‘Ever Wondered’ if startups need better stories? Ex-BBC and Daily Mail tech journalists launch AI-era comms firm

London-based Ever Wondered, a journalist-led strategic communications advisory firm, has launched today to help startups, scale-ups, VC funds and corporates cut through across traditional media, owned channels, LinkedIn, and AI search.

Founded in 2026 by Sam Shead, formerly Tech & Innovation Editor at LinkedIn News and a tech journalist at the BBC, CNBC and Business Insider; and Jim Norton, formerly Technology Editor at the Daily Mail and a writer across UK national titles, the firm is positioning itself around a familiar problem for early-stage companies: building something interesting is no guarantee that anyone will notice.

To find out more we spoke with Jim Norton, Co-founder and Editorial Director at Ever Wondered.

“For years, we were the ones receiving dozens of pitches everyday from startups – most of which, we were only able to give a cursory glance. It meant so many with great stories or genuinely impactful products or services got missed. We saw there was a need for former tech journalists to show them how to tell their story, and help them sell it.“

The firm launches into a communications market already filled with agencies, consultants, and former journalists. But Ever Wondered’s pitch is about applying editorial judgement to a startup ecosystem where fundraising announcements are becoming just one part of a much wider visibility problem.

As AI makes it easier for founders to build products, it also makes markets noisier.

Jim argues that this is especially important because journalists themselves are under more pressure, with less time to sift through pitches and understand why a company matters.

Jim adds: “AI means it’s far easier to build something incredible, so the marketplace is busier than ever. Communications is now the moat – and we foresee an increased demand for startups needing guidance with this. Particularly given on the publication side, journalists are more time poor than ever, so it’s harder than ever to cut through.”

Ever Wondered offers three core services: Strategic Press, Editorial Content, and LinkedIn Mastery. These span earned media, owned media, and social content, with the firm arguing that each channel now feeds into how startups are discovered by readers and journalists, and also by AI search tools such as ChatGPT and Claude.

The growing relevance of AI search is a central part of the company’s launch. Instead of treating media coverage, newsletters, podcasts, founder posts, and company blogs as separate outputs, Ever Wondered sees them as connected signals that help define how a startup is understood online.

Jim explains: “Firstly, the key question to ask is: who is our audience, what do they want to know, and how can we tell them. That’s what you need to be thinking about when you’re getting your message out there so it’s engineered for AI search. Secondly, ensure that’s reflected in the content you’re pushing out – and keep it clear and consistent across all your channels. Your earned media, owned media, and socials can – and should – all complement each other, so approach them as one.”

At the same time, Jim is cautious about founders relying too heavily on AI-generated material. In a market where content can be produced quickly, originality becomes more valuable rather than less.

“AI-generated content might look polished, but it’s often meaningless, and people can see through it in a second. Take the time to work out what you want to say and why, and make sure you have the evidence to back it up. AI can be a useful research tool for this, and it can help create the content in a tone and style you like. But it needs to be underpinned by your own, original thoughts – it’s the only way to stand out.”

That thinking also applies to funding announcements, long a staple of startup media. Ever Wondered’s view is that fundraising can still provide a useful news hook, but it should not be treated as a standalone communications strategy.

A raise is more powerful when it sits within a broader narrative about the problem being solved, the market being addressed, and the founder’s point of view.

For founders trying to pitch journalists, Jim says one of the most common mistakes is confusing company process with reader relevance. How an idea was developed may be useful context, but the top line should focus on the product’s impact, the problem it solves, and why readers should care.

Another recurring issue is poor personalisation, with generic pitches often failing to reflect a journalist’s beat or the publication’s style.

Early-stage founders with limited budgets, however, do not necessarily need to begin with a full agency brief. Jim points to LinkedIn as an obvious starting point, particularly for founders who can post regularly, engage with their target communities, and use the platform to build relationships with journalists, investors, and potential customers.

Ever Wondered says it is already working with venture capital funds and early-stage and growth-stage technology companies across AI, DeepTech and enterprise software, and is hiring for its first full-time roles.

Michelle Kuepper, Head of Communications at Redalpine, said: “Sam and Jim’s background as top tech journalists gives them a real edge in communications: they think like journalists first. Their media connections are exceptional, but it’s the editorial instinct behind them that makes the difference. By putting the story back in focus, Ever Wondered is filling a real gap in the industry.”