Narrative Sprints
Clarify your message. Sharpen your visuals. Give your ideas gravity.
The Problem
Most high-potential, deep-tech, and hard-science ideas are buried under complexity, jargon, or incoherent pitch decks.
Investors say “too early” when they really mean “I don’t get it.”
Stakeholders disengage because the value isn’t clear.
Teams waste time aligning around a story that was never fully defined.
If you can’t make your idea obvious to others, you don’t have a product or service problem. You have a narrative problem.
“If they don’t get it, they won’t fund it.”
The Fix
Narrative Sprints are rapid, focused, 1-week co-design exercises designed to help you communicate powerfully with greater clarity for achieving strategic results.
Over five days, we’ll work together to:
[Re] Frame Your Core Narrative – Define the problem, vision, and value in a way that resonates with non-experts, funders, or decision-makers.
Prototype Your Visual Story – Design the key diagrams, flows, or visuals that carry the weight of your message.
Rehearse and Refine – Pressure-test the story with feedback, revise for clarity, and prep you for delivery.
Who It’s For
Researchers under pressure to make their work visible and fundable.
Science and deep-tech founders struggling to shape their story for investors.
Think tanks with deep content but poor external traction
Communications leaders stuck translating complexity into clarity
This is not for people who just want a new logo or a pitch deck. This is for people who need to make their idea land visually, structurally, and strategically.
What You Get
A clear and credible Strategic Narrative Brief.
Key visuals that anchor your story and invite partnerships.
Visuals could be a deck redesign, landing pages infographics, motion graphics, wordmarks, icons, conceptual designs—anything that inspires support for your idea.
A feedback-tested, audience-ready narrative you can pitch, present, or publish.
A roadmap for continuing to practice sprints on your own. (It’s never finished.)
You can bring this into a deck, a website, a white paper, and a stakeholder meeting. The core story should be clear and consistent throughout every channel. If it feels repetitive to you, it’s working.
GETTING RESULTS
BLSK Energy is a breakthrough energy startup, but their story was stuck in the lab. Investors couldn’t grasp the significance, and opportunities were stalled. A Narrative Sprint transformed their complex research into a sharp, investor-ready story with clear, high-impact visuals. Within weeks, BLSK has secured multiple partnership offers in securing energy futures for the world.
See for yourself.
“If you cannot tell a great credible story that matches the criteria for a venture scale investment you’re not ready to be a venture funded CEO.”
Steve Blank, Stanford University, creator of the Lean Launchpad and NSF I-Corps
Why Not Just Use AI?
If all you need is a draft, AI can give you 20 of them. That’s not clarity.
This sprint is for when the stakes are higher, when you need the story to work, not just exist. It’s an exercise, not an event. Here’s what AI can’t do…
AI can’t diagnose what’s unclear to your audience.
AI can’t prioritize which story to tell based on context and timing.
AI can’t translate ambiguity into a coherent visual strategy.
AI can’t coach you through delivery, alignment, or buy-in.
AI is fast, but speed doesn’t reduce confusion. This sprint is designed to cut through the noise and shape a narrative people trust and support.
How It Works
Day 1: Kickoff call and materials review
Day 2/3: Strategic narrative development
Day 4: Rapid visual and narrative prototyping
Day 5: Review. Feedback. Repeat.
Teams are typically 3-5 people.
All work is remote, focused, and collaborative.
Note: Only 1 Narrative Sprint available per month.
Pricing
$7,500 USD
You’ll get a custom scope and roadmap after our call with a link to my sprint calendar.
50% deposit to schedule your sprint.
50% balance to download your files and images.
Schedule Your Discovery Call
If you’re preparing to fund, publish, launch, or align your team around a high-stakes idea, this sprint is designed to accelerate that process while improving accuracy.
Use the link below to schedule a quick conversation. We’ll see if the sprint fits your current needs. (Only 1 sprint slot available per month)
About Your Facilitator
I’m Nic DiPalma—narrative designer, UX architect, and communication strategist. For over two decades, I’ve helped startups, global brands, public agencies, and research institutions turn complexity into clarity, and ideas into impact. From award-winning digital experiences to breakthrough storytelling, I design narratives that move people and ideas forward. In this sprint, I’ll equip you with the frameworks, tools, and scripts to sharpen your message and elevate your narrative intelligence.
What Others Say
“Nic is a visionary.”
— Michael Wong, Founder & CEO, DayBlink
“Nic delivers it. Every time.”
— Morris Packer, Head of Operations, Nima Energy
“He is the ultimate team player”
— Andrew Evans, Fractional Product Leader
“He is an awesome designer, a dedicated team member, and a great listener.”
— Chris Tonjes, CIO, DC Dept. of Employment Services
“Nic is not only a brilliant and inspired design talent,… He's also a hell of a lot of fun to work with.”
— Benjamin Rosenbaum, Writer, Game Designer