Branding an AI-enabled hardware VC firm in the Southeast US
The Challenge
Help a Southeast-based VC firm standout in a saturated space where hardware founders historically leave to other cities for funding.
The Approach
Create a full brand system that is intentionally and conceptually crafted to attract hardware founders and solidify their presence in the Southeast.
Catalyzing change in the Southeast.
This client came to us with a brand project. However, this brand project was unique. As far as venture capital firms and startups go, there is a high concentration in California and New York–almost 75% of all VC’s are in these two states. What does this mean? It means founders usually pack up their operation to move closer to where the money is. This has created a huge gap in places like the Southeast US. This is where Gain Venture Capital saw opportunity.
Gain Venture Capital’s team is made up of more than just investors and people who are passionate about helping startups. They are all industry professionals and subject matter experts themselves. To them, this is all personal. They have a deep passion for hardware founders and for growing the startup ecosystem in the Southeast. They needed a brand to help them tell that story to the world.
As it turns out, hardware is hard. This is something we learned quickly after getting in a workshop with the Gain VC team. Founders have to have a unique appetite for doing things the “hard” way. Whether it’s racing against the clock to avoid obsolescence or managing massive logistical challenges, the hardware game isn’t for the faint of heart.
That’s why we needed to make sure the branding connected with these founders. We had to let them know that Gain Venture Capital was a team of people who know the struggles. Founders also want more than capital. They need connections to resources, subject matter expertise, and coaching from people who have been there before.
As with any full brand system, we started with the messaging. This is the foundation upon which we build every strong brand. Like any brand, nailing the messaging was critical for Gain Venture Capital. We had to make it abundantly clear that this was the VC for hardware founders who are at that perfect step of having a proven prototype in the Southeast. This included identifying their key audiences and crafting targeted external messaging toward each of them.
Key Positions
We are industry experts.
At our core, we have extensive background in the hardware space. This expertise makes us uniquely qualified to help emerging founders scale in this sector.
We believe the Southeast has unending potential.
We think startups that launch in the Southeast should be able to grow and scale here. We are passionate about this region and want to catalyze it into a thriving hub for AI-enabled hardware and deeptech ventures. However, we maintain a dynamic flexibility and interest in investing on a national scale.
We are founder focused.
We believe in being the champions of dreams. We do this by connecting founders with invaluable resources, including industry experts, an in-house team of interdisciplinary advisors, electronics labs, and more. Our support expands far beyond capital.
What Makes Us Different
We are dedicated to the Southeast.
Founders all over the U.S. are often forced to move to the West or East coast to raise from VC’s. We’re planting our roots in the Southeast with our industry knowledge and making it clear to investors and founders that access to funds and cutting-edge insights are available closer to home.
We know the AI-enabled hardware industry.
Our team has expertise ranging from the chip-level to aerospace and defense electronics, making us uniquely capable of providing industry insights for founders and delivering strategic guidance along the way in addition to capital. We become true partners with our founders.
Our access to unique industry resources is abundant.
From our extensive prototyping capabilities to our electronics labs, we connect founders to resources they need and remove expensive barriers.
We have an appetite for hardware.
In an era where software has dominated the VC space, we have a unique passion for hardware from the chip level to the high-level logistical strategy that helps early stage technology founders get from prototype to market.
Marketing Headlines
Overarching
- Getting your company from seed to scale.
- Innovate locally. Thrive globally.
- The Southeast’s next technology boom starts with you.
- Catalyzing change in the Southeast.
- More than capital.
- Early stage technology startups belong in the Southeast.
Value Proposition
TechFarms Capital is a venture capital firm that is focused on early stage technology startup companies in the Southeast and nationwide. We bridge a gap that is widening between seed round investment and post-prototype scalability by providing timely capital and strategic insight backed by decades of industry expertise. Our mission is one that ignites a passion for the Southeast region, aiming to solidify it as a true leader in technology startups. We want to support founders where they are, giving them capital they need to succeed without having to pack up their operation. We want them to know that we are here to support their dreams and firmly believe the Southeast is primed to become the next major incubators for early stage technology.
Founders
- Get from prototype to profit.
- A founder first philosophy.
- You are the Southeast’s growing technology industry.
- The gap between seed and scale. Bridged.
- Technology founders need more than capital.
Value Proposition
Early stage technology founders are faced with a critical problem: lack of access to local capital when they need it most. More than that, they need guidance from industry experts who know the ins and outs of their business. At the end of the day, they don’t want to pack up and move across the country to sustain their business plan. They want to build their business in their own backyard and support their own communities and economies. We provide capital at the inflection point of scalability for these companies. Beyond that, our team has the industry knowledge and expertise to guide investors along the journey toward a company that is ready to dominate the market.
Investors
- Proven returns. Long-term gains.
- Invest in something bigger.
- Let’s grow the Southeast. Together.
- Your investment. Their dream. Our future.
- Invest in today’s technologies shaping tomorrow.
Value Proposition
Venture capital investors aren’t searching for a quick return. They know the value of a long-term investment. These investors are not risk averse, but they are searching for the best risk-reward profile possible. Further, many of them are motivated by creating a bigger impact in their region. By investing in early stage technology startups in the Southeast, they are contributing to the economic prosperity in their communities while putting themselves in a position for capital returns, a true win-win.
With a solid messaging platform in place, the visuals had to match. They had to be conceptual and resonate with a very specific audience: AI-enabled hardware founders who are looking for a capital partner.
Logo
The Gain Fund logo is a vibrant evolution of an existing logo for TechFarms Capital, their first round of funding. It has been thoughtfully reimagined to reflect a brighter future. At the center is a dynamic sunburst forming the letter ‘G’—a symbol of energy, momentum, and clarity. This new form captures the spirit of transformation and forward motion, while still honoring the brand’s roots in innovation and growth.
Colors
The refined color palette brings a friendlier, more approachable tone to the identity, reinforcing the fund’s commitment to progress, adaptability, and long-term opportunity. We used a field of dark greens and blues to maintain a polished look while adding pops of contrasting colors with a bright yellow and red to make a statement when necessary.
Assets
With a strong logo and color system anchoring the visuals, we added a library of visually engaging assets that could be deployed throughout their website design, print materials, and pitch decks to add depth and intrigue. This gave the Gain team plenty of ownable markings to help them start to build that brand recognition in a crowded space.
Photography
Refreshed headshots were a necessity as well as group photos to bring everything together. The team stopped by our in-house photography studio in Pensacola, Florida so our team could capture updated headshots and photos with a clean, consistent backdrop for a more professional look in future pitches and website pages.
Business Deliverables
The Gain team didn’t need much out of the gate, but we knew they needed some shiny new business cards and a pitch deck to take with them so that they could properly introduce this latest round to potential founders and investors. This was the perfect opportunity to show them how their new brand came to life in the wild.
