Jenna Birch, Founder & Principal
Jenna Birch founded SISU, a creative communications consultancy serving both venture capital firms and startups, in 2023. She specializes in strategic comms, media relations, media training, thought leadership, integrated marketing, and cross-channel messaging and distribution.
Prior to SISU, Jenna led communications functions at venture capital firms in Silicon Valley. She was the VP of Narrative and Communications at NFX, as well as the Head of Content and Communications at Forerunner. In these roles, she worked as an advisor to portfolio companies in addition to building the profiles of well-known venture capitalists.
Jenna has worked extensively across sectors, increasing brand awareness for firms in consumer, enterprise, AI, bio, digital health, fintech, e-commerce, deep tech, and more. She draws on her background as a longtime freelance journalist and author (The Love Gap, 2018, Hachette Book Group) in developing and pitching her clients’ stories.
In addition to consulting, Jenna is an angel investor and Venture Partner at Kaya Ventures. She invests in femtech, digital health, consumer tech, and financial tools. She is also the co-founder of VC Brand Leaders, a community of platform, marketing, and communications professionals in venture capital. She splits her time between San Francisco and Ann Arbor, MI.
Priyanka Suri, VP, Strategic Communications & Head of Operations
Priyanka comes to SISU from the venture universe as a former investor at Forerunner, focused on consumer companies and consumer technology. While in her role, she spent time on diligence, research, portfolio support, and she worked on a debut brand initiative for the firm. This project that reinforced her passion for data-driven, thoughtful storytelling and its power in transforming a brand's reputation. The work focused on creating a tool to quantify brand strength, applying it to portfolio companies across all stages, then working cross-functionally to actively improve how brands show up. Previously, Priyanka was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and is based in New York City.
Hannah Stern, Director, Media Relations
Hannah has been an early team member at some of the fastest-growing PR agencies in tech and startups, including Bevel and Six Eastern. She joined SISU to lead the media relations function for startups, where she works closely with companies across consumer, AI, sports, and entertainment. Over the years, she’s partnered with brands like Webflow, Nextdoor, Rally, Public.com, and Say Technologies (acquired by Robinhood), helping to tell their stories with funding announcements, acquisitions, a museum launch, and even a few world records. Before jumping into startup PR, Hannah worked in editorial production and booking at NBC News, supporting both sides of the newsroom at TODAY and Dateline. She’s a graduate of Barnard College at Columbia University and is based in New York City.
Emily Sawchuk, Chief of Staff & EA
As Chief of Staff at SISU, Emily executes the day-to-day operations and client relations, driving efficiencies within the firm. With a background in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan, she applies an analytical and systems-driven approach to optimizing internal processes, resource management, and cross-functional coordination. Emily plays a key role in scaling SISU’s operations, managing internal workflows, and aligning teams to execute high-impact initiatives. She works closely with leadership to support long-term strategic planning and does admin on behalf of the senior team. She resides in Ann Arbor, MI.
What is sisu?
Sisu is a word that comes from Jenna’s Finnish roots with no perfect translation into English; it’s also a term that Jenna heard a lot from her grandmother growing up. Sisu means steadfast determination, grit, courage, and the ability to push through barriers where others would probably stop. It means incredible resilience.