SWAT by KIRSHENBAUM
Business Architect for Entrepreneurial Growth
President & Partner. Co-led the repositioning and growth of SWAT by Kirshenbaum, a strategic consultancy and brand studio. Built a top-tier client roster including Venus Williams, Marcus by Goldman Sachs, Wheels Up, and 1 Hotels. Developed brand strategy and go-to-market platforms for founders, investors, and new venture groups inside major corporations.
SWAT by Kirshenbaum wasn’t built like a traditional agency. It operated like a business studio, embedding inside companies to shape strategy, build brands, and drive performance from the inside out.
As President and Partner, I helped evolve SWAT into a trusted partner for high-profile founders, private equity portfolios, and entrepreneurial divisions within major corporations.
From Strategy to Story to Scale
We built brands the right way—aligning business model, product vision, and cultural relevance from day one. Each engagement was a mix of deep strategy and creative instinct. I often stepped in as embedded CMO, COO, or brand advisor.
Client engagements included:
ELEVEN by Venus Williams: repositioned and rebuilt the brand for retail expansion and DTC launch
Marcus by Goldman Sachs: developed brand architecture, messaging, and platform strategy for their mass-market debut
Wheels Up: helped shape early brand and customer strategy as private aviation shifted toward lifestyle marketing
1 Hotels: worked on brand expression and value prop for SH Group’s eco-luxury hospitality platform
The Work Behind the Work
At SWAT, clarity came first. We took pride in developing decks and strategic tools that balanced intellectual rigor with creative energy. Our work often involved untangling complexity like business positioning, investor story, brand voice, customer journey, product-market fit—then turning that clarity into confident execution.
We weren’t just working with founders. We partnered with ambitious operators and intrapreneurs inside Fortune 100 companies who were building entirely new ventures and needed a team who could move fast, think smart, and flex across disciplines.
A Strategy-Led Accelerator
Our hybrid model made SWAT one of the first strategy accelerators to work inside entrepreneurial companies and legacy organizations at once. We weren’t just brand thinkers, we knew how to set KPIs, navigate investor expectations, and move fast while keeping strategy airtight.
That corporate fluency made us indispensable to entrepreneurs and executive teams alike. And it gave our clients an edge - the ability to scale smart and brand boldly.
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 by Kirshenbaum proved that big thinking and fast action could live together. We created a new blueprint for how brands could be built from the inside out and the ground up.
When business strategy, brand creativity, and investor rigor align, building brands can lead to building movements.