For an ambitious founder, the vision is almost always global. You’re not just building a product for one city or country; you’re creating something to shape the future of how people live, work, and play around the world. But a story that resonates in Silicon Valley might fall flat in Singapore, and a launch strategy that works in London needs a different playbook for Sydney.
This is the modern founder’s dilemma: how do you build a global brand without losing the local firepower needed to win in each market?
At Sling & Stone, we were built to solve this. We were born for startups and scale-ups with global ambitions, combining the reach and resources of an international agency with the deep, on-the-ground expertise of local specialists. It’s a model designed to give challenger brands the best of both worlds.
Global from day one, experts on the ground. A global strategy requires a global footprint. With a team of over 80 specialists across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United States, we provide a boutique feel with genuine global scale. We are also a key part of VCCP, the global challenger agency brand, and a founding member of Outleap, a collective of the world’s best tech PR agencies. This network gives our partners unparalleled access to insights and opportunities across the US, APAC, and EMEA.
But reach is nothing without relevance. True global success comes from local firepower—having experts on the ground who live and breathe the culture, understand the media landscape, and know how to make a story land with impact.
Our team is led by seasoned local specialists:
In Australia and New Zealand, leaders like CEO James Hutchinson bring years of experience as former journalists, translating the most complex technologies into compelling stories for the APAC market.
In the US, Executive Vice President Erin Grant merges client-side and agency-side experience to create integrated strategies that cut through the noise of the world’s most competitive market.
In Southeast Asia, our team led by Rajiv Menon helps brands navigate one of the fastest-growing regions for innovation in the world.
A founder-first approach, built for the entire journey. We were born for startups. Our agency was founded to serve disruptors and innovators ignored by traditional firms. That founder-first mentality is still at the heart of everything we do. We’ve built our agency to be a partner for the entire journey—“from the spark of an idea, to launching your product, and expanding to the world.”
We understand the agility and focus required to succeed. That’s why we created our early-stage startup division, designed to give founders the resources of a full communications team in a model built for their stage of growth.
“Sling & Stone's agility working with startups and expertise working with large consumer brands founded in the US made them the right partner for us.” — Tim Rossanis, Managing Director, Turo Australia
Launching global brands, landing local impact. Our model is proven by the ambitious brands we help launch and scale across the globe.
Bringing Turo to Australia: When the world’s largest peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace, Turo, was ready to launch Down Under, they needed a partner who could bring their much-loved US brand to Australian shores. Our local team helped tell a story that resonated with Aussies’ sense of adventure, successfully launching the platform into a key new market.
Powering Shopify in Southeast Asia: As the leading global commerce platform, Shopify needed a partner to execute its PR strategy across the diverse and dynamic Southeast Asian market. They chose us to manage their regional remit, leveraging our local expertise to strengthen their brand presence.
Scaling Stake for global ambition: Australian brokerage platform Stake is backed by global heavyweights like Tiger Global. To continue their growth, they needed a partner deeply in tune with local culture but able to tell a story with global appeal.
“We needed a PR partner that was in tune with the markets, while also having the creative flair to find unique and culturally relevant stories. During the pitch process, Sling & Stone demonstrated a strong understanding of what we're aiming to achieve.” — Bryan Wilmot, Chief Marketing Officer, Stake
The partner for your global ambition. Building a global brand requires a unique combination of strategic vision and tactical excellence. It demands a partner who can think big while executing with local precision. It requires a team that understands the challenger mindset because they live it themselves.
“As we aspire to become the trusted leader in Australian used cars, partnering with the right agencies is paramount. Sling & Stone has a record of working with disruptor and challenger brands and we were impressed by their creative approach to both consumer and corporate communications.” — Emily Meier-Murren, Director of Brand Marketing, Carma
Are you building a brand to shape the future, around the world? You don’t have to choose between global scale and local firepower. Let’s talk about how we can help you achieve both.
Explore our work with global challengers.