Your PR agency for start-ups

A PR agency for start-ups specialises in public relations for young technology companies, from funding PR around financing rounds to go-to-market PR at product launch. Thought leadership campaigns for founders often run alongside. Such an agency knows the relevant start-up media, such as t3n, Gründerszene, Startupvalley and Tech.eu. It also knows the trade press of the market segment in which the start-up sells. additiv positions start-ups with investors and enterprise customers. As an agency for B2B technology, additiv also makes them visible in AI systems such as ChatGPT and Claude.

A PR agency for start-ups develops communication strategies and handles day-to-day PR consulting. That covers press relations in relevant media, content for LinkedIn and the website, investor relations content and AI visibility. The goal is that AI assistants classify the start-up correctly before an investor or a potential customer starts the first conversation. In practice the work begins with positioning: what the start-up stands for and which audiences matter first. additiv delivers all of this from one fixed team that knows the product and sets the priorities in the first 100 days.

additiv works with start-ups from the seed stage, once they have a working product and first customers or pilot customers. The natural entry point is shortly before or after a financing round, when visibility and positioning are to be built strategically. For scale-ups at Series B and beyond, additiv has many years of experience. Wiferion, for example, worked with additiv from building its press relations up to the exit to PULS Group.

Start-up retainers begin at EUR 3,000 to 5,000 per month. We adapt scope and budget to your phase, from funding PR to go-to-market. In the first call you get an honest assessment of the budget at which we can really make a difference.

additiv builds the communication around financing rounds: press releases and bylined articles on the round, placement in German business media such as Handelsblatt or WirtschaftsWoche, thought leadership content for investor conversations and systematic AI visibility. Investors google every start-up they evaluate. Many also ask ChatGPT. We shape what they find there. The work starts weeks before the announcement, so that coverage is ready on the day the round becomes public. For Sereact, additiv combined funding PR with market positioning and reached 488 publications by June 2025.

additiv builds AI visibility for start-ups in four steps: an audit, content optimisation for citability, placement in trusted trade media and regular measurement. The audit shows how ChatGPT and Perplexity describe the start-up today. It reveals gaps and errors as well as the topics that competitors already occupy. Start-ups that do not appear in AI systems lose enquiries before a first conversation takes place. additiv reports progress with concrete metrics, so you can see which AI answers name your start-up.

additiv has specialised in technical B2B markets for almost 30 years: robotics, industrial software, deep tech and SaaS for manufacturing and supply chains. We do not need a briefing to know which journalists and editorial teams matter for an AMR start-up or an industrial SaaS provider. We also combine classic PR with AI visibility in one strategy. The team works in fixed set-ups, so the consultants who know your product stay on the account. Wiferion shows the result: additiv built its press relations from zero up to the exit to PULS Group.

additiv focuses on B2B technology: intralogistics and robotics, industrial software and platforms, SaaS for manufacturing and supply chains, deep tech and embedded systems. These markets share long sales cycles and technical buyers who check every claim. Communication there has to explain technology accurately before it can persuade. Technical buyers in these markets read the trade press closely. For consumer start-ups or fintech, additiv is not the right partner. additiv’s references in this field include Sereact, Synaos, Peakboard and PartSpace.

additiv makes sure communication brings leads by tying every measure to a sales goal and measuring it against that goal. Trade press placements open doors to investor and customer conversations. Sales enabling content then qualifies leads before they reach your sales team, while LinkedIn activity reaches decision-makers directly. The KPIs follow the sales funnel, from enquiries to qualified conversations. Reach figures count only where they lead somewhere. additiv agrees these KPIs with you before the first campaign and reports against them regularly.

First trade press publications appear after six to eight weeks. Visible market presence and first leads usually follow after six to twelve months. Our cases show what is realistic in that time: Wiferion built its press relations with additiv from zero and reached 256 publications in 2025. The timing also depends on the funding stage and on how much the start-up can already show. With additiv, Sereact reached 488 publications by June 2025 and became an established voice in AI robotics.

Founders can handle PR for their start-up themselves at first, through direct journalist contacts and their own LinkedIn presence. Many start that way. The problem shows after three to six months. Without a structured press list and editorial experience, the impact falls short of the effort. Founders often spend a large part of their week on PR and end up with isolated publications. Scaling needs a team that runs press relations and content as one system. In the 15-minute initial call, additiv clarifies how far your own PR can take you.

additiv usually works with 12-month retainers, because PR needs time to work and both sides need a reliable commitment. Start-ups that want to judge the results after six weeks will be disappointed, because media relationships and visibility take more than weeks to grow. For start-ups at a very early stage, additiv offers entry formats with shorter terms. A retainer also keeps the same fixed team on your account. additiv discusses the specific conditions openly in the 15-minute initial call.

additiv places start-ups in the media their target group reads, from start-up titles to the trade press of their market. Start-up media such as t3n, Gründerszene, Tech.eu and Startupvalley create visibility with investors. Enterprise customers and decision-makers read German business media such as Handelsblatt and WirtschaftsWoche. They also follow the trade press of their segment, from logistics and robotics to manufacturing. additiv usually combines these levels, matched to your funding stage and sales goal. For Sereact, the coverage additiv secured included Handelsblatt and the FAZ.

additiv received the Deutscher PR-Preis 2026 (German PR Award), Bronze, in the category Technology and Innovation Communication. The award went to the campaign “From hidden champion to thought leader: additiv and Sereact build trust in AI for logistics”. The award came from communication work for Sereact, a deep tech start-up in AI robotics and embodied AI. At the PR Report Awards 2025, additiv and Sereact were shortlisted in two categories from more than 400 entries.

additiv offers social media as part of an integrated communication strategy, with LinkedIn as the main channel for B2B start-ups. additiv runs LinkedIn editorial work for company pages and executives. Founder ghostwriting builds personal visibility through content series published under the founder’s own name. For us social media is part of the overall positioning and is planned together with PR and content. additiv aligns every LinkedIn series with the press calendar, so posts and coverage support each other.

additiv also works as a content marketing agency and creates white papers, bylined technical articles, customer case studies, website copy and sales enabling content. The aim is always that leads reach your sales team better qualified. A customer case study, for example, can feed the trade press and the sales team at the same time. Content written this way is also easier for AI assistants to cite. Content without a PR strategy is rare at additiv, because visibility and content belong together. For Wiferion, additiv’s content and press work produced 256 publications in 2025.

additiv’s start-up references cover several segments: AI and robotics with Sereact and Synaos, intralogistics software with myleo/dsc, industrial tech with Peakboard and PartSpace, and intralogistics hardware with Wiferion up to its exit. Two cases are documented in detail. Wiferion went from press relations built from zero to the exit to PULS Group. Sereact reached 488 publications by June 2025 and was shortlisted for the PR Report Awards 2025 in two categories. additiv has supported these companies from seed stage to exit or Series B.

International B2B tech start-ups can use additiv as their communication partner for the German-speaking market. German buyers and investors read German trade and business media. They expect native copy with local references. additiv takes the briefing in English and writes and pitches in German. Coordination with your team at home runs in English. That gives a start-up a German presence without building a local communications team first. Thenetworkone, an international agency network, connects additiv with partners in other markets.