Brand strategy workshops and speaking for startup incubators, accelerators and entrepreneurship programs, by Susie Ippolito.
Practical, interactive, research-backed workshops designed to help founders understand their customers, sharpen their identity, and position their brand with confidence.
“Susie Ippolito brings such sharp, practical thinking to the Cornell eLab founders. The reminder that investors, customers, teammates, and even AI should all describe their companies the same way across interactions is one our teams will carry into their corporate brands and narratives. Your focus on the repeatability test as a framework for thinking about their brands will help our student entrepreneurs build brands that scale with consistency and clarity from day one.”
Gregory Ray, PhD, MBA, Don & Margi Berens Professor of Entrepreneurship, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
“Susie’s workshops generate great attendance and give practical advice our startups can use right away.”
Ying Zhou, Executive Director, The Tech Incubator at Queens College
Who These Workshops Are For
Startup accelerators, incubators and entrepreneurship programs that want founders to:
- stop guessing about their customers
- strengthen their brand identity
- understand their value in the market
- communicate with more confidence and consistency
- build brands that support traction, content, sales and fundraising
Ideal for founder cohorts who need practical brand insight they can implement immediately.
What Susie Teaches
Workshops with Susie are practical, interactive, and designed to shift how founders think about their brands. Founders learn how to:
- understand real customer behavior and decision drivers
- define a brand identity aligned with their values and audience
- create a brand voice that is consistent and recognizable
- carve out a market position they can own
- make strategic decisions based on insight
Everything taught is immediately actionable. No jargon, trends, or theory without application.
The Startup Brand Strategy Workshop Series
A three-part series that gives founders strong brand foundations they can use immediately.
Workshop 1: Customer Segments
A practical breakdown of who your real customers are and what drives their decisions. Founders learn the difference between segments, target markets and personas, and walk away with a simple method for uncovering motivations.
Built for incubators that want founders to replace assumptions with real insight.
Workshop 2: Core Values, Brand Voice & Identity
A grounded approach to understanding the connection between core values, brand voice and identity. Founders learn how values and voice shape recognition, trust and cohesion across websites, pitch decks and content.
Built for incubators that want founders to build a consistent, values-led brand identity that supports stronger communication and traction.
Workshop 3: Positioning for Startups
A straightforward method for carving out meaningful space in crowded markets. Founders learn how to map competitors, identify white space, and articulate a position that strengthens marketing, sales and fundraising.
Built for incubators that want founders to understand their competitive advantage and communicate their value with confidence.
Speaking Engagements
Susie speaks at startup accelerators and incubators, university entrepreneurship programs, community business events, and virtual panels and workshops.
Speaking topics include:
- brand identity and brand voice
- customer segments and real audience insight
- positioning for early-stage startups
- the founder experience
- using AI to strengthen brand strategy
Why Programs Choose Susie
Susie’s facilitation style is clear, direct and deeply practical. She knows how to get founders talking, thinking and participating, simplify complex brand decisions, bring real examples from startups at every stage, and help founders make better decisions, faster.
Her background spans brand development, market research, founder coaching and editorial storytelling, giving her a rare ability to turn complexity into confident action.
- Rev: Ithaca Startup Works, Women in Entrepreneurship speaker
- Rev: Ithaca Startup Works, AI Coffee Chats host
- Rev: Ithaca Startup Works, Hardware Accelerator workshop facilitator
- The Tech Incubator at Queens College, three-part workshop facilitator
- Cornell Center for Regional Economic Advancement, panelist and workshop facilitator
- Cornell eLab and the Cornell SC Johnson Summer Startup Accelerator, workshops and mentorship
- Community manager for Trends by HubSpot, a private group of 15,000 entrepreneurs
What Founders Say
- 99% of workshop attendees rated their experience five stars
- 100% would recommend the workshop to a colleague
- 99% said they would attend again
- 95% implemented insights from the workshop immediately
“I was genuinely impressed by how quickly Susie’s workshop brought my entire team (despite varying levels of familiarity with branding & marketing concepts) to a shared understanding of our company’s direction. Everyone left aligned, energized, and clear on what the next steps should be. The session was both insightful and immediately actionable!”
Thomas Šiurna, Cornell eLab, building an AI edTech platform
“Susie’s sessions were a masterclass in brand discipline. Her point that iconic brands don’t try to convince everyone really resonated; it gave me the framework to stop chasing every ‘yes’ and start building a brand identity rooted in strategic alignment and core values rather than just broad-market appeal.”
Eiryn Lawrence, The Tech Incubator at Queens College, building Empower Life, a SaaS startup teaching young professionals how to set up their life for success
“A robust session that yielded me with a clearer positioning perspective. Highly illuminating.”
Susan Parker, The Tech Incubator at Queens College, building an agentic AI platform, part of the Applied AI program at MIT
“I immediately started implementing items on my website and socials. Huge value.”
Stephanie Emiliani
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of startups are these workshops for?
Early- and growth-stage startups, solo operators and small teams who want practical, actionable brand strategy.
Do you offer virtual workshops?
Yes. All sessions are available online on your preferred platform or in person, and may be recorded for internal use.
How long is each workshop?
45 to 60 minutes, with teaching, examples and live Q&A.
Can you customize a workshop for our program?
Yes. Susie tailors sessions to the stage, industry mix and goals of your founders.
Where do you offer in-person workshops?
Across NY, NJ, CT and PA.
How much do workshops and speaking cost?
Pricing depends on format and program. Contact SI Brands for workshop and speaking pricing.
Ready to Bring Susie to Your Program?
Book a single workshop, the full series, or a speaking engagement.
