Writer · Storyteller · Brand marketer · NYC / San Francisco

People tell me their stories. I help the world fall in love with them.

I do my best work at the intersection of technology and humanity. That means turning complex, technical problems into things people actually want to read. It means finding the raw, human story behind the shiny tech. And most importantly, it means building strong relationships with the people I meet along the way. At Startmate, the YC of Australia and New Zealand, it meant growing a 50k-strong LinkedIn audience and a 25k-subscriber newsletter people genuinely opened, launching our most successful product to date, landing stories in the Australian Financial Review and Forbes, and filling a room with 2,000 people for Demo Day. Now I’m ready for my next chapter.

Read the work Find me on LinkedIn Say hello
Holly Brooks in a denim jacket, leaning against a brick wall and smiling

Hello, I’m Holly.

Founders talk in roadmaps, investors talk in multiples, and the rest of the world just wants a good story. I speak all three.

I trained in law, learned marketing by starting my own outdoor cinema, and found my real calling in rooms full of founders, asking the question underneath the pitch. I did a stint at KPMG, decided life was too short for slide decks, and went all in on startups, where I’ve spent seven years across drone tech, fintech and venture capital. At Startmate I was promoted twice in under two years and ended up running marketing for the whole ecosystem: the founders building companies, the angels learning to back them, and the thousands of people who came to watch. I’ve authored the brand voice, strategized the launch, pitched the press release, written the newsletter and delivered the speech, sometimes all in the same week.

My head lives somewhere between technology and the human condition. I read neuroscience for fun, I’m suspicious of certainty, and my Substack, tech & soul, asks what all this building means for the world at large.

What I’m good at

  • Brand voice & copywriting
  • Founder stories & editorial
  • Product & AI explainers
  • Newsletters & social
  • PR & launch campaigns
  • Events & community

Where I’ve been

  • Startmate Head of Marketing
  • Leesy Brand & Content
  • Stropro Marketing Manager
  • Birdi Brand & Content
  • Freelance Writer
  • KPMG Operations Consultant

Selected writing

I make ambitious, complicated things easy to understand and hard to forget.

Founder stories

I find the human story inside the technical one, and tell it so well people want to back it, buy it or build alongside it.

Show 4 moreShow fewer

Explainers & guides

Show 3 moreShow fewer

PR + GTM

Stories I helped land in the national press, plus a launch or two I’m proud of.

Show 3 moreShow fewer

Personal

Newsletters

newsletters written
100+
subscribers (from 14k)
25.7k
open rate
43%
click-through rate
4.2%

Every two weeks I wrote Startmate’s newsletter for the whole Australian and New Zealand startup community: founders, investors, operators and the startup-curious. A few favorites:

Show 2 moreShow fewer

And for the pure joy of it, I write my own Substack, tech & soul: essays on what we’re building and who we’re becoming.

Events

I’ve planned, strategized and run events of every size, from small, intimate founder gatherings to flagship nights for 2,000 people. Getting the right people into the same room is my favorite kind of magic.

guests at flagship Demo Day
2,000
consistently, big and small
Sold out

Flagship · Demo Day

Founders and the Startmate team holding a giant Startmate sign in front of a full theater Holly hosting Startmate Demo Day on stage at Stripe headquarters in San Francisco Holly speaking on stage with a headset microphone

2k bi-annual Demo Day in Australia, Demo Day at Stripe SF HQ, and Alumni Demo Day at Stripe Tour, Sydney.

Watch

Community events

A crowd mingling on a rooftop at sunset with the city skyline behind A busy evening party under festoon lights and purple balloons Guests smiling and listening at an outdoor garden gathering

Websites & Social

Website copy

Social channels I ran (and loved)

LinkedIn followers, up from ~20k
50k+

Come say hello.

I’m looking for my next big chapter in copywriting, content or brand, ideally somewhere with a good story that deserves telling well. If that sounds like you, I’d love to hear from you. Email is the fastest way to reach me.

LinkedIn Substack