Red Antler

Red Antler

Emily Heyward and JB Osborne founded Red Antler in 2007 in Brooklyn, New York, betting that a new generation of startups would need brand-building as a core discipline, not an afterthought. The firm entered the market at the dawn of the direct-to-consumer era when venture-backed companies began competing as much on consumer experience and narrative as on product features. Red Antler positioned itself as a partner to rule-breakers and future-makers, embedding strategy at the earliest stages of a company's life to create brands that consumers would treat as indispensable. Red Antler's work spans brand strategy, visual and verbal identity systems, digital product design, and advertising campaigns, with a notable focus on technology-enabled consumer and B2B companies. Its portfolio of launch clients includes Hinge, the dating app that grew to become the fastest-growing in its category; AllTrails, named Apple's iPhone App of the Year; fintech heavyweight Ramp, which reached a $32 billion valuation; and electric aviation company Archer, which secured a $1 billion order from United Airlines. The firm also designed the brand for Chime, later named to TIME's 2024 World's Best Brands list. Red Antler operates from its Brooklyn headquarters and serves clients globally, with a practice that emphasizes brand-led growth across North America, Europe, and beyond. Red Antler Group, the parent entity, houses two additional units: a presentation design studio that supports fundraising and business development, and a creative performance marketing company that runs brand-led media and growth campaigns. CEO JB Osborne oversees the group while Emily Heyward leads the creative agency. Partner and Chief Creative Officer Kiser Barnes directs the design and creative output. In May 2024, Heyward was named among Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business, while the firm and its leadership have previously earned spots on Inc.'s Top 10 Entrepreneurs of the Decade and Entrepreneur's Most Powerful Women in Business lists. Public headcount figures remain undisclosed. The firm's structure weaves together the classic craft of a creative agency with the performance accountability of a growth marketer, a combination that appeals to venture-backed companies measuring everything from CAC to LTV. Red Antler does not take equity as standard practice; instead it operates as a service business paid in cash, but its model — embedding at a company's genesis and shaping the public narrative before the first press release — functions as a de facto venture partner without a balance sheet commitment. This arm's-length but deeply integrated role keeps the agency aligned with startup timelines while insulating it from portfolio risk, a governance choice that distinguishes it from the venture studios and incubators that otherwise occupy the same early-stage territory.