speaking opportunities, awards programs, and contributed content pipelines.
• Influencer Marketing Leveraging paid and earned influencer partnerships across fashion, photography, travel, gaming, technology, and other verticals to create brand-relevant content that resonates with target audiences.
• Media & Influencer Relations Building relationships with top-tier media and journalists through embargoed pre-briefings, desk side meetings, media tours, and strategic story placement in business, tech, and lifestyle verticals.
• Strategic Planning Customized strategic planning services including messaging development, brand identity, new market entry support, and startup/emerging industry guidance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 33% increase in Xiaomi's share of voice in U.S. market (2016-2017)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Finn Partners: Large independent integrated marketing and PR agency with practices spanning tech, consumer, health, and social impact. Head-to-head on enterprise brand and purpose work at larger program scopes than boutique agencies can field.
• Weber Shandwick: Interpublic-owned global communications agency covering brand marketing, purpose, social impact, and earned media. Direct competitor on enterprise brand and social-impact engagements; Headstand GM Stacey Johnes is a former Weber Shandwick SVP.
• Edelman: Global PR/communications leader with deep purpose/ESG practice and enterprise brand work. Direct overlap with Headstand's Purpose/ESG positioning, but at much larger scale and offering integrated creative, digital, and research capabilities Headstand cannot match alone.

Direct peers

• Fenton Communications: Purpose-driven social impact PR and communications firm with comparable nonprofit, sustainability, and brand-purpose client mix. Competes on ESG narratives and social-change campaigns analogous to Headstand's work with Ceres and FIRST.
• M Booth: Independent creative communications agency known for brand purpose, social impact, and integrated earned-media campaigns. Competes head-to-head on Purpose/ESG retainers and consumer brand storytelling for similar-sized clients.
• Berlin Rosen: Independent integrated communications firm with strong purpose, social impact, and brand storytelling practices. Direct competitor in the Purpose/ESG segment where Headstand positions as primary and on enterprise earned-media campaigns.
• Zeno Group: Mid-sized integrated communications agency with strength in consumer tech, brand purpose, and influencer marketing—mirroring Headstand's vertical mix. Comparable boutique-ish operating model with global capabilities via DJE Holdings parentage.
• RF|Binder: Independent communications and consulting firm specializing in brand purpose, ESG, and stakeholder engagement. Directly comparable to Headstand's Purpose/ESG offering and similar boutique scale.
• Allison+Partners: Mid-sized integrated communications agency offering media relations, influencer marketing, and brand purpose work. Closely comparable given Headstand's leadership pedigree (President Zach Colvin and GM Stacey Johnes both came from Allison+Partners) and overlapping service mix.
• Cone Communications: Purpose/CSR and brand-impact communications agency, now part of IPG. Closest comparable for Headstand's stated Purpose/ESG primary segment; EVP Aaron Pickering is a former Cone SVP of Corporate Responsibility & Reputation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/headstandgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/headstandgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/headstandgroup

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 Headstand