Sara Gaviser Leslie

Principal and Founder, In Other Words

SGL headshot

Sara Gaviser Leslie is the founder and principal of In Other Words, a brand positioning and messaging consultancy. She works with hyper-growth startups and established companies that struggle to explain and present their business clearly and succinctly, internally and externally. She began her career as an investment analyst on the buy side and was a case writer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

She specializes in brand positioning and messaging and has worked for B2B tech or tech-enabled companies (Zoom, LinkedIn, Bloomreach, Welltok, Inspirato, LadderLife, Jive, Clari, Latitude), social impact organizations (Oxfam, Environmental Defense Fund, Elevate Health, Aspen Institute), and venture firms (Sequoia Capital, KPCB). She works directly with clients and in partnership with agencies (Duarte Design, Emotive Brand, Noise13) and also has deep experience crafting fundraising pitches and large-scale presentations.

She served as a board member of Acción Opportunity Fund, the country’s largest microlender, and of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation. She is also a Wexner Heritage Fellow.

She earned an MBA from Columbia Business School and a B.A. from Wellesley College where she was elected Phi Beta Kappa. A Minnesota transplant, she is married with 3 sons and now lives in Menlo Park, CA. And, no, she doesn’t miss the snow.