Haymaker Group: Startup to Fortune 500 PR Profile

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Haymaker Group is a public relations firm founded in 2014 by J.J. Colao, a former Forbes business reporter, on the premise that most PR firms do not understand what makes a story newsworthy. The firm serves clients ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies.

Founder and Origin

Colao's reporting background at Forbes shaped the firm's editorial-first approach to pitching, built around identifying what a journalist would actually consider news rather than what a client wants said. Haymaker is headquartered in New York and expanded to San Francisco and Silicon Valley in 2024 to deepen ties with the venture capital community.

Clients and Category Focus

The firm works with Eventbrite, Oatly, G2, Gympass, HubSpot, and Harness, spanning consumer technology, enterprise software, and growth-stage venture-backed companies.

Approach

Haymaker hosts its own Media Summit conference for reporters and editors, a first-party event built to maintain direct relationships with the press corps its clients need. Account supervisors at the firm have been named to PR News' Top Rising Women list.

Services

Core services include media strategy, press outreach, and narrative development for startups and enterprise technology clients.

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