Elisa Schreiber has departed Greylock Partners to join early-stage venture capital firm Felicis Ventures as its first chief marketing officer, Axios exclusively reports.

Why it matters: VC comms and marketing can be difficult because all firms are offering the same product at their core — and that's capital.

Details: Schreiber spent more than a decade at Greylock Partners and previously led global communications for Hulu.

• In this role, she will support Felicis' portfolio companies with marketing and communications strategy and lead all brand activities for the firm.
• Of note, Felicis also recently hired former OpenAI product lead Peter Deng as a general partner.

What she's saying: Felicis has backed companies like Canva, Shopify, Notion and Twitch but can do more to command the space, says Schreiber.

• "We've quietly built one of the strongest early-stage AI portfolios in venture, backing some of the most ambitious technical teams before their inflection point," she said. "This kind of moment doesn't come around often. I'm excited to help shape what's next for the firm and the founders we support."

Zoom in: Founder-led communications face unique opportunities and challenges due to the current media landscape.

• "A strong online presence is their most strategic soft power tool," Schreiber said. "The best founders understand that building influence isn't about putting out one finely tuned statement at a time. It's about showing up frequently, honestly, and with impeccable vibes."
• "The founder who shows up online with a distinct personality and perspective creates a gravitational pull around their company and their mission," she added. "And when done right, their presence becomes a force multiplier, priming traditional press, attracting talent, deepening customer trust, and establishing cultural relevance before they ever send out a pitch deck."

What she's watching: How early-stage AI startups are differentiating themselves through marketing and comms efforts.

• "Whitepapers and polished, corporate videos are being replaced by what I call 'terminally online' marketing: digitally native media that speaks the emotional language of the internet. A great example is the Resolve AI launch video which went viral on X," Schreiber said.

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Starbucks' former chief corporate affairs officer AJ Jones II will join Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) as executive vice president and chief strategic and corporate communications officer, Axios has learned.

• Why it matters: His hiring comes amid the revitalization of Capital One Arena, which is expected to be completed by the Washington Wizards and Capitals' 2027-28 season.

Catch-up quick: Jones most recently served as chief corporate affairs officer at Starbucks.

• Earlier in his career he held corporate affairs leadership roles at Vanda Pharmaceuticals and Gilead Sciences, led the global public affairs practice as Burson and served as chief policy and communications officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Details: Jones will sit on MSE's leadership team and report directly to MSE chairman and CEO Ted Leonsis.

• He will oversee the team responsible for ownership, financial, investor, and community-based communications.

What's next: Jones says his team will be focused on promoting the transformation of Capital One Arena.

• "It will be a crown jewel in downtown D.C. and the world, as such my role will be integral to keeping our fans, employees, athletes, the sports and media-entertainment industry as well as broader stakeholders engaged about the project and its impact," he said.

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