SWAT by KIRSHENBAUM
Where Startup Thinking Met Real Business Strategy
President & Partner. Re-built and led a boutique agency designed for entrepreneurs and innovation-focused divisions inside larger companies. Oversaw a portfolio of disruptive brands including Venus Williams’ ELEVEN, Marcus by Goldman Sachs, Wheels Up, Zeel, and more, guiding both business architecture and brand strategy to drive sustainable growth and creative execution. Increased agency revenue by over 425% in 18 months through strategic client development, capital advisory, and performance-led marketing.
The Model Was the Message
When Richard Kirshenbaum asked me to help redirect his new agency focused exclusively on founders and entrepreneurial ventures, I was initially hesitant. I wasn’t looking to return to the advertising world. But his business model struck a chord. I knew my real expertise wasn’t just in brand, it was in building businesses from the inside out. The concept of SWAT wasn’t about campaigns. It was about launching, scaling, and repositioning high-potential brands at the ground level.
My strategy was clear from the start: treat every client like I was their interim Chief Brand Officer or President. Whether it was a high-growth startup or an innovation unit inside a global corporation, I operated as if the success of their business was my responsibility, because it was.
A House of Brands, Not an Agency Roster
I built SWAT’s operations to function like a portfolio model. Each client had access to a strategic and creative ecosystem that I designed to be lean, smart, and scalable. I built strategic foundations, activated high-performance content engines, and worked hand in hand with founders, boards, and CMOs to shift their businesses into motion.
Rather than waiting for creative briefs, I created the briefs. I wasn’t interested in marketing symptoms. I went upstream to address the business challenges first.
Entrepreneurial by Design
SWAT was created for the kinds of assignments that traditional agencies struggled with, fast-moving, high-stakes, and deeply nuanced. Whether we were brought in to help Goldman Sachs secure a major consumer partnership, or position new luxury startups like Furtuna Skin and ZERO Makeup, we were built to move fast and think big.
My role was to turn ambition into strategy, and strategy into performance.
Results Beyond the Brief
Increased agency revenue by +425% in 18 months through brand development, capital raising, digital strategy, and campaign execution
Helped Goldman Sachs successfully secure a major consumer partnership and led the full branded content ecosystem for Marcus
Drove a 65% lift in DTC sales and a 4X conversion increase for ELEVEN by Venus Williams
Positioned Wheels Up as a lifestyle brand with a competitive edge in a crowded private aviation market that led to an IPO
Repositioned and relaunched ZEEL with a brand voice and visual system that connected wellness to zen performance, not just spa culture
Developed and launched ZERO Makeup (for Nabila) and Furtuna Skin, building foundational strategy, identity, content, and go-to-market plans
Unified digital, brand, and F&B positioning across all 1 Hotels properties and Baccarat Hotel
From SWAT to SWAT Equity
The entrepreneurial spirit behind SWAT led to something even more disruptive: SWAT Equity, one of the first early-stage venture funds housed within a brand strategy firm.
As Managing Director and Partner, I helped lead brand-focused diligence and portfolio strategy for a $15M fund that invested in companies like Supergoop!, Banza, HATCH, and NAADAM—all early-stage brands we believed in long before they became category leaders. It was a first-of-its-kind model that brought investment and brand building into the same room.
Takeaway
SWAT wasn’t just a company I turned around, it was my proving ground. I re-built it to reflect how I believe brand and business strategy should work together. Every client engagement was a test of speed, smarts, and substance. And when I stepped in, I didn’t just run the brand. I ran the business.