Who we are
John Elbing and a strong network of experts


We have helped many companies and startups upgrade their business

We have helped over 100 companies and startups, low tech and high tech, in a wide range of industries, from retail, industrial and service companies to high tech startups.
We understand new technology and societal trends and how they can affect individual businesses and whole markets.
Half coach, we accompany you. Half consultant, we get things done.
You will work with real experts in their field.
We are experts in storytelling, business strategy, (digital) marketing, entrepreneurship, and innovation management. But to understand your business, we bring broader skills: IT, finance, business models, marketing, project, and change management.
And also, empathy, workshop facilitation, tools such as Design Thinking, teaching, availability, and efficiency.
John Elbing
CSO – Chief Storybuilder Officer

Born in the US, raised in Switzerland, I am an extrovert with structure. And completely bilingual English-French.
I have an MS in Computer Science, an MBA in finance and several useful certifications.
I have worked in digital marketing, project and change management and launched two startups. I have coached over a hundred startups and companies.
I have built an expansive toolkit to help you future-proof your business, for example:
- Business Storytelling
(Storybrand™ certified) - Design Thinking
- Innovation Management
- Where To Play™ (certified practitioner)
- Business Model Innovation
- Value Proposition Design
- Jobs-To-Be-Done
- The Grid practitioner
- Entrepreneurship
- Reframing
- Ideation
- Workshop design & facilitation
- Pitch Coaching
- Slicing Pie
In addition to Standpoint, I coach startups for Innosuisse, Fongit, HES-SO, UNIL, Platinn and I teach Entrepreneurship, Business Models, Social Media Marketing, and Digital transformation for Singa, the Haute Ecole de Gestion, Innosuisse, Crea and other organisations.
Check out my LinkedIn profile.

Happy Clients

MCI Group
Karen Bhavnani, Innovation and Implementation Manager
John delivered a hands-on interactive business model workshop helping us in framing our thinking and identifying and evaluating the business potential of our new initiative.
John used varied group methods that sparked open discussion and new ways of thinking about our assumptions, the marketplace and key stakeholders. We recommend John for his expertise and his detailed approach to workshop preparation and delivery to meet outcomes.

Bluebotics
Matt Wade
John has become a valued marketing partner for BlueBotics. We worked with him to update our brand messaging in the Storybrand style. Instantly respected by our entire team, he both carefully guided and brought a fresh (but relevant) perspective to these brainstorms. He helped us to define, in particular, our customers’ key challenges in a way that speaks to anyone. We’ve since used John’s consultancy to stress-check our plans for our messaging rollout and I can imagine this won’t be the last time we enlist his expertise.

ACTAGIS
Jeff Primus, CEO
Starting ACTAGIS, we knew that digital channels are indispensable to business development. Standpoint has exceeded our expectations and allowed us to significantly increase sales.
It would be hard to find a better service!

Linalis
Christophe Monnier, Directeur
Most consultants are good at talking, John is all about listening and delivering valuable results. Our Value proposition workshop was straight to the point and allowed the management team to agree on common goals. Later, we contacted Standpoint to help us with our website copywriting and content creation. Once again, John delivered great content in no time.

1959 Advisors
Serge Ledermann
John quickly understood the needs of my company: understanding the business model, analyzing the profile and needs of customers, the quality of the message, and sensitivity to the “touch and feel” of the digital vector. Returns from customers and prospects are excellent and business is boosted.

TieTalent
Jovana Rotula, Marc Trillou, Founders
John is a great coach for our team. He helped us on the general strategy, digital marketing and communication areas. Always thinking outside of the box, listening carefully to our challenges and coming up with creative solutions. John is not a talker, he is a real doer.

Gmelius
Florian Bersier, Founder
Coaching a startup is hard! John quickly found a way to help Gmelius consolidate its market approach and processes in various fields going from marketing to human resources. He is a very smart and committed person who is always ready to lend a sympathetic ear.

ENVOY
CEO
I’m pleased to have worked with John Elbing at Standpoint on my storytelling and strategic positioning.
We conducted multiple sessions via video and that format worked above expectation, really powerful and efficient use of time.
John went deep into my companies situation. He clearly understands tech, product and the business challenges that a company like mine faces.
John then has a real knack for synthesising this context, applying a couple of really powerful frameworks, and has shepherded me to a place where my message is a lot clearer and customers will find it a lot easier to listen….an easy story is a better story! Thank you John, I look forward to working with you again.

Quantreex
Rahman Belyan
John always tries to understand even the most complex projects. He identifies with the client and offers simple, pragmatic and clear advice. Sensitive and human, he offers a new perspective on the good development of the product. Thank you.
Entrepreneurship
Startup Coaching Organisations we collaborate with
Innosuisse is the Swiss Innovation Agency. Its role is to promote science-based innovation in the interest of the economy and society in Switzerland.
Switzerland’s premier innovation incubator. We specialize in tech innovation in Geneva and currently support over 100 ICT, Engineering, and Life Sciences startups.
Platinn, the innovation platform of Western Switzerland, strengthens, through coaching, the innovation capacity and competitiveness of companies.
Support for innovative entrepreneurial projects
innovative projects of students, assistants, staff and alumni of the HES-SO Geneva schools.
The HUB supports UNIL students, researchers, alumni and collaborators in interdisciplinary projects with a societal and environmental impact.
Pro Bono teaching, coaching & mentorship
The business incubator for people with refugee and migrant backgrounds.
A 6-month online programme bringing you all the support you need to launch or grow your feminist or LGBTIQ+ project.
MassChallenge is the global network for innovators who are working to solve massive challenges.
EQUALS-EU aims to build capacity in gender-inclusive innovation in Europe and partner countries worldwide.
Let’s work together

Customer needs, expectations, and behaviors are evolving rapidly. New technology and business models are disrupting entire industries. The notion of industry boundaries has become blurred, competitors can come from unexpected directions.
This is scary.
We help you truly understand your customer and build your story, which becomes the foundation for your marketing. We help you discover new high-potential opportunities to grow your business. We help you build a strong marketing foundation and level up your customer experience.
And we help implement strategically important internal processes to be ready for anything the world can throw at you.
We have packaged a series of workshops to future-proof your business.
We also are there, with you, to take on your biggest challenge. Tell us more.
Schedule a Mission so we can get started.