Hustle and Execution

irlabs is tackling investor relations from every angle helping companies at all stages of their growth journey succeed.

Alyssa Barry and Caroline Sawamoto know the path from startup to going public isn’t easy and it’s become even harder over the past year as the market tightened and the capital necessary for growth became more challenging to acquire. 

The pair launched irlabs less than two years ago, bringing their combined experience in both private and public enterprises to support businesses on their growth journey and have already supported six companies to go public in that time.The investor relations advisory firm prides itself on being a trusted advisor for its clients, supporting a business with tailored, in-depth programs that tackle every angle, whether that’s strategy, media and marketing, raising capital, mergers and acquisitions, or beyond. 

“We are here to support early-stage startups navigate the path of growing their business,” says Barry. “Especially in the past year, it’s been a very challenging market and difficult for companies to find capital and the path to growth.”

irlabs’ expertise is helping their clients determine how to scale and grow, position themselves for success in the process, and figure out whether the best path forward is an IPO or another way of raising capital.

“We are advisors to navigate that growth,” Barry says. 

The firm offers a full suite of services delivered by a diverse team of professionals they’ve brought together, which is unique compared to other investor relations agencies. They not only have a platform to tap into capital markets, but they also have expertise in all of the other aspects that help them raise the profile of their clients, whether it’s media relations, communications or marketing. In just 18 months, the company has scaled to 25 employees across the country. 

“We have a strong network and we tap into it on behalf of our clients,” says Sawamoto. 

Barry says much of irlabs’ success boils down to one thing: execution. 

“We focus on the task at hand. We work extremely hard for our clients. We’re very tactical,” she said. Strategic advisors and client support only go so far without the things like pitch decks, strong websites, media exposure and making connections, she says. “It’s all about execution and doing good work, and we think outside the box.”