This post is one of a series exploring how biotech startup communications need to evolve as your company grows from pre-seed through to Series A and beyond. It builds on our earlier article, Building a biotech startup? Don’t forget to evolve your story alongside your science, which looks at why and how your communications and marketing need to mature as your science and company develop, and our advice for pre-seed stage biotech startups.
This time, our founder and Chief Creative Officer Kat Arney takes a look at the challenges faced by UK and European biotech founders who have just landed a Seed round and are ready to come out of stealth mode, start to hire, build partnerships, and establish a public presence.
Raising a Seed round is a significant milestone for an early stage biotech startup.
You’ve convinced investors to back your science and your team to the tune of several million pounds. You may be coming out of stealth, starting to hire, building partnerships, and getting properly underway.
At the same time, most Seed-stage biotechs still don’t have anyone dedicated to communications. Responsibility usually sits with the CEO or COO, alongside everything else.
Bandwidth and money are perennial constraints, as well as the a lack of in-house skills. But this is the stage where the way you put your company and your innovation out into the world really starts to matter.
You can’t put the genie back in the bottle after a Seed round
Once you’ve announced a Seed round, people will form impressions of your company whether you actively talk about it or not.
We sometimes hear founders say they want to go “back into stealth” now they’ve raised a Seed round. In practice, that rarely works. Silence doesn’t mean you’re safely hidden – it just means that others fill in the gaps you’ve left.
The goal here isn’t constant output or meaningless PR puffery. It’s a careful combination of credibility, differentiation and awareness: sending clear, controlled signals about who you are, what you’re building, and where you’re heading.
How your comms should change after landing a Seed round
You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so your funding announcement is worth doing properly.
A well-written press release, distributed on a real newswire and supported by targeted media outreach, helps establish credibility and puts you on journalists’ radars. It’s often worth getting experienced help here, not just to get the announcement out but also to start building media relationships you can build on later.
This is also the point where your digital footprint starts to matter even more – especially in the era of AI search.
If you haven’t already come out of stealth mode, spending some time and money on developing a distinctive visual branding and a simple website are a must. It doesn’t need to be vastly expensive, but it does need to look professional and accurately reflect who you are and what you do.
And if you’ve already got a website, it’s time to refresh the copy and design to make sure it clearly articulates your innovation, why it matters, and how you’re different.
It’s also time to turn on that ‘News’ section and commit to posting regular updates. However, press releases and announcements should still feel meaningful and informative – data, partnerships, milestones, new hires, awards, insights – rather than just filling space.
See how we helped Scripta Therapeutics come out of stealth with an eye-catching brand, messaging, website, and PR campaign to announce their seed raise.
Start getting noticed at Seed stage
At this stage, LinkedIn should become more intentional. It’s also a handy way of adding to that all-important digital footprint, ranking third after Quora and Reddit for having content pulled into AI search (Source: SEMRush, July 2025)
Founders remain the most important voices in terms of driving engagement and network, but the company page should now start to play more of a supporting role. Try to commit to weekly posts that reinforce what your science is about, what you’re building, what you’re up to, and the kind of company you’re trying to create.
You may also consider writing your own blog and/or securing a couple of well-placed pieces of thought leadership in external media outlets, to further establish your credibility and positioning within the field.
These are all signals to potential hires, partners and future investors that things are moving forward, even when much of the work is still happening behind the scenes.
You’ll also need to consider how you want to communicate with your investors and other stakeholders – for example, with regular email updates.
For companies developing commercial products or services, now is the time to start building your email list if you haven’t done so already.
We recommend starting with the free CRM from Hubspot, which will grow with you as you scale. (Not an affiliate link – we just use it ourselves and like it.)
Setting your biotech up for Series A fundraising success
Series A rounds are rarely closed through last-minute PR activity. They’re built on familiarity and trust that builds over time, starting from the minute you come out of stealth mode.
The companies that raise more efficiently tend to be those that are easy to recognise, easy to explain, and clearly going somewhere.
If comms already feels difficult at this stage – for example, if different members of your team are talking about the company in different ways, or you don’t know what you should be saying in the first place – that’s often a sign that the underlying strategy, positioning or messaging needs work.
And if you know what should be saying but just don’t have the bandwidth to commit to a consistent cadence of communications, it’s probably time to get in some expert help.
We’ve explored different communications and marketing support models for life science startups at different stages – from DIY through to big agency support – in more detail elsewhere, and it’s worth being deliberate and honest about the level of support fits your situation, budget, and ambition.
How First Create The Media helps Seed-stage biotech startups
As a boutique communications and marketing agency for the life sciences, First Create The Media acts as a plug-in extension to your team, combining deep science knowledge with strategic clarity and flexible delivery support.
We’ve worked with many Seed-stage life science companies in the UK, Europe and the US, helping them move from stealth to substance and build strong foundations for growth.