About Banana Stand

Founded by a commercial strategist who sits between story and execution, Banana Stand helps teams make clear decisions, build repeatable systems, and move faster without thrash.

We curate senior specialists around each engagement, based on what the work actually requires. Clients get a focused lead and a small, high-quality bench, activated only where it improves outcomes.

  • Clarifying ICP, positioning, and narrative

  • Turning plans into templates and operating rhythms

  • Building pipeline and partnership systems

  • Creating materials that sound like one company

What clients use us for

  • You want clarity and measurable momentum

  • You have limited bandwidth and need leverage

  • You want systems you can keep running

We’re a good fit if

  • "My favourite thing about working together was that Emily was really skillful at partnering with us in developing the brand identity and putting together this document that guides all communications for the company. At each turn, a conversation with her yielded a better outcome. All to say, I’m happy with the process and end result – it went well because of their work style and creativity."

    —Reid Jacoby | Founder, Gilley

  • "What set the work with Emily apart was their ability to co-create concrete, tangible outputs in a structured yet adaptable manner, perfectly fitting our lean startup setup. After the sessions with them, I always was full of energy and motivation to bring the vision we laid down to life."

    —Ana-Marija Autischer | Founder, Vigilios

  • "It was such a pleasure working with Emily. Not only is the team amazing at what they do, they are also genuinely lovely people. Every session with them was fun, exciting and so valuable."

    — Ioanna Topouzoglou | Founder, Mashu

The team

Emily García

Founder & Director

Emily is a commercial strategist helping pre-launch and early-stage teams clarify positioning, build pipeline systems, and scale. She has experience supporting high-growth teams through scaling and paving the way to exits. Working across DTC and B2B with ahead of market products and tight teams. Emily’s broad industry experience allows her to work flexibly, efficiently, and creatively.

Core Advisory Team

Eddie Walker

Advisor

Corporate Development & Commercial Strategy | 20+ years of international commercial and investment experience. Eddie supports go-to-market strategy, commercial development, and fundraising, and advises on cross-border ecosystem building across media, entertainment, sports, gaming, and deeptech.

Sophia Bender-Koning

Advisor

Product & Technology | Deeply rooted in early stage product development, Sophia leads product and engineering end-to-end, from system design to shipped experience. That includes reducing coordination overhead across caregivers and building AI that brings joy to daily life, not just more productivity.

Alexandra Rossi

Advisor

Fundraising & Operations | With experience leading creative teams and building data-driven startups, she blends sharp storytelling with technical execution. Her work focuses on clarity, systems that ship, and the right connections at the right time, helping founders move from concept to capital.

Ursina Beerli

Advisor

Value Creation | Seasoned executive with a track record of scaling high-growth businesses across retail, retail tech, and luxury. Advises PE- and family-office-backed companies on go-to-market, market entry, and revenue growth, spanning commercial strategy, marketing, product, and operations.

Lisa Raphael

Advisor

Branding & Content | Lisa is a words-first strategist who blends brand storytelling with business development. She helped media and talent move into digital, co-founded a media startup acquired in 2019, and now leads Relatable Content supporting underrepresented founders and small businesses while studying policy and public administration.

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