Forbes Vets Launch Sevenfold to Fix Web3 & AI's Narrative Problem

LOS ANGELES, CA – June 08, 2026 – In a calculated move aimed at the heart of deep tech's most persistent challenge, marketing veterans Hector Espinoza and Nancy Li today announced the launch of Sevenfold, a new Web3 and AI marketing agency. The firm is built on a simple yet profound premise: that for complex technologies, a clear, compelling narrative isn't just a marketing asset, it's the foundational layer for success. Sevenfold enters the market with a 'positioning-first' model, designed to help ambitious crypto, AI, and emerging tech companies build strategic clarity before spending a single dollar on execution.

This launch marks a significant second act for the founding duo, who were previously recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Marketing & Advertising. Their new venture is a direct response to a gap they observed firsthand in the rapidly expanding, yet often chaotic, worlds of Web3 and artificial intelligence.

A Strategic Evolution from Proven Success

Espinoza and Li are not new to the challenge of marketing frontier technology. In 2017, they co-founded Multiplied, a San Francisco-based creative agency that quickly became a go-to partner for some of the most influential projects in the blockchain space. During their tenure, Multiplied built an impressive portfolio, working with industry titans like Binance, Solana, and Skale Labs, helping them navigate critical growth phases and define their market positions.

Their work was instrumental in shaping key industry narratives, from strengthening Solana's DeFi ecosystem story to positioning Sui as a next-generation Layer-1 protocol. This success earned them a coveted spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2020, cementing their reputation as savvy strategists in a high-stakes environment.

However, the path to Sevenfold involved a strategic detour. Research confirms the founders sold Multiplied in January 2020 to a former partner. The subsequent years appear to have been a period of observation and refinement, allowing them to distill their experiences into a new, more focused thesis. Sevenfold is not merely a continuation of their previous work; it is an evolution, built on the hard-won lesson that many promising technologies fail not due to a lack of innovation, but a lack of coherent storytelling.

“The best work we did at Multiplied was when we were brought in early enough to shape how a company thought about itself before it started talking publicly,” said Nancy Li, Co-Founder of Sevenfold. “Sevenfold is built to operate that way by default.”

Deconstructing the 'Positioning-First' Playbook

Sevenfold's core philosophy directly confronts a common pitfall in tech marketing: the rush to execution. The agency argues that activities like public relations, content creation, and growth campaigns are destined to underperform if the underlying strategy—the 'why'—is weak or undefined. Their 'positioning-first' model inverts the typical process, starting every engagement with an intensive focus on narrative development and brand strategy.

“We watched too many great companies spend serious money on execution before they knew what they were saying or why anyone should care,” stated Hector Espinoza, Co-Founder of Sevenfold. “When the narrative is right, everything else performs better. That’s what we build first.”

This methodology is particularly potent for Web3 and AI. These fields are characterized by extreme technical complexity, rapid innovation cycles, and highly discerning, often skeptical, audiences. For a DeFi protocol or an AI infrastructure provider, messaging that lacks intellectual rigor or fails to articulate a unique value proposition can be more damaging than silence. Credibility is paramount, and it is earned through clarity and precision.

By forcing companies to first answer fundamental questions—Who are we? What problem do we uniquely solve? Why should a specific audience care right now?—Sevenfold aims to build a strategic foundation that makes all subsequent marketing efforts more efficient and impactful. It's an approach that treats narrative not as a superficial layer of polish, but as the core operating system for a company's external communications.

The Market Void: Why Deep Tech Needs Better Storytellers

The launch of Sevenfold is timed to address a palpable market need. The Web3 ecosystem is experiencing explosive growth, with the on-chain value of tokenized assets swelling from $5.5 billion to over $18.6 billion in 2026 alone. Simultaneously, AI continues its relentless integration into every industry, creating new categories and converging with crypto in burgeoning fields like 'DeFAI' (Decentralized Finance AI).

Amid this Cambrian explosion of innovation, a deafening 'noise' has emerged. Countless projects, backed by brilliant engineers and significant capital, struggle to differentiate themselves and communicate their value to investors, developers, and potential users. Traditional marketing agencies often lack the technical fluency to navigate these conversations, while hyper-specialized firms can sometimes lose sight of the broader business narrative.

This creates a strategic void that Sevenfold is purpose-built to fill. The firm's focus is on helping founders and leadership teams translate deep technological advantages into clear category leadership. By offering a unified suite of services—from high-level strategy and positioning to public relations and content execution—the agency provides a single, strategically-aligned partner for companies at critical inflection points like fundraises, product launches, and major ecosystem developments.

The Road Ahead: From Narrative to Lasting Value

Based in Los Angeles, Sevenfold is launching with a clear focus and a selective approach, currently engaging with a handful of partners and accepting inquiries from companies preparing for significant growth milestones. The mission is to move beyond generating hype and instead build lasting enterprise value through stories that drive awareness, establish credibility, and ultimately, spur adoption.

For business leaders, investors, and strategists navigating the turbulent waters of technological disruption, the launch of an agency like Sevenfold is a significant market signal. It underscores the growing recognition that in the next phase of Web3 and AI, the companies that win will not just be the ones with the most innovative code, but those who can tell the most compelling and coherent story.