By Mollie Hawkins

Ren’s journey to 2A starts in childhood—really. They grew up in New Jersey, in a household buzzing with different languages; it was like living a real-life version of Rosetta Stone. Ren’s dad spoke Mandarin Chinese, their mom had a thing for French, and their home was a lively mix of cultures, conversations, and the arts. With all those languages flying around, Ren quickly developed a spongelike knack for absorbing linguistic nuances, unknowingly switching between English, Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, and French. They didn’t know it yet, but they were already building the foundation for their top-notch editing career. 

Ren earned a BA in English Language and Literature at Rutgers University, followed by an MA in Creative Writing at Newcastle University in the UK. Then they set out to build a career with health insurance per their mom’s request. Along the way, they also published their first novel (no sweat—just kidding, plenty of it) and began working on the second. An administrative job and a cool brother working at Boeing brought Ren to Seattle for a hot minute; within those two years, they met their future husband. They moved to Chicago, where Ren sleuthed and fingerprinted their way into a copyediting gig at an investigations company. But the detective life ultimately wasn’t for them, so they hung up their gumshoes. After a brief stint back in academia, Ren worked for an IT professional association and then a tech marketing agency. Finally, they put on their dancing shoes to partner up with 2A full time. 

Ren is no stranger to the art of movement. They were a competitive dancer growing up, and that passion followed them through academia and beyond. Tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, pointe, and ballroom dance were all part of their repertoire, showcasing a versatility that mirrors their creative approach to life. Ren took their sweet dance moves from the ground to the sky (literally), with lyra (usually pronounced leer-uh), aka aerial hoop. Lyra, it turns out, requires the flying-through-the-air agility they also bring to their copyeditor role at 2A. 

When they’re not dancing on the ground or in the sky (or hanging out with their husband, fellow rainbow genderqueer community queerdos, and newly composed baby Sage), Ren is choreographing everything our storytellers create. They catch typos with grace, providing style guidance and making our words sing as well as waltz across the page for our clients.

By Olivia Witt, Mollie Hawkins

Let’s face it: running an AI startup is hard enough without having to worry about how to explain what you do and why it’s important. Between the jargon, technical complexity, and the need to stand out in a busy market, it can feel like no one quite “gets” you or your brand. The last thing you have time for is perfecting your marketing message (ah, that seemingly low-hanging fruit). But even the most groundbreaking AI needs more than just great features. Without a clear, compelling message, your genius can get lost. Pitching your AI products to new customers in clear, easy-to-understand ways has never been more important. Enter your new best friend, the messaging and positioning framework (MPF).  

Turning AI speak into human speak 

AI might be the future, but that doesn’t mean everyone understands how it works—or why it’s valuable. If you’ve ever tried explaining your product to someone outside the tech world, you know it’s easy to lose them in a sea of buzzwords, or cliché one-liners like “Join the AI revolution!” But here’s the deal—if people don’t understand your product, they won’t buy it. The magic of MPFs is they take the complex and make it crystal clear. We help translate your genius into language that connects with both investors and customers, without dumbing it down or losing your voice. 

AI is smart—your messaging should be too (and maybe a little fun) 

AI messaging can sometimes feel complicated and confusing, but that doesn’t mean your startup has to follow suit. At the end of the day, your brand messaging should match your core business value propositions—what are you selling, and what action do you want your customers to take? You don’t have to bore them to tears with messaging that they don’t understand (or relate to). An MPF helps you bridge the gap between “what we do” and “why it matters” to your audience. 

MPFs are all about giving your brand personality and character, distilling technical language into concise value statements. We help you communicate not just what your product does, but why people should care. Are you building AI that’s fast, user-friendly, or are you saving people time? We make sure those points shine through in a way that grabs attention and feels approachable. 

Standing out without shouting 

There are a lot of AI companies out there, and it’s easy to blend into the background if you don’t have a strong message. Your cool features aren’t enough if no one understands why they should care. We’ll work with you to highlight exactly what makes your product different. Whether it’s your focus on ethical AI, a killer feature, or the fact that your solution actually works in real-world scenarios, we help craft messaging that sticks without resorting to empty buzzwords or overused tech lingo. 

In fact—that’s our specialty. MPFs are our jam. We get everyone on the same page, because we know what it’s like when product says one thing, marketing says another, and sales is winging it. We help align your whole team with a clear, consistent, and unified story that everyone can get behind. No more mixed signals or confusing handoffs. 

Your product may be brilliant, but that’s just half the battle. With 2A in your corner, your AI startup gets more than just a snazzy tagline—you get a framework that lets you confidently tell the world what you do, why it matters, and why they should be paying attention. Ready to make your audience care as much as you do? Reach out to us anytime! 

By Mollie Hawkins

Image by Julianne Medenblik

Before joining 2A as a consultant, Michelle honed her skills as a brand strategist, marketer, and performance artist extraordinaire. Her path to consulting was nothing short of adventurous—with a few cross-country moves set to perfect playlists, of course. It’s no wonder she jazzes up client campaigns with a style that’s music to our ears. 

Michelle’s deep-rooted love for marketing, journalism, and storytelling started in high school, where she was editor in chief of the school yearbook and marketing chair of the choral department. After graduation, Michelle left the creosote bushes and Joshua trees native to her hometown of Palm Springs, venturing to the redwood trees in Arcata, California, where she literally found her voice. She practiced vocal performance and began a journey that took her to live in two countries, four states, and one district. Michelle sang her way to a degree in strategic communications and creative advertising, got hitched, adopted two fur babies, and hung a hammock anywhere two trees were close enough. While working for a brand and digital marketing agency in Washington, DC, she also earned a master’s degree in marketing from Georgetown University. 

While living on the East Coast, Michelle felt the call of the Pacific Northwest (ah, Douglas fir whispers, the steamy beckoning of so many good cups of PNW coffee…). So, she packed up her family, prepared a banger playlist, and headed west with a bevy of good snacks and a solid set of marketing chops. After landing in Vancouver, Washington, she found a job posting on LinkedIn that made her laugh, but not because of its humor. The description appeared to be lifted from her own profile and personal philosophy of work—it’s all about the storytelling. It was an ideal match. In a flash, Michelle joined 2A full time, where she uses her unique voice, passion for creativity, and curiosity to build harmonious relationships with her clients every day. 

When she’s not helping clients tell their brand stories, Michelle can be found offline—preferably in a hammock or near a body of water—exploring thrift stores and bookshops, or making music with one of the many instruments in her Zen Den. Her husband and two dogs also keep her busy, but she always finds time for a bonfire and a board game. 

By Mollie Hawkins

Image by Brandon Conboy

2A Embedded Consultants (ECs) are highly skilled, experienced professionals who function as contracted members of our clients’ teams. For the past two years, 2A EC Matt deWolf has been using his graphic designer talents at Microsoft Research (MSR). In this Q&A, Matt shares how he got here, what he’s doing, and why he loves it so dang much. 

Mollie: What do you do at Microsoft Research? 

Matt: So, the classic designer joke is that I “make things pretty,” right? Well, it’s more than just making things look nice, especially at MSR. Because of the global inflection point we’re at in technology, design is also about ensuring our visual language clearly communicates the message that we’re explicitly trying to send. An example of this is making sure our communications around AI visually align with our intentions. When we discuss AI, it’s important to ensure that our audience doesn’t get brought into a scene that inaccurately depicts what we want to say. The words in any asset tell one part of the story, but the imagery, color, and composition play a key role in reinforcing that textual direction. 

Mollie: That’s a fun challenge! What’s the most interesting part of working at MSR? 

Matt: It’s great getting to work with cutting-edge researchers who are wholly devoted to our mission statement: “Advancing science and technology to benefit humanity.” Something special about MSR is the non-product-related approach; not every development or mission immediately ties into something commercialized. I get to see new developments in AI research that range from determining the accuracy of image generation against a description to applications in healthcare. The breadth of work is truly impressive. 

Mollie: Can you tell me about a cool project you’ve been working on? 

Matt: MSR is piloting an episodic approach to our previous annual Research Summit called Microsoft Research Forum. This forum shares the latest findings with the global research community in real time. The event is considered a “tier 1” event for Microsoft, and it allows us to work with many vendors to develop the visual identity, web platform, and production for it. Not only is it the inaugural forum, but also we’re working collaboratively to build something great together. 

Mollie: How have you grown in your role over the past two years? 

Matt: The Research Forum project gave me opportunities to act as an art director, coordinating between design vendors, animators, developers, and internal production teams. This was a much more direct opportunity to explore these skillsets compared to some of my previous roles. I have definitely grown personally, learning to deliver constructive feedback and communicate clearly to multiple stakeholders, getting us closer to the outcomes we want. I hope to continue developing design leadership skills that support my team’s ability to do their jobs. 

Mollie: Where were you before Microsoft, and what about Microsoft makes your heart sing? 

Matt: Before MSR, I worked as a package designer at Hasbro. Yes, the Hasbro that makes Star Wars figures, Nerf Blasters, and Monopoly! But at MSR, I feel much more interested in the work. I enjoy technical things—bridging the gap between abstract concepts and visuals. Perhaps some of this comes from an adjacent design interest, web development. Let’s just say that when I write a JavaScript function and it doesn’t throw any errors, I basically feel like an MSR computer scientist. (LOL) 

Mollie: So, what else do you bring to the table? 

Matt: I think of myself as the Swiss Army knife of designers because of the different ways I’ve applied my knowledge. I have designed for print the old school way, on presses, and have designed for digital mediums. I know how to design and animate motion, as well as develop for the web, and I’m always growing and refining my leadership skills. 

Mollie: Now that we’ve talked business, let’s get down to the fun stuff. What do you do when you’re not designing? 

Matt: Outside of work, I’m an avid consumer of music and coffee. To me, music is something sacred and goes beyond listening to the radio. I love understanding the period from which the music originated, learning more about the artists, and seeing where it takes me. Layering this on top of my foundational understanding of music theory gives me a profound sense of pride when I uncover something new or view a piece of music from a new angle. And, of course, without overthinking it or applying any of that background, as humans, we all know when we like something. 

The coffee part is perhaps two-sided—not only do I appreciate coffee itself, but also I love the exploration and adventure in finding new cafes where I can enjoy music. 

Interested in becoming an EC? Check out our open roles or submit a general job inquiry if you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for.  

Want to hire an Embedded Consultant? Learn more here.