Turning a New Idea Into a Fundable, Marketable Brand

Mobeus set out to fix one of the most awkward parts of a virtual meeting: the speaker sits in one box and their content sits in another. Its software merged the two, so a presenter could appear inside their slides and swipe, click or draw on them with hand gestures, using only the webcam and computer they already had. When I joined, the product was mostly an idea. My first job was to make people see it.

Company: Mobeus

Role: Head of Creative Innovation, adding Digital Marketing in 2023

Timeline: About three years, from stealth through Series A

Tools Used: Worked directly with the founding team

Problem

Mobeus was introducing a new way for people to interact with computers, and three groups had to understand it before the product was finished: investors deciding whether to fund it, employees building it, and a market that had never seen anything like it. Describing someone swiping through their slides in mid-air on a video call sounds like science fiction until you see it happen.

Later, the company also needed a marketing engine to turn that story into traffic and leads, and it had none.

Solution

I worked with the founding team to shape the original concept, then made it something people could see. Instead of describing the experience, I designed it. I built app prototypes, interaction diagrams, and technical demonstrations that showed exactly how a presenter would use gestures to control their content, and those went straight into the pitch deck. I also created the diagrams for the company’s patent applications, so the product was explained the same way to investors and on paper.

In January 2023, I also took on digital marketing. As one coworker put it, “You’re the best marketer in this company, and you’re not in marketing.” There was no marketing infrastructure to inherit, so I built it: the product marketing website, the blog and content program, and marketing automation on Microsoft Dynamics, with the email programs and workflows that ran on it.

Execution

  • Designed the app prototypes that appeared in the investor pitch deck
  • Created interaction diagrams showing how users would swipe, click, and draw with hand gestures
  • Built technical demonstrations of how the software merged a presenter’s video with their content
  • Produced 3D animations to show the experience in motion
  • Created diagrams for the company’s patent applications
  • Explored early logos and visual identity that shaped the final brand
  • Led new product ideation as Head of Creative Innovation
  • Built the product marketing website, blog, and content marketing program
  • Set up marketing automation on Microsoft Dynamics, including email programs and workflows

Results

  • Mobeus raised a $24M Series A, with my prototypes, interaction diagrams, and demos in the pitch materials
  • 240% increase in website conversions
  • 80% increase in website traffic
  • 210% increase in blog engagement
  • A complete marketing operations foundation (website, content program and automation) built from nothing

“Jim’s exceptional traits of attentive listening, thoughtful communication, and swift, calculated action are truly unparalleled.”

Richie Etwaru, CEO, Mobeus

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