One senior operator, not an integrated team
Inkhouse sells an integrated team of PR and content people. That helps at scale, but every layer adds cost. With Shilika, strategy, writing and pitching come from one senior person.
Compare/AI & tech PR
Shilika Jain vs Inkhouse: which is better for an AI startup going global?
Inkhouse is one of the best-known PR firms for venture-backed AI companies, with a roster that includes Databricks, Snorkel AI and Poolside. Shilika Jain is a senior fractional operator who runs PR herself across the US, China, Korea, Japan, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. This page compares them on team, reach, cost and fit.
The short version
Inkhouse is a strong choice for a well-funded AI company whose market is the US and whose budget supports an integrated PR and content team. Shilika is the better fit when you want the senior person on every pitch, reach in Asia and the Gulf as well as the US, and senior work at $3K–$7K a month.
At a glance
Who pitches
- Inkhouse
- An integrated PR and content account team
- Shilika Jain
- Shilika, on every pitch
Monthly cost
- Inkhouse
- Not published (est. $15K–$25K/mo)
- Shilika Jain
- $3K–$7K retainer
Native markets
- Inkhouse
- 1 of 8 we track
- Shilika Jain
- 7 of 8 we track
Firms to manage
- Inkhouse
- 1, plus regional agencies for gaps
- Shilika Jain
- 1 operator, 1 plan
The difference
What Shilika handles that Inkhouse leaves to you
Global launch, single plan
An AI startup selling in Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore or Dubai would need a second agency next to Inkhouse. Shilika runs the US and those markets from one narrative.
Built for runway
At $3K–$7K a month, a seed or Series A AI company gets senior PR without committing a large slice of its raise to an agency retainer.
Side by side
Inkhouse vs Shilika Jain, line by line
Filter by what matters most to you. On mobile, each row stacks.
InkhouseShilika Jain
Who does the work
Who pitches the journalistAn account team with senior oversight. Daily media relations are handled by account staff.Shilika, personally. The person on the intro call is the person writing the pitch and following up with the editor.
Senior time on your accountPartial. Senior leaders split time across a large AI and SaaS roster.100%. Six years running Web3 and AI PR, including building CoinMarketCap’s APAC PR function and leading PR at Myosin.
What you getPR plus content and category creation from an integrated team.Narrative, tier-1 pitching, embargo strategy, founder profiling, op-eds, KOL waves and APAC localisation from one operator.
Media reach
Journalist networkStrong US tech, business and AI trade press.400+ working journalists across the US, China, Korea, Japan, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, plus 200+ vetted Web3 KOLs.
Where they are strongestUnited States.Global by design: US crypto and tech press plus native-language desks across North Asia, Southeast Asia, India and the Gulf.
China, Korea, Japan, Middle EastNo in-house presence. International coverage would need a partner.Direct, in-language relationships: BloomingBit and TokenPost (Korea), CoinPost and CryptoTimes (Japan), ChainCatcher (China), Gulf business press.
Cost & contract
Typical monthly costNot published. Integrated US programs typically run $15K–$25K a month.$3K–$7K a month retainer, or a $15K–$40K launch sprint for a TGE, mainnet or raise.
Where the fee goesPR and content team members, account leadership and holding-company overhead.Senior strategy and execution. No account-management layer, no agency markup on junior hours.
ContractRetainer-based. Minimum term not published; 6 months is common.Bounded engagements tied to named outlets and dates. Month-to-month after the first cycle.
Strategy & speed
Cross-market strategyStrong US category strategy. Non-US markets would be handled by others.One narrative, sequenced across every market from a single plan, so the Korean story and the CoinDesk story reinforce each other.
Speed to first pitchOnboarding, discovery and messaging work before outreach, the agency norm.Pitching inside the first week. No onboarding team, no internal hand-offs.
Interactive
Your markets, your budget, your call
Pick the markets your launch needs. The tool shows where Inkhouse has in-house reach, where you would need a second firm, and what each route costs over the engagement.
01 Pick the markets your launch needs
02 See who can actually reach them
MarketInkhouseShilika
United StatesNativeNative
South KoreaGapNative
JapanGapNative
Southeast AsiaGapNative
To reach South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia, you would likely add 2 more agencies next to Inkhouse, plus the time it takes to keep their messaging in sync. With Shilika it is one operator and one plan.
03 Compare what it costs
$162K
kept in your runway over 6 months
84%
lower spend, with a senior operator on every pitch
Agency figures use the public or reported range for Inkhouse ($15K–$25K/mo) and are estimates. Move the sliders to match the proposal in front of you.
Agencies already hire Shilika. You can skip the middle.
When an agency wins a client that needs Korean, Japanese, Chinese or Gulf coverage and it has no desk there, it subcontracts the work. Shilika is regularly that subcontractor. Hiring her directly means the same relationships and the same pitches, without an agency margin on top or a strategy that gets relayed second-hand.
Fair is fair
What Inkhouse does well
- Website
- inkhouse.com
- Headquarters
- Waltham, MA (Boston)
- Founded
- 2007
- Team
- About 100–140 people in six US offices; part of Orchestra (formerly BerlinRosen Holdings)
- Pricing
- Not published (est. $15K–$25K/mo). Inkhouse does not publish fees. The estimate uses 2026 benchmarks for integrated US tech PR and content programs.
- Services
- Media relations, Integrated PR and content, Category creation, Digital content, Executive thought leadership
- Named clients
- Databricks, Snorkel AI, Poolside, Anaconda, Pigment, Forter, Blaize, Robin AI, Amplitude, Chainguard, ServiceTitan
Strengths
- One of the strongest AI rosters of any US firm, with six AI agency-of-record wins in Q1 2025 alone
- Says it helped place Databricks and Snorkel AI on the Forbes AI 50
- Pairs PR with content and category creation
- Six US offices from Boston to San Francisco
Where founders hit limits
- No presence in Asia, Europe or the Middle East
- Owned by Orchestra, a private-equity-backed holding group, so fees carry holding-company overhead
- Employee reviews on Glassdoor (3.7/5) mention heavy workloads and thin onboarding, which can mean turnover on accounts
- Pricing is not published
Decision
When Inkhouse is enough, and when you need Shilika
Choose Inkhouse if
- You are a well-funded AI or SaaS company focused on the US
- You want PR and content produced by one integrated team
- You are chasing US category recognition, such as the Forbes AI 50
- Your budget supports $15K+ a month
Choose Shilika if
- You are a seed to Series B AI startup and runway matters
- You need the US plus Asia or the Gulf, run from one plan
- You want the senior person writing your pitches, not supervising them
- You want pitching to start in week one
- You build at the AI and crypto overlap, where Shilika has placed agent, DePIN and infra founders
50+Web3 & AI protocols placed
400+journalists across 6 regions
11tier-1 placements in 24h (RARI Chain)
6 yrssenior Web3 & AI PR
“Her network is outstanding. Outlets that once felt out of reach became regular coverage, both in crypto and mainstream tech media.”
Gafoor Khan, Web3 & AI founder, advisor and angel investor
FAQ
Common questions about Inkhouse and Shilika
Is Inkhouse good for AI companies?
Yes. Inkhouse has one of the stronger AI rosters among US firms, including Databricks, Snorkel AI and Poolside, and suits well-funded companies focused on the US. If you need Asia or the Middle East, or want a senior operator pitching directly at a lower cost, Shilika Jain is the alternative.
How much does Inkhouse cost?
Inkhouse does not publish pricing. Integrated US tech PR and content programs commonly run $15K–$25K a month in 2026. Shilika charges $3K–$7K a month.
Who owns Inkhouse?
Inkhouse was bought in 2023 by BerlinRosen Holdings, now called Orchestra, which is backed by O2 Investment Partners.
Can Shilika work alongside Inkhouse?
Yes. Companies with a US agency sometimes bring Shilika in for Asian markets or crypto-native media. For most early-stage AI startups, one senior operator covers the whole plan.
Skip the account team. Work with the operator.
Send your launch date and target markets. You get a reply within 24 hours with the outlets Shilika would go after first, in which order, and what it costs. Retainers run $3K–$7K a month; launch sprints run $15K–$40K.
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