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Propelling the Growth of a Fast-Paced Start-up
The Client
Katana Graph charged onto the tech scene with groundbreaking research and a vision that blended high-performance computing with graph technology. Hailing from the University of Texas at Austin, the founders were not just entering the graph-computing arena—they planned to redefine it with groundbreaking AI and a platform that could outperform its competition by orders of magnitude. To attract the sophisticated investors and premium talent essential for growth, the company needed a polished, world-class brand and digital presence.
The Project
Phase 1 was absolutely critical for near- and long-term success. High Seas focused on establishing a strong foundation: a distinctive logo, punchy brand messaging, a visual language that speaks volumes, and a digital home base for engaging potential investors and recruiting a top-tier team. Phase 2 cranked things up a notch with a robust website geared towards multiple distinctive audiences, an informative & engaging content marketing strategy, eye-catching trade-show swag, and multimedia storytelling to illustrate the groundbreaking benefits of Katana Graph’s high-performance computing platform.
As the collaboration deepened, High Seas would be brought in as a trusted resource for support on an Enterprise Edition product launch, as well as the creation of developer tools & resources, product UI, and data visualizations.
Diving deep into the world of graph computing was no small feat. Our crew had to sync up brainwaves with Katana’s tech pioneers, translating tech-speak into visual and content strategies customized for multiple, disparate audiences, such as C-Suite decision makers, the software developer community, and business-savvy investors. This deep dive enabled us to craft brand messaging that hit home and laid the groundwork for future product wonders.
After attaining an impressive Series A, Katana Graph’s rapid growth required rapid adjustment. An engagement that had begun as a tech deep-dive and brainstorming with the founders shifted towards aligning with the burgeoning Marketing and Product teams’ expanded priorities. High Seas navigated this swiftly evolving world with agility and a passion for propelling our client’s success through each new goal and challenge.
The Approach
It started with a logo — High Seas anchored its visual approach to a distinctive and meticulously realized brand mark that captures Katana Graph’s ethos: modern, elegant, energetic and innovative. There is a subtle reference to the letter ‘K’ and the incisive edge of the katana. This sits within a circle representing the all-in-one platform.
This powerful emblem set the stage for a brand system that works in harmony with the company’s mission: a color palette and visual identity as forward-thinking as the technology itself, paired with a brand language & messaging system that illuminates Katana Graph’s advantages for techies and the business community alike. From a name and a mission was forged a fully-realized brand that confidently stands out from the digital crowd.
The Result
“Our work with High Seas has been pivotal to our growth as a company, and our success in attracting partnership and investment,” says John Rueter, director of marketing at Katana Graph. “They’ve been with us from the beginning, helping us articulate our vision and achieve our goals.”
Since the High Seas team first spoke with Katana Graph’s founding team in 2019, the brand went from fledgling startup to a buzz-generating brand with offices in four major cities across the world. Their $28.5 million Series A funding round attracted investment from big names like Intel and Dell, as well as WRVI Capital, Nepenthe Capital, and Redline Capital.
Katana Graph was honored as a Great Place to Work in September 2021, attracting even more talent for their engineering, product, and sales teams. A can’t-miss billboard along Route 101 South of San Francisco advertises Katana Graph’s growing partnership with Intel, which promises to get the graph-computing innovator in the door with more and more clients on the front lines of the future of data.
