Master the vital storytelling skills you need to communicate your vision, win over your audience, and fund your next round.

STORYTELLING FOR FOUNDERS

Masterclasses and Workshops

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The Storyline Sessions:
a masterclass for startup founders

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • A startup team making a presentation.

    Communicate Your Vision

    Learn how to tell the story of your startup, communicating its value to users and funders.

  • A founder giving a presentation in a conference room.

    Turn Audiences into Allies

    Find the “hook” that pulls audiences in. Use pacing to keep your audience engaged. Improve your presentation skills.

  • A meeting with a startup team.

    Get Funded

    Use foundational storytelling skills to build your user base and get your next funding round.

Who is this for?

  • Startups ready for their next funding round

  • Startup founders who need to inspire their team

  • Marketers who need to build campaigns to get new users

  • Startup team members who need to create an editorial calendar

What are the key benefits?

  • Optimize the way you tell your startup story to win audiences

  • Use storytelling to make your value proposition clear

  • Improve your presentation techniques

  • Understand the key steps that make your story unforgettable

  • Craft compelling media to support your vision

Praise for the Storyline Sessions

  • I really enjoyed the class. It was very challenging to think differently but I learned skills that I can apply forward.

    Karen, startup founder

  • A wonderful way to find your authentic brand story and build the confidence to share it with your audience.

    Marieme, CEO & startup founder

  • Thank you, Lee, for helping me organize my thoughts into memorable & actionable stories!

    Julia, startup founder & business strategist

  • Lee comes from a position of authority and authenticity to help communication-impaired scientists get their points across.

    Rudy, CEO & startup founder

A woman participating in a virtual meeting at her office desk with a large monitor displaying nine people in a video conference. The desk has design samples, color swatches, and a laptop showing a room sketch.

The Storyline Sessions are offered online in four masterclasses or in person, as a workshop.

BEFORE WE START THE SESSIONS

  • We discuss your goals for how storytelling will realize your bold vision.

  • We set our format. The Sessions can be received individually, in a group.

  • We set the cadence. The Sessions are offered in four one-hour sessions or as a single workshop.

  • We set up the chat community platform that will be active for all participants during the Sessions.

THE SESSIONS BEGIN

LEVEL ONE

Level one sets the foundation to bring effective storytelling to your startup audience building and funding objectives. Over four sessions, we’ll empower participants with a signature storytelling framework they can use to succeed and stand out. After each Session, there is a short homework assignment due the following week. Every participant will have a chance to make practice presentations and receive feedback on the presentation from the group and facilitator.

Session 1 - Experience why storytelling drives successful funding outcomes

Session 2 - Explore signature story structure fundamentals

Session 3 - Understand how story arcs make your startup’s value proposition unforgettable

Session 4 - Address skills to improve your presence and presentation techniques

Level One of the Storyline Sessions can be delivered over a one-month period or as a single-day or multi-day workshop. If you or your team wish to go deeper, Level Two applies the principles we’ve learned to a specific project, such as a funding appeal, an upcoming client presentation, a marketing campaign, editorial content calendar, or an internal initiative.

LEVEL TWO

Level two is an advanced Session series for working on a specific project. It will be customized to your project needs and team.

Session 1 - Key project elements and timetable

Session 2 - Story breakdown for the project

Session 3 - Final presentation

Session 4 - Critique, feedback, and improvement

AFTER THE SESSIONS

You and your team use your knowledge of signature story fundamentals to thrive. You have access to the chat community we opened for 30 days after the Sessions, where Red Cup Agency can answer questions about the Sessions.

“The pathway to your success is through storytelling, from expressing your vision, captivating audiences, to getting the results you want with team buy-in and funded projects.”
— Lee Schneider

MEET THE FACILITATOR

Lee Schneider is a master storyteller and media creator with 30 years of experience in television news, cable network programming, documentaries, short-form video, and podcasting. He teaches a graduate-level storytelling and media-making course for USC. His published books include The Angel Playbook, a handbook for securing investment, Chronicle of a Startup Town: Los Angeles, and three novels about artificial intelligence and climate change.

Storytelling moves your bold vision forward.