Fred Bateman doesn’t believe PR is about publicity. He believes it’s about power — the power to define markets, shape perception, and determine who wins. For more than 30 years, Fred has helped shape the narratives behind some of technology’s most ambitious companies. Not as a commentator, but as an architect — building positioning for category creators, disruptive startups, and market leaders long before their stories became obvious.
In 2003, he founded Bateman Group in San Francisco and spent 17 years building it into one of the most award-winning and fastest-growing tech PR agencies of its era. It became widely regarded as the agency for companies determined to redefine their markets. Fred didn’t just scale a firm — he challenged how agencies operated. Long before culture became a buzzword, he embedded empathy into performance standards, leadership philosophy, and client service models. He pushed transparency in an industry that preferred opacity. He built teams that reflected the future of tech, not just its past.
PR Week named him to its inaugural “40 Under 40.” The San Francisco Business Times ranked his agency among the largest gay-owned businesses in the Bay Area and recognized him for five consecutive years in its “Business of Pride” list. In February 2020, he sold his majority ownership in Bateman Group, completing a leadership transition. Six months later — in the middle of a global pandemic — he launched Bateman Agency. Because when industries shift, leaders either adapt — or they build something better.
In 2023, Bateman Agency was named the Fastest-Growing Private Company in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times, becoming the first PR firm ever to earn the top spot. It was proof that a focused, modern, culture-driven tech communications firm could compete — and win. Today, Bateman Agency partners with companies at the forefront of AI, cybersecurity, SaaS, and energy innovation — building influence, reputation, and measurable business impact.
Fred is also the only openly gay man to have founded two successful tech-focused PR agencies in the United States. He sees that as both an achievement and a challenge to the industry. He speaks openly about the lack of LGBTQ representation in high-tech PR leadership — and refuses to let the conversation fade. He plans to keep talking about it until retirement. And only then if the industry looks materially different. Fred doesn’t build agencies to follow the market. He builds them to move it.