The same senior person, start to finish
Employee reviews describe turnover at SHIFT, which matters when the person who knows your story leaves. With Shilika, the same senior operator stays on your account from the first pitch to the last.
Compare/AI & tech PR
Shilika Jain vs SHIFT Communications: which delivers more for a growth-stage AI company?
SHIFT Communications is a Boston-born B2B tech PR firm that now sits inside the AVENIR GLOBAL network, with AI clients such as H2O.ai and Symbotic and some Web3 work. Shilika Jain is a senior fractional operator who pitches personally across the US, China, Korea, Japan, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. This page sets them side by side.
The short version
SHIFT works well for US growth-stage tech companies that want measurable, performance-style campaigns from an established team. For AI startups that need Asian markets, crypto-native coverage or senior attention on every pitch at a lower cost, Shilika is the stronger choice.
At a glance
Who pitches
- SHIFT
- A US account team, with other regions routed to sister agencies
- Shilika Jain
- Shilika, on every pitch
Monthly cost
- SHIFT
- Not published (est. $10K–$20K/mo)
- Shilika Jain
- $3K–$7K retainer
Native markets
- SHIFT
- 1 of 8 we track
- Shilika Jain
- 7 of 8 we track
Firms to manage
- SHIFT
- 1, plus regional agencies for gaps
- Shilika Jain
- 1 operator, 1 plan
The difference
What Shilika handles that SHIFT leaves to you
Asia covered, not outsourced
SHIFT and its network have no Asia-Pacific desk. Shilika covers China, Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia herself.
Web3 and AI in one head
SHIFT lists blockchain as one sector among many. Shilika has spent six years in it, placing 50+ Web3 and AI protocols in CoinDesk, Forbes, Decrypt and The Block.
Side by side
SHIFT Communications vs Shilika Jain, line by line
Filter by what matters most to you. On mobile, each row stacks.
SHIFT CommunicationsShilika Jain
Who does the work
Who pitches the journalistA US account team with senior oversight.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 attention is shared across a growth-stage client roster.100%. Six years running Web3 and AI PR, including building CoinMarketCap’s APAC PR function and leading PR at Myosin.
What you getPerformance communications, media, thought leadership, influencer and AI search work.Narrative, tier-1 pitching, embargo strategy, founder profiling, op-eds, KOL waves and APAC localisation from one operator.
Media reach
Journalist networkStrong US B2B tech and 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, with Canada, Europe and the Gulf through sister agencies.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 Asia-Pacific coverage. Middle East through sister agency Hanover.Direct, in-language relationships: BloomingBit and TokenPost (Korea), CoinPost and CryptoTimes (Japan), ChainCatcher (China), Gulf business press.
Cost & contract
Typical monthly costNot published. US B2B tech programs typically run $10K–$20K a month.$3K–$7K a month retainer, or a $15K–$40K launch sprint for a TGE, mainnet or raise.
Where the fee goesAccount team, specialists and holding-company overhead, plus sister-agency fees for other regions.Senior strategy and execution. No account-management layer, no agency markup on junior hours.
ContractRetainer-based. Minimum term not published.Bounded engagements tied to named outlets and dates. Month-to-month after the first cycle.
Strategy & speed
Cross-market strategyUS-led, with other regions handed to separate network agencies.One narrative, sequenced across every market from a single plan, so the Korean story and the CoinDesk story reinforce each other.
Speed to first pitchStandard onboarding before outreach.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 SHIFT 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
MarketSHIFTShilika
United StatesNativeNative
South KoreaGapNative
JapanGapNative
Southeast AsiaGapNative
To reach South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia, you would likely add 2 more agencies next to SHIFT, 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
$132K
kept in your runway over 6 months
81%
lower spend, with a senior operator on every pitch
Agency figures use the public or reported range for SHIFT ($10K–$20K/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 SHIFT does well
- Website
- shiftcomm.com
- Headquarters
- Boston
- Founded
- 2003
- Team
- Headcount not published; offices in Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco. Part of AVENIR GLOBAL via Padilla
- Pricing
- Not published (est. $10K–$20K/mo). SHIFT does not publish fees. The estimate uses 2026 benchmarks for US B2B tech PR.
- Services
- Performance communications, Media relations, Thought leadership, Influencer relations, Owned data campaigns, AI search visibility (GEO/AEO)
- Named clients
- H2O.ai, Talkdesk, Symbotic, Signifyd, Leia Inc., Storj, Filecoin Foundation, Rapid7, Red Hat, Five9
Strengths
- More than 20 years in B2B tech PR
- Lists AI and Blockchain/Web3 as sectors, with clients like H2O.ai, Storj and Filecoin Foundation
- Performance-led approach, including AI search visibility work
- Access to sister agencies in Canada, Europe and the Gulf through AVENIR GLOBAL
Where founders hit limits
- No Asia-Pacific presence, in-house or through sister agencies
- Europe and Middle East work routes through separate sister firms, which adds hand-offs
- Employee reviews on Glassdoor (3.2/5) mention high turnover, a risk for account continuity
- Pricing is not published
Decision
When SHIFT is enough, and when you need Shilika
Choose SHIFT if
- You are a US growth-stage B2B tech company
- You want performance-style reporting from an established agency
- Your secondary markets are Canada or Europe
- You have budget for $10K+ 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 SHIFT and Shilika
Is SHIFT Communications good for AI companies?
SHIFT has growth-stage AI clients such as H2O.ai and Symbotic and offers AI search visibility services. It suits US-focused B2B companies. If you need Asia or want senior attention on every pitch at a lower cost, Shilika Jain is the alternative.
Who owns SHIFT Communications?
SHIFT is a division of Padilla and part of AVENIR GLOBAL, a Montreal-based communications holding company.
Does SHIFT do Web3 PR?
It lists Blockchain/Web3 as a sector and has worked with Storj and Filecoin Foundation. Shilika works in Web3 full-time, with placements across CoinDesk, Cointelegraph, The Block and Decrypt plus Asian crypto media.
How much does SHIFT charge?
SHIFT does not publish pricing. US B2B tech PR typically runs $10K–$20K a month in 2026. Shilika charges $3K–$7K.
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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