Frontier technology has to
earn its place in public life.

I build the communities, experiences, and operating systems that turn unfamiliar categories into trust, advocacy, and adoption. Advanced air mobility today. AI, climate tech, robotics, and other frontier categories more broadly.

Currently Director of Communications at the Advanced Air Mobility Institute. Founder of The Higher Tide (fractional commercialization) and StartupLive (editorial and content studio).

$150B+
Alumni-Company Value Created
18
Unicorns · 15 IPOs
350+
Events Produced
SF New Tech community event with 400+ attendees FoodBytes community gathering RocketSpace innovation community Corporate innovation summit Pivotal aircraft flying over Sausalito beach FoodBytes startup pitch event SF New Tech networking and demos Community leadership workshop

Real communities, real results - from 50K+ member tech meetups to flying car launches to Fortune 500 innovation summits

How We Help

Commercialization strategy and execution for frontier-technology companies

Frontier-Tech Commercialization

Strategic guidance and execution for companies bringing unfamiliar categories into public life

🎯 Audits & Sprints

Time-boxed, fixed-fee diagnostics for commercialization, community, and event portfolios

2-4 week delivery
Commercialization diagnostic session

Commercialization Diagnostic

The on-ramp. Two weeks, one honest readout: where your category adopts first, which activations would move the needle in the next 90 days, and what to build, cut, or double down on.

You Get:

  • Core: Commercialization Diagnostic (Operator Atlas pass, activation gap, 90-day call)
  • Support: 1-hour readout call + written follow-up

Investment: $3.5K • 2-week delivery

See All Diagnostics & Audits →

Entry rung: $3.5K Commercialization Diagnostic • Portfolio of fixed-fee audits and sprints from $5K–$12K

🚀 Ongoing Partnerships

Fractional leadership and program engagements for frontier-tech operators

Monthly retainers
Community leadership and team collaboration

Fractional Head of Commercialization

Senior operator embedded in your team — the operator strategy, community, activation, and adoption systems that make unfamiliar categories real.

What You Get:

  • Operator strategy & audience mapping (who adopts first, and why)
  • Content engine + editorial system (built for frontier categories)
  • Community platform & infrastructure
  • Activation, engagement, and trust-compounding systems

Priced by scope. Typical engagements range $5K–$10K+/month

Let's Talk
Event-led community building and networking

Category-Creation & Activation Playbooks

The experiences, partnerships, and end-to-end program execution that move an unfamiliar category from launch to adoption. Built around the same operator-first playbook I've used at Joby Aviation and Pivotal.

What You Get:

  • Operator Atlas — where the category adopts first (geographic + segment mapping)
  • Curated program design (demos, first-flights, previews, activations, summits)
  • End-to-end production and cross-functional execution
  • Advocacy engine — turning curiosity into trust into pipeline

Proof: Global commercialization at Joby Aviation (Summer 2026 tour across four continents); Pivotal's community-led GTM (~25% of new leads, cost-per-MQL down 34%); FoodBytes; SF New Tech

Priced by scope. Typical engagements range $25K–$75K+

Let's Talk
Myles speaking at SF New Tech community event

Advisory, Editorial & Speaking

Lighter-touch than fractional. Strategic advisory and coaching for founders and boards navigating unfamiliar categories, plus bylined editorial and keynote work through StartupLive.

What You Get:

  • Category-adoption maturity model (five stages)
  • Evangelist and ambassador program design
  • Editorial franchise design (recurring formats, cadence, distribution)
  • Ongoing advisory + coaching + keynote / panel appearances

Proof: Editorial lead at the AAM Institute; recognized by LG Nova, Rabobank, and Meetup for pioneering community and category strategies

Priced per engagement. Advisory and coaching are hourly or per-session; speaking and bylined editorial are priced per project. Not a monthly retainer.

Book Advisory

Case Studies

From flying cars to Fortune 500s — how unfamiliar categories become part of public life

Pivotal Flying Car Demo at Sausalito Pivotal aircraft at Sausalito waterfront Pivotal demo at Filoli Gardens Pivotal flying car demonstration

From Pop-Up Simulators to Awe-Inspiring Takeoffs: Watch the Pivotal Community Movement Take Flight

Flying Car Marketing

Pivotal: Zero to One: Community Flights From the Ground Up

Challenge:

Launch a flying car (the nation's first commercially available personal electric aircraft/eVTOL) in a fledgling mobility market with regulatory hurdles.

What We Did:

Transformed beaches, polo fields, and private backyards into demo sites. Built lead generation backbone across event platforms, email tools, and CRM. Community-led GTM as the primary acquisition engine.

Results:

  • ~25% of new leads sourced through community and event activations
  • Cost-per-MQL down 34% versus traditional marketing channels
  • Dozens of flight demos across California and beyond
  • Real-time lead capture system implementation
Apply This Strategy →
Myles Weissleder with the Joby + Virgin Atlantic eVTOL at Tower Bridge, London, during the Summer 2026 world tour
Global Commercialization

Joby Aviation: Four Continents, One Playbook

Challenge:

Translate a pre-commercial aircraft program into public trust and stakeholder access at scale during a pivotal regulatory and infrastructure window.

What We Did:

Led global commercialization through the Summer 2026 world tour. Designed and executed activations across four continents, integrating partner programs with Uber and Virgin Atlantic into the commercialization arc.

Results:

  • 50+ activations across four continents
  • Partnership activations with Uber and Virgin Atlantic
  • Operator, policy, and customer trust-building at commercial scale
  • Playbook now applied to other frontier categories through The Higher Tide
Run This Playbook →
SF New Tech Community
Community Building

SF New Tech: The $150B Community

Challenge:

Create San Francisco's premier tech community from scratch

What We Did:

Built 221 monthly demo nights featuring 962 companies. Created the launch pad for Stripe ($50B+), Twilio ($10B+), Unity ($13.7B IPO), and 15 other unicorns.

Results:

  • 18 unicorns, 15 IPOs, $150B+ combined value
  • 225 funded companies raised $3.6B+
  • $30B+ in exits
  • 14 years as SF's largest tech community
Build Your Community →
FoodBytes Platform
Platform Success

FoodBytes: $3.2B+ Portfolio Impact

Challenge:

Connect food tech startups with corporate innovation teams

What We Did:

Built platform from 0-to-1, created pitch events, facilitated corporate-startup partnerships leading to Rabobank acquisition.

Results:

  • $3.2B+ collective portfolio value
  • MycoTechnology reached ~$550M valuation
  • Successfully acquired by Rabobank
Scale Your Platform →
RocketSpace Summit
Corporate Innovation

Fortune 500 Innovation Summits

Challenge:

Help Fortune 500s connect with Silicon Valley innovation

What We Did:

Produced global innovation summits at RocketSpace, curated startup showcases, facilitated executive connections.

Results:

  • 50+ Fortune 500 clients served
  • Clients: Porsche, IBM, Unilever, LEGO, Volkswagen
  • Accelerated corporate-startup partnerships
Transform Your Enterprise →
Rapid Platform Development
Rapid Platform Development

From Concept to Production in Weeks, Not Months

Challenge:

Modern teams can't afford slow build cycles. Build production-ready platforms fast without sacrificing quality.

What We Did:

Applied The Higher Tide's signature blend of strategic clarity and executional speed to build a complete community platform — 739 records, newsletter engine, job board, and admin dashboards — in just 14 days.

Results:

  • Full-featured platform in 14 days (10× faster than traditional)
  • Production-grade system teams can maintain
  • Eliminated need for large dev team in MVP phase
  • Speed, precision, and impact — not just tech
Read Full Case Study →

Testimonials

Trusted by executives, founders, and innovators who've experienced The Higher Tide difference.

SF New Tech community atmosphere Innovation community gathering
"

"I met Myles at an SF New Tech meetup. His was a pioneering community and his format was the most engaging I had ever seen. I approached him to help me launch FoodBytes! based on that idea — and we worked together for 2 years as FoodBytes! went from zero-to-one, on its way to becoming a leading name in the agrifoodtech space."

Manuel E. Gonzalez General Partner
"

"Myles' business development efforts resulted in valuable connections and relationships. They will literally prove to be difference makers in our company's history."

Allan Young CEO
"

"Myles is Mr. Energy. He's ten people rolled into one... always helping someone build the next big thing."

David Siegel Venture Partner
"

"He brings incredible energy, passion, commitment, creativity, hard-work, and positive spirit."

Scott Heiferman Co-Founder, Meetup
"

"Myles is great and trustworthy, savvy and knowledgeable, and he knows how to get things done."

Paolo Privitera CEO
"

"Myles was instrumental in helping us execute the LG webOS Hackathon. His expertise in event production was invaluable."

Jami Diaz Sr. Manager, LG Nova
"

"Myles has consistently demonstrated an exceptional level of dedication and initiative in his role within Community Marketing. His ability to think creatively and act strategically has allowed him to overcome obstacles with grace and effectiveness, often turning potential setbacks into opportunities for growth and innovation."

Charles Bushby Customer Growth and Engagement @ Pivotal
"

"Myles is a dynamic problem solver who finds the 'yes' answer on complicated event planning. He is a pleasure to be around, a great role model for working smartly, even when it means weekend and after hours events. Terrific leader."

Tim Lum EAP Pilot Contractor @ Pivotal & Pivotal's First Customer
"

"Myles is definitely one of the brightest and most influential individuals that I've been fortunate enough to both work with and develop a personal relationship with. If you are looking for an amazingly creative strategist - Connect with Myles. He is awesome."

Ray Beauchamp Top Sales Award Winner & Innovation Leader
"

"If your startup needs world class community building, marketing and a voice that connects to your ICP, you absolutely need to talk with Myles Weissleder. You won't be sorry."

Alan Lewis General Counsel / Executive Technology Leader

The Frontier-Tech Playbook

How unfamiliar categories earn trust and become part of public life

The Four Stages

Same shape every time: operator strategy, adoption flywheel, activation, compounding.

01

Operator Strategy

Who adopts an unfamiliar category first, and why. Map the operators, the curiosity pockets, and the sequence that turns interest into trust.

• Operator Atlas — geographic + segment mapping • Category-market fit validation • Strategic positioning & messaging
02

Adoption Flywheels

Self-sustaining systems that turn early adopters into advocates and advocates into distribution. Community is the mechanism, not the goal.

• Member-generated content and evidence • Referral & advocacy programs • AI-enhanced engagement systems
03

Physical Activation

The experiences that make an unfamiliar category tangible. Demos, first-flights, factory previews, signature summits. Where curiosity becomes conviction.

• Signature event design & production • Operator, customer, and policy activations • Digital-physical experience integration
04

Compounding Trust

The partnerships, editorial, and measurement systems that make earned trust a durable business asset. Category leaders compound; category chasers don't.

• Performance tracking & optimization • Strategic partnership development • Editorial franchise + audience development

Ready to earn your category's place in public life?

Three ways in. Pick whichever fits.

1. Email

Fastest. One honest reply within 24 hours (business days).

myles at thehighertide.com

2. Message us →

Use the form on the right. Same inbox, same 24-hour window.

View sample reports first

3. Book a 30-minute call

What happens on the call:

  • You walk us through what you're building and what's stuck
  • We tell you honestly whether we're the right fit
  • If yes, we scope the smallest useful first step (usually the $3.5K Commercialization Diagnostic)
Book Discovery Call

"Every great community starts with a single conversation. Let's start ours."

Myles Weissleder Founder, The Higher Tide

Start the Conversation

Myles Weissleder

About Myles Weissleder

Founder, The Higher Tide

Zero-to-one commercialization builder for frontier technology. Currently Director of Communications at the Advanced Air Mobility Institute, running The Higher Tide as a fractional commercialization practice and StartupLive as the editorial and content studio behind it.

The through-line for me is unfamiliar physical technology trying to earn its place in public life. Today that's advanced air mobility — leading editorial for the AAM Institute, and working with early-stage air-mobility and frontier-tech operators on strategy, community, and commercialization. Before that, I led global commercialization at Joby Aviation through the summer 2026 world tour, and built Pivotal's community-led GTM around personal eVTOL. Same discipline each time — the communities, experiences, and operating systems that turn unfamiliar categories into trust, advocacy, and adoption.

That work sits on two decades of building categories from scratch. I co-founded FoodBytes, the global food-tech pitch platform acquired by Rabobank after supporting 450+ startups. I founded SF New Tech and ran it for 14 years — alumni companies now represent $150B+ in combined valuation across 15 IPOs and 18 unicorns. Before that I was Employee #5 at Meetup, from pre-launch through the scale to 2.7M users.

Advanced air mobility is the current wedge. The broader work extends to any frontier category — AI, climate tech, robotics, autonomy, hardware trying to become part of how the world actually operates.

🛰️
Director of Communications, AAM Institute Editorial voice on eVTOL, autonomy, and drone commercialization
🚁
Global Commercialization at Joby Aviation Summer 2026 tour across four continents
🌀
Community-Led GTM at Pivotal Personal eVTOL launch; ~25% of new leads
📝
Founded StartupLive Studio Editorial and content behind the practice
🌊
Founded The Higher Tide Fractional commercialization for frontier tech
🚀
Built SF New Tech 18 unicorns, 15 IPOs, $150B+ alumni value
🎯
Co-Founded FoodBytes Acquired by Rabobank; $3.2B+ portfolio impact
🏢
Ecosystem & Programming, RocketSpace Fortune 500 innovation summits, NPS 80+
🌐
Employee #5, Meetup Pre-launch through scale to 2.7M users