top of page

Is Your Startup Struggling to Get Noticed?

Kara Mac Shoes

You're not alone. Most founders face these critical challenges that prevent them from scaling successfully.

That's where we come in.

Sound Familiar?

Customers Don't Know You Exist

Great products fail because nobody hears about them. Your target market remains unaware of your game-changing solution.

Competitors Are Moving Faster

While you focus on development, competitors with inferior products and solutions are dominating online, experience, mindshare, media and market position.

Investors Aren't Paying Attention

Your brilliant idea gets lost in the noise. Without media credibility, investors question your market viability and growth potential.

We're more than a typical PR and marketing agency

Since 2001, PR has always been our foundation, but consumer behaviors have changed and so has search. We saw an opportunity to transform into a new agency and approach.

We're a PR and brand marketing agency embracing how customers search, discover and engage with clients. Using search as our gauge for credible content (PR), authoritative content (website), amplified content (social channels), shared content (design and video) we set clients up for long-term visibility online.

We Help with Cascade360°

Unlike other agencies, we understand that campaigns must cover all bases and channels online using an integrated story-first approach to create long-term visibility. PR alone is not enough. So Cascade evolved to meet the real needs of clients in today's online world.

Our unique Cascade360 model takes a full view of your business and industry for customized strategies that ensure our campaigns successfully achieve business objectives from brand, design and PR and content to discovery, curiosity, clicks and sales.

 

Launch

Through strategy, brand story planning, brand and website design, packaging, SEO and content.

Generate Awareness

Experts at PR and online visibility, we understand how the media work, what customers want and how to put our clients in front of them.

Grow

Ongoing PR, content creation and distribution for search and discovery for long-term online visibility, clicks and sales.

Top PR Agency for Startups 
Top 10 Most Influential Startup PR Professionals in the World
PR News Platinum Awards Finalist - Consumer Product Launch of the Year

A Different Kind of Agency. 

Meeting the needs of a rapidly changing marketing and media environment for growing companies.

Search, Discovery & Experience are at the heart of our strategies for long-term success.

We're a globally recognized and acclaimed integrated brand marketing and public relations agency for startups, small business and small enterprises around the world.

We innovate PR and digital brand marketing to introduce the world to innovative, fearless startups, small businesses and small enterprises making an impact.

We're a virtual agency that has mastered a coop collaboration for client success. This allows us flexibility and affordability.

Our mission is to help startups, small business and small enterprises worldwide compete and grow through brand, online visibility, innovative PR approach, content, experiential brand marketing and campaigns that increase online visibility and search discovery for long-term growth.

High-Impact Design & Media Placements

It's not enough to want media attention. It's about knowing how to get directly in front of your customer and key stakeholders through design and PR that matters.

 

Get coverage in publications that your customers and investors actually read, building instant credibility and market authority.

Growth-Driven Digital Strategy

Beyond traditional PR, we create integrated campaigns that drive website traffic, generate leads, and convert prospects into customers.

  • Brand and website design

  • SEO-optimized content strategy

  • Social media amplification

  • Conversion-focused landing pages

  • Content for search and discovery

Investor-Ready Positioning

We position your startup as the obvious expert and market leader to make clients more appealing to investors.

  • Compelling investor pitch narratives

  • Industry thought leadership positioning

  • Market validation through media coverage

  • Speakers packets & submissions

Don't let our big corporate experience scare you.
Let it inspire you.
We've long been experts in marketing small-medium business and startups, allowing them to be just as competitive in the market. Most importantly, we know the industry, how it's changing and what our clients need for success in a digital world.

Household brand experience. Boutique experience.
consumer tech PR agency
Red Bull Logo
DeKuyper Pucker Schnapps Logo
SMART Technologies Logo
Washburn Guitars Logo
Massage Envy logo
Got Milk logo

Services

Brand & Design

Branding
Packaging
Graphic Design

PR

Key Messaging
Media Relations
Story Tracking

Website & SEO

Search Optimization & Visibility (SEO)
Website Design & Wix Partners

Content

Content Development 
Social Media Strategy 

"Strategy without discovery is guesswork. The Compass was built because every business deserves to know exactly where it stands and exactly what to do about it — before spending a dollar on execution."

JENNIFER FORTNEY• FOUNDER • CASCADE

Our Work

Consumer tech PR agency

Noopl

This hearing technology startup launched an app and device that assists individuals who have a hard time hearing in loud environments. 

Our sampling program success led to an major award for the company, and Cascade was a finalist for the PR News Platinum Award for Product Launch of the Year.

Consumer phone app PR agency

Watch Our Own

Watch Our Own is the first all-in-one phone app for family caregivers. Manage everything in one place - groups of caregivers, medications, appointments, task management, tracking a lost loved one, fall detector and patented incident alerts. Communicate and call EMS directly from the app.

Pet product PR agency

Kumfy Tailz

Innovative product designed to address how we keep our pets truly warm in extremely hot and cold weather. Backed by a veterinarian, the product achieved tons of press and influencer engagement, resulting in more than 70 stories and mentions within 18 months. This category has since exploded in the pet industry.

Applause

Mark Clayton, Founder, Inventor & Former NFL Player, LIVV Headphones

"Jennifer and Cascade were able to work magic for us, especially considering our tight budget.

Cascade cares about their work, offering candid advice and excellent service. Organized and able to maximize a limited budget. The 30-day campaign they executed resulted in over $100,000 of new funds and set a foundation for further investment rounds."

Ever wonder how so many small businesses and startups attract media attention?
Did they hire a PR pro?
Maybe they learned to do it themselves.

Successful brands know how to tell their story powerfully across all platforms, creating emotional connections that turn customers into loyal advocates, even when bootstrapping.

Final Be a Media Magnet Cover.png

Your brand marketing strategy awaits. Discovery and growth await.

Offices: 
​Chicago, IL, Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana​​
  • Facebook Social Icon
  • Twitter Social Icon
  • Twitter Social Icon
  • LinkedIn Social Icon

Join our mailing list

Chicagoland-based Cascade Communications is an nationally and internationally acclaimed top U.S. Integrated Digital Marketing & PR Agency for startups, small businesses and small enterprises around the world. Located in Chicago, IL, Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, we serve clients across the U.S., Canada, Europe and around the world.

 

Public relations, brand and graphic design, website design, SEO, digital marketing, paid & advertising, content, video and photography.

Cascade Communications Goldman Sachs 10KSB Alumni Badge

© 2026 Cascade Communications  Integrated Brand Marketing, Design and Public Relations agency for startups and small to mid-sized business

bottom of page