Haymaker Group: Startup to Fortune 500 PR Profile

Haymaker Group is a New York public relations firm founded in 2014 by former Forbes reporter J.J. Colao, who is founder and CEO. It works with technology and venture-backed companies and opened its second office, in San Francisco, in September 2024 under vice president Emilie Cole. PRWeek reported 17 staff in New York at the time, and the firm hosts a Media Summit for reporters and editors, with its NYC edition held on November 18, 2024.

Originally published September 2026. Updated October 20, 2026.

Who founded and leads Haymaker Group?

J.J. Colao founded Haymaker in 2014 after working as a staff reporter at Forbes. The firm's release says he wrote more than 35 magazine stories and 200 digital articles there, including a cover story on Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, and that his experience with PR as a reporter shaped an approach built around the needs of a newsroom. Ragan's 2019 award write-up says he started the firm with no PR experience and funded it with his credit card. He leads the firm as founder and CEO and is a regular commentator on the media, including an essay in Fortune on the relationship between a free press and economic prosperity.

When did Haymaker expand to San Francisco?

PRWeek reported on September 12, 2024 that Haymaker hired Emilie Cole, formerly of Jiko, to lead a newly launched San Francisco office, the New York-headquartered agency's second location. Colao said the firm had a nonpermanent West Coast presence since 2014 and that many clients are technology and venture-backed, which made a formal network important.

What is the Media Summit?

Haymaker's release describes Media Summit | NYC as a first-of-its-kind conference featuring reporters and editors who cover business and technology. The 2024 New York edition was an invite-only event on November 18, 2024, open to investors, journalists, founders and communications professionals by application. A Media Summit SF event also lists Colao giving opening remarks and moderating conversations with media figures. EPR's technology PR section covers related work.

What does Haymaker Group do?

The firm describes leading public relations strategy for high-growth companies in the US, with counsel based on a newsroom perspective. CommunicationsMatch lists content marketing, media training, press release distribution and public relations strategy as expertise. Its press-first approach connects to EPR's guides on media relations and effective media pitches.

How does Haymaker Group compare with other tech PR firms?

Haymaker is a boutique focused on technology and venture-backed companies, so compare it with Six Eastern and Kite Hill PR. The table points to the most relevant EPR pages.

Related: PR agency profiles, Technology PR, New York PR firms, San Francisco PR firms, 5W Public Relations