Joy Schoffler - Distinctive Edge Partners

career accomplishments

Firms Joy worked with have raised billions in capital, gone from start-up to exit, built and scaled cutting-edge technologies, executed profitable M&A strategies, built and scaled international sales and distribution channels, closed major customers, and created massive shareholder value.

She built and scaled Upside Avenue, an award-winning, tech-enabled, Public Non-traded REIT that won CRE’s best new online capital raising platform and created successful acquisition channels for retail, RIAs, and institutional investors.

Joy founded and sold a leading technology-focused strategic communications and marketing firm, Leverage PR.

industry expertise

Joy Schoffler, founder and principal of Distinctive Edge Partners, is an award-winning global communications and investor relations strategist with decades of experience building, scaling, and protecting global public and private brands.

Joy takes a data-driven approach to marketing and communications. Clients she has worked with have raised billions in capital, scaled from start-up to nine-figure exits, built and scaled cutting-edge technologies, executed profitable M&As, built and scaled international sales and distribution channels, closed major customers, and, most importantly, created massive shareholder value.

Joy founded and sold technology-focused strategic marketing and communications firm Leverage PR. Areas of expertise included cybersecurity, IOT, hardware, blockchain, PropTech, InvestTech, banking, artificial intelligence, and many other highly technical areas. She additionally advised the foreign economic ministries of Japan and Brazil on how to raise their global profile and was the agency of record for SXSW’s Accelerator. The firm also served numerous financial services firms, significantly increasing AUM.

A skilled technologist, Joy brings vast experience educating customers, the media, and investors about the applicability of new technology. She has devised strategies that educated global markets on blockchain’s applicability outside of Bitcoin, worked across hardware IOT and financial cybersecurity technologies, and worked extensively within the artificial intelligence space across robotics and process automation.

As an investor relations professional, Joy sat on the investment committee at Ascendant Industries, evaluating middle market companies across cybersecurity, defense, maritime, and engineering technology, among other areas. She served as the Chief Strategy Officer for Casoro Capital. There, she built and led the investor relations team, responsible for raising capital for direct investments ranging from $18 to $80M. Additionally, she was responsible for building an award-winning, tech-enabled, public non-traded REIT, Upside Avenue. Built at a fraction of the cost of competitors, it won CREs’ best new online capital raising platform and created successful acquisition channels for retail, RIA, and institutional investors. Joy previously served as Director of Acquisitions for The PPA Group, underwriting and acquiring $250M in real estate, helping to grow the firm from 4 to 75 employees and making the “Inc. 5000” list twice.

A pioneer within the online investing space, Joy sat on the board of CFIRA for six years, working with the SEC and FINRA on JOBS Act implementation, enabling online investing as we know it today.

She is an advisor and mentor to numerous industry boards. Past and current board positions include SXSW & AARP Accelerator, FinTech Professionals Association, and CFIRA.

Joy, a sought-after speaker and media contributor won numerous awards, including Women Communicators’ “Outstanding Communicators,” CEO Magazine’s “Entrepreneur of the Year,” and the Austin Under 40 Award. Joy served as an Army Reserves and Texas State Guard officer.