Startup branding FAQ

Clear answers to the most common questions about our branding services for startups and scaleups.

Getting started

What is Brand Your Startup?

Brand Your Startup is a done-for-you branding service for startups and scaleups, created by Motiva Branding. It’s built to help early-stage companies create investor-ready brands—fast. Through fixed-rate packages, we deliver brand strategy, verbal and visual identity, and practical launch assets that move the needle. Everything is designed to match the pace, constraints, and ambition of modern startups.

What is startup branding, and why does it matter?

Startup branding is the process of defining and designing how your company is perceived—through positioning, messaging, visuals, and behavior. It's more than a logo; it’s the emotional connection people form with your business.

A strong brand:

Builds trust with investors, customers, and talent

Accelerates growth by improving recall and resonance

Raises your valuation by turning perception into long-term value

Think of branding as infrastructure: the sooner you build it right, the faster and farther you can scale.

When should a startup invest in branding?

Right before you scale—or before you even launch.Founders often wait too long, but the ideal time is when:

You’re preparing to raise a funding round

You’re hiring a team or going to market

You’ve outgrown your DIY identity

You want to sharpen your positioning

Whether you’re pre-seed or Series A, branding helps you clarify your message, avoid costly pivots, and move faster.

Who is startup branding for—pre-seed, seed, or Series A?

All early stages. Whether you're refining your pitch at pre-seed or gearing up for scale at Series A, we have a tailored package.

Pre-seed and seed teams benefit most from the Minimum Viable Brand package—focused, strategic, and just enough to look credible without overbuilding.

For startups with traction, a growing team, or upcoming funding rounds, Breakthrough Branding provides the depth, scalability, and storytelling you need to level up.

Do I need a brand before I build a product?

Not necessarily. But branding helps clarify your value proposition, which makes building the right product easier. If you're pre-product, we recommend Minimum Viable Brand to refine your idea, story, and positioning for investors and early adopters.

How do I get started?

Easy. Just pick the package that fits your stage and goals, then book an intro call via our Calendly link. On the call, we’ll confirm if we’re the right fit, clarify scope and add-ons, and align on timelines. If you're not sure which package fits best, we’ll help you figure that out too.

Is this DIY?

No. This is not a DIY template or coaching program. It’s a done-for-you branding process run by senior strategists, writers, and designers. You’ll collaborate with us on key decisions, but we handle the heavy lifting—from strategy to rollout.

What is a Minimum Viable Brand (MVB)?

A Minimum Viable Brand is your brand distilled to its essence—just enough to claim a clear position in the market and spark early connection with your audience.
It’s the brand equivalent of a Minimum Viable Product: fast, focused, and built to learn and evolve. For startups, creating an MVB early helps align your story, product, and strategy from day one—so you don’t end up making costly pivots in messaging, positioning, or infrastructure later on.
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It’s not about cutting corners. It’s about starting smart, then scaling with intent.

Packages & deliverables

What’s the difference between your two service packages?

Minimum Viable Brand (MVB) is built for early-stage startups. It gives you just enough strategic clarity and design polish to build trust—without overinvesting too early. Breakthrough Branding is for startups with traction (typically post-seed or Series A) that need a sharper, scalable brand system and storytelling that opens doors to investors, talent, and growth markets.

Think of it as:

MVB = early-stage clarity

Breakthrough = scale-up sophistication

What deliverables will I get?

Every project includes a mix of strategic, verbal, and visual deliverables, tailored to your chosen package. Depending on the scope, you’ll receive:

Positioning & brand strategy

Messaging framework + brand story

Visual identity (logo, color palette, typography)

Brand guideline PDF or full handbook

Optional add-ons: website, pitch deck, employer branding, naming, etc.

Everything is ready-to-use and built for real-world traction.

Do you offer naming?

Yes. We offer two options: full naming development and naming audit. Both are available as add-ons. Whether you’re starting fresh or questioning your current name, we’ll guide you through a strategic and creative process to ensure your name fits your positioning, stands out, and scales with your brand.

Is a website included?

A website is not included by default, but both packages offer digital touchpoint add-ons.

For Minimum Viable Brand, we offer a single-pageWebsite Starter (built in Webflow or delivered as a Figma design system).

For Breakthrough Branding, we offer a full-scale website as an add-on—designed for clarity, conversion, and brand alignment.

Can I buy just one component (e.g., naming or pitchdeck polish)?

No. Our service is built as a holistic brand creation process. Add-ons like naming or pitch deck alignment are only available as part of a full package. This ensures everything aligns with the core strategy—and delivers real value.

Do you handle employer branding?

Yes. We offer Employer Branding as an add-on to the Breakthrough Branding package. It’s ideal if you're hiring and want to attract talent aligned with your mission and values. We define your EVP and craft messaging for careers pages, culture decks, and internal comms.

Do you do packaging, sales collateral, and launch campaigns?

Yes. These fall under our Brand Touchpoints add-ons. Whether you need product packaging, investor materials, sales tools, or launch campaign assets, we ensure they align with your brand.

Do you provide brand guidelines and assets?

Yes. Every project ends with the delivery of brand guidelines and all essential assets. Depending on your package, that includes logo files, color palettes, typography specs, tone-of-voice guidance, messaging frameworks, and ready-to-use templates.

What happens if our scope changes mid-project?

If needs shift, we’ll flag it early and propose a simple change order. Nothing moves without your approval, and you’ll always know the cost and impact. No hidden surprises or sneaky upcharges.

I need more than what your packages offer. Can you customize?

Yes—if your needs go beyond the scope of our packages with their add-ons, we’re happy to tailor branding services for more complex or corporate needs through our main agency, Motiva Branding. Just get in touch with us or visit us at motivabranding.io

What if we’re not ready to choose a package?

Book a call anyway. We’ll help you understand what your business really needs right now, clarify timing, and identify which package—or custom approach—is the best next step.

Process & timelines

How long does the process take?

We work in weeks—not months. The exact timeline depends on your chosen package and any add-ons you book.

Minimum Viable Brand typically takes 3–4 weeks

Breakthrough Branding typically takes 6–8 weeks

We confirm a detailed timeline during your kickoff session. We move fast and respect founder time—without compromising quality.

What does the process look like?

Our process is structured and transparent:

Book a call

Confirm fit, e-sign agreement, pay deposit

Strategy phase (positioning, purpose, messaging)

Development (verbal identity, then visual identity)

Add-ons (website, pitch deck, employer brand, etc.)

Rollout (brand guidelines, templates, assets)

Each phase includes structured feedback checkpoints to keep momentum high.

How many rounds of feedback are included?

Each project phase includes one main review and one revision round. This cadence keeps decisions focused and timelines tight. More iterations are possible, but additional rounds may affect scope and cost. We clarify this during the kickoff.

Can you accelerate for urgent timelines?

Often yes—depending on team availability and scope. If you have a launch, investor meeting, or major milestone coming up, let us know during the intro call. We’ll do our best to meet your timeline, or advise on the fastest path forward.

Pricing & payment

How much does startup branding cost?

Budgets vary because scopes can be wildly different. But we offer fixed-rate packages for common startup needs to keep things simple and predictable. No surprise fees, no scope creep. Our packages start at € 6.700 for the basic starter package. The pricing reflects senior-level work from a European award-winning agency—at discounted startup-friendly rates. To see pricing in detail, just visit our services page. Add-ons (like websites or employer branding) are priced transparently, but they require a better understanding of your needs—so we scope them together on the intro call.

What are the prices of the add-ons?

We try to keep things as simple and straightforward as possible, but the add-ons (like websites or employer branding) can vary a lot in scope and require a detailed understanding of your requirements—so we scope them together on the intro call.

When do I pay?

We use a 50/50 payment structure. You sign a digital agreement, receive an NDA, and pay 50% upfront. Once the project is complete and final deliverables are approved, you pay the remaining 50%. This keeps the process smooth and commitment mutual.

Are there hidden fees?

No. Everything is scoped and priced upfront. If your needs change mid-project or you add something outside the original scope, we’ll flag it and agree on a change order—no surprises.

Do you accept equity in exchange for your branding services?

Not at the moment.
We don’t currently accept sweat equity or equity-based compensation. We believe in the long-term upside of the brands we build—but for now, we operate on a fixed-fee basis to keep our process lean, fast, and predictable. This may evolve in the future.

Do you offer discounts for startups?

Our Brand Your Startup packages are already based on discounted rates. We don’t discount more than that—but we do deliver exceptional value. Our pricing reflects focused, high-impact work, built for long-term ROI. Plus, we cut out fluff and overhead so your budget goes into brand-building, not bureaucracy.

Do you also invest in startups?

No, we don’t currently act as investors.
Our focus is entirely on building high-impact brands—but many of our clients successfully raise capital after our work together. A well-positioned, cohesive brand is often a key part of a winning fundraising strategy.

Collaboration & team

Who will I work with?

You’ll work directly with senior experts in brand strategy, verbal identity, and design. No account managers, and no outsourced execution. Every decision-maker on our side is experienced, efficient, and invested in making your brand succeed. We rely on direct collaboration with the people driving the vision and making decisions on your side. Brand Your Startup is powered by Motiva Branding, an award-winning agency behind some of Europe’s most loved hospitality brands.

How do you collaborate—remote or on-site?

The Minimum Viable Brand package is designed for remote execution, with all sessions and reviews handled online.
Breakthrough Branding can include optional in-person workshops or presentations at our Vienna office at no extra charge. On-site collaboration at your company’s location is not offered within the Brand Your Startup scope.

Do you work with in-house teams or dev partners?

Yes. We make handoff easy for your internal product, design, or dev teams. Our brand systems include Figma components, UI styles, and responsive specs—so your team can take the brand and run with it.

Are there any conditions for working with you?

Yes—just one: we work directly with the founders (or key decision-makers).
The Brand Your Startup packages rely on focused collaboration through strategic workshops and agile review sessions. That means we need direct access to the people driving the vision and making decisions. If that’s not possible and layers of approvals or intermediaries are involved, the process may take longer and require additional coordination, which could result in extended timelines or added costs. If we only work with the marketing department, who has to present to the board, it’s not a fit for these packages. In this case, we tailor a custom solution through our main agency, Motiva Branding, for you. Just get in touch with us or visit motivabranding.io

IP, files & legal

Do I own all the brand assets?

Yes. 100%. Once the project is complete and fully paid, you receive unlimited worldwide usage rights to all final approved brand assets. That includes logo files, guidelines, story documents, and any agreed deliverables.

Do you sign NDAs?

Yes. We take confidentiality seriously. An NDA is included in the onboarding documents and signed before any sensitive materials are shared.

How do you handle trademarks and domains?

We provide strategic naming guidance based on our proprietary framework, and we always conduct initial online availability checks. However, legal clearance, trademark registration, and domain purchases are handled by your legal counselor IP partner.

Results, ROI & investor readiness

How does branding help fundraising?

A cohesive brand signals maturity, confidence, and clarity. It makes your pitch more memorable and your value proposition easier to grasp. Investors often see brand strength as a proxy for team quality and execution. Great branding shortens pitch cycles, increases traction, and supports higher valuation.

Can branding improve pricing power and conversion?

Organisations- & Kommunikationstalent gesucht!

Junior Account Manager (w/m/d) mit Agentur-Erfahrung

Deine Aufgaben

Betreuung unserer Kunden, Kommunikation und Abstimmung auf Deutsch und Englisch

Kommunikation und Projektabwicklung mit externen Partnern, Druckereien, Werbemittel-Herstellern

Ressourcenmanagement, allgemeine Organisation und Koordination der Projektabläufe

Unterstützung bei Planung, Organisation und Umsetzung von agentureigenen Marketingmaßnahmen, Mitarbeit bei Kundenakquise und der Betreuung der Social Media Kanäle der Agentur

Dein Profil

Abgeschlossenes Studium, Kolleg, höhere Schule oder vergleichbare Ausbildung im Bereich Werbung, Marketing, Kommunikation oder Management

Mindestens 2 Jahre Berufserfahrung in der Kundenbetreuung in einer Werbe-, Branding- oder Design-Agentur

Solide Kenntnisse in Microsoft Office, Kenntnisse der Adobe Creative Cloud sind ein Plus

Du kennst dich mit Social Media und Marketing aus, Google Ads-Kampagnen-Kenntnisse sind ein willkommenes Plus

Sehr wichtig sind Genauigkeit und Aufmerksamkeit für Details, sowie die Fähigkeit, selbständig und strukturiert nach Vorgaben zu arbeiten, Deadlines einzuhalten und auch bei mehreren Projekten gleichzeitig den Überblick zu bewahren

Du bist kommunikativ, teamorientiert und sattelfest in deutscher und englischer Sprache, sowohl schriftlich als auch mündlich – sowohl intern in unserem Team als auch mit unseren Kunden wirst du ständig in beiden Sprachen kommunizieren

Das bieten wir

Gehalt ab € 35.000 brutto jährlich auf Vollzeit-Basis je nach Qualifikation und Erfahrung

Zu Beginn 20 Std/Woche, längerfristig streben wir Vollzeit an

Eine langfristige Position als essenzieller Player einem kollegialen Team mit flachen Hierarchien

Work-Life-Balance – Kein All-in-Vertrag

Mitarbeit an preisgekrönten Projekten mit hohem Qualitätsanspruch

Ein optimal erreichbares schönes Büro mitten im ersten Bezirk mit Dachterrasse und exzellentem Espresso

So bewirbst du dich

Du erfüllst alle Voraussetzungen? Dann freuen wir uns, von dir zu hören, und zwar unter careers@motivabranding.io mit dem Betreff: 'Jr. Account Manager ‒ Dein voller Name' und zwar mit folgendem:

Einem professionellen Lebenslauf auf Deutsch mit deinem Foto (als PDF im Anhang mit bis zu 2 MB)

Wichtig ist die Angabe deiner Vorstellungen hinsichtlich Voll- oder Teilzeit (Anzahl der Wochenstunden) sowie deiner Gehaltsvorstellungen

Dein nächstmögliches Eintrittsdatum

How do you measure impact?

We align on key impact signals with you—such as deck hit rates, investor responses, inbound leads, conversion improvements, or hiring acceptance rates. We also check in post-launch (especially for Breakthrough clients) to review how the brand is performing in the real world.

Fit & positioning

B2B or B2C—does it matter?

No. We do both. Whether your customers are individuals or businesses, the fundamentals are the same: clear positioning, strong narrative, and a consistent, scalable brand system. We tailor the messaging and tone to match your audience and category.

What industries do you work with?

We work with startups and scaleups across tech, SaaS, consumer goods, fintech, food & beverage, climate tech, health, hospitality, and more. If your business is ambitious and human-driven, we can build a brand that resonates with the people you want to reach.

Do you work with rebrands as well as new brands?

Yes. We handle both. If you’re building a brand from scratch or repositioning after early traction, we can help. Many clients come to us after realizing their DIY branding no longer reflects who they are or where they’re going.

My company is no longer a startup. Can we still work with you?

Absolutely.
If you’ve outgrown startup life and are now an established company, we’d be happy to help. If none of our Brand Your Startup packages feel like a fit, check out our parent agency, Motiva Branding, for tailored, high-end branding solutions: motivabranding.io

Are your services available globally?

Yes. While our main locations are Vienna, Austria; Belgrade, Serbia; and Porto Heli, Greece, we work with startups across Europe, North America, and beyond. All our calls, workshops, and reviews happen online—so wherever you are, we can support you. We understand the nuances of both European and global startup ecosystems.

Is this right for me if I’m a solo founder?

Definitely. We regularly work with solo founders—especially those preparing to fundraise or launch. Branding isn’t about team size—it’s about clarity, trust, and momentum.

What if I already have a name or logo?

No problem. If you’re happy with your name, we’ll build around it. If you’re unsure, we offer naming audits as an add-on—where we assess whether it’s helping or hurting your positioning.
Same goes for logos: we either create from scratch or evolve your current design into something scalable and credible.

Technical & digital

What tools do you use?

We use Figma for all design systems and UI components. For websites, we use Webflow for fast, responsive builds—or deliver a dev-ready Figma system for your team to build out. We’re fluent in digital execution, not just pretty decks.

Do the brand guidelines also include digital specifications?

Yes. Our guidelines include responsive type scales, UI style guidance, color specs for web and product, and export-ready components. Everything is built for digital-first execution.

Can you hand off to our product team?

Absolutely. We’ve designed our systems to integrate smoothly with product, marketing, and development teams. Whether you’re shipping a site, app, or campaign—we help you go to market faster.

Support after launch

Do you offer post-launch support?

Yes. The Breakthrough Branding package includes quarterly Brand Guardianship—strategic check-ins to ensure consistency, sharpen messaging, and help your brand scale well.

Can we come back for new touchpoints later?

Of course. Once your core brand is in place, it’s easy to add more assets—sales collateral, pitch decks, product naming, launch campaigns, etc. We’ve built the system to grow with you.

Still have questions?

Check the Service Packages, then book a call. Let’s build a brand that earns you an unfair share of attention, love, and trust.

Our service packages