Agency ProfileRegional & Full-Service

LaunchSquad: PR Agency Profile, History, and Industry Coverage

LaunchSquad is a 25-year independent storytelling, PR, and content marketing agency founded 1999 by Jesse Odell. Headquartered in San Francisco with offices in NYC, LA, Boston, Chicago, Austin, Denver. Virtual-first. 100+ colleagues, 900+ lifetime clients. Specialty: AI, climate, healthcare, fintech, consumer tech.

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Specialty

Regional & Full-Service

Profiled

Jun 3, 2026

Desk

EPR Editorial Team

Firm summary

Part of EPR's California PR pillar · California Communications State · San Francisco PR Firms Directory · PR Firms Directory · Technology PR

Updated July 2026. LaunchSquad is a 25+ year independent storytelling, PR, and content marketing agency. Founded 1999 by Jesse Odell. Headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin, and Denver. Specializes in tech PR for AI, climate, healthcare, fintech, transportation, and consumer tech. Virtual-first operating model.

Overview

LaunchSquad is an independent storytelling, public relations, and content marketing agency founded in 1999 by Jesse Odell. Headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Austin, and Denver, the firm has spent 25+ years partnering with fast-growing startups and industry leaders across AI, climate, healthcare, transportation, fintech, and consumer tech.

History and Ownership

Jesse Odell founded LaunchSquad in 1999 in San Francisco. The firm built its early reputation working with West Coast tech startups during the dot-com era. LaunchSquad has worked with more than 900 clients across its lifetime — making it one of the most prolific independent tech-PR firms in the U.S. The agency remains independent and privately held.

Key Milestones

1999: Jesse Odell founded LaunchSquad in San Francisco.

2000s: Expanded into East Coast markets with New York and Boston offices.

2010s: Built out content marketing and video production capabilities.

2024: Marked 25th anniversary. Transitioned to fully virtual-first operating model.

2025–2026: Expanded sector coverage to AI, climate, and healthcare. Notable clients include Hippocratic AI (featured by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang at GTC 2026), Stereolabs, and Eden Green Technology.

Services

Public Relations — positioning, messaging, story development, media relations, influencer programs, awards strategy
Content — social media management, blog content, content marketing strategy, editorial production
Video — concept development, scripting, casting, production, editing
Analytics — custom dashboards, data analysis, reporting

Leadership

Jesse Odell continues as founder and senior leader of the firm. LaunchSquad is recognized by industry peers as a strong place for PR career development.

Awards and Recognition

LaunchSquad has been recognized by O'Dwyer's as a leading independent PR firm and has earned multiple PRWeek and PRovoke Media campaign honors.

Notable Clients

900+ clients across its lifetime. Recent engagements: Hippocratic AI (healthcare AI startup), Stereolabs (computer vision), Eden Green Technology (sustainable agriculture). Publishes The Cooler, a climate solutions Substack.

Key Takeaways

25+ year independent PR, content, and storytelling agency founded 1999 by Jesse Odell.
Headquartered in San Francisco with offices in 7 U.S. cities. Virtual-first.
100+ colleagues nationwide.
900+ clients across firm's history.
Specializes in AI, climate, healthcare, transportation, fintech, consumer tech.
Recent notable clients: Hippocratic AI, Stereolabs, Eden Green Technology.