For the UPMC Enterprises Marketing team, every day is different. In fact, oftentimes the team must shift gears every hour. That’s because the team not only supports the UPMC Enterprises internal and external marketing efforts, but also the branding and marketing for numerous Enterprises portfolio companies. But make no mistake, the team loves the variety of work and thrives on making an impact in many different ways.
The UPMC Enterprises Marketing team is part of a larger group referred to as Business Services, which also includes HR, Legal, and Finance teams. Business Services is a consolidated group of business operations that supports both UPMC Enterprises and portfolio companies at all stages of development. These services are accessible to all portfolio companies and can be tailored to the needs of a company at any given time. The ability to utilize expert services from a group at Enterprises that deals exclusively with health care startups can be a significant advantage for early-stage companies. By temporarily outsourcing some of these services, the company can focus efforts on building and scaling their business.
As for Marketing, portfolio support is customized and ranges in scope depending on the company’s needs. For some startups, the team provides full-service marketing support. For others, especially those who are a little later in their lifecycle, Enterprises marketing can serve as a consultant on a project basis, or simply join company check-ins to offer strategic advice and guidance. The team has extensive experience with everything from building brands and launching companies, to developing marketing strategies and executing tactics to help startups achieve their goals and ultimately build their pipelines.
When working with a new portfolio company, the marketing team aims to gain a complete understanding of the company’s business and goals as well as the competitive landscape. From there, the team collaborates closely with company leadership to define objectives, needs, and overall scope, and then develops and executes a plan. Because Enterprises Marketing can begin working with companies at any point during their development or growth depending on when UPMC becomes an investor, the team is adept at identifying services that would be most beneficial.
While the marketing team is responsible for juggling many different companies and priorities, the team is also always looking at the bigger picture of how all the work taking place at UPMC Enterprises fits together. There are always opportunities to leverage our companies and UPMC Enterprises to benefit one another. This is part of what makes UPMC Enterprises and our business model so unique.
“The best part of our work is interacting with companies across a variety of growth stages and focus areas,” said Sara Fest, Senior Director, Marketing & Communications. “Whether it’s a telemedicine company or an emerging-life sciences company, we are specifically set up to be flexible and meet companies where they are from the first day they enter our portfolio.”
The Marketing team applies a broad range of expertise and services to both Enterprises and our portfolio companies. They are always eager to help transform ideas into thriving businesses and life changing medicine. For the latest Enterprises’ news, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter and don’t forget to subscribe to our quarterly newsletter, Small Bytes.
