About Helmstone

Emma Shi is the founder of Helmstone Advisory, a strategy consultancy focused on commercialization, branding, and cross-market business strategy.

She holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management and an MFA in film and animation, a combination that informs her approach to strategy: analytically rigorous, yet grounded in how people perceive, trust, and respond to ideas in real market environments.

Her experience spans early-stage ventures and established organizations, leading initiatives in go-to-market strategy, commercialization planning, operations, and cross-functional execution. She has worked on market entry, positioning, and growth strategy where cultural context and customer interpretation materially shape business outcomes.

Experience

Education

• MBA, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

  2023 - 2025, graduated with honor

• MFA in Film and Animation, Rochester Institute of Technology

  2009 - 2014

Emma Shi, MBA, MFA

• Shaped commercialization strategy and supported marketing repositioning for U.S. technology companies

• 9 years in educational publishing, leading cross-functional and global teams, bilingual programs and managing $1M+ budgets

• Advised EdTech startups on business model, consumer insight research, and product strategy

• Led 0-to-1 product and go-to-market strategy for a discussion-based game startup

• Supported CPG and early-stage startups on brand positioning and market entry decisions

• Managed $7M+ Northwestern University Endowment Fund

Founder,
Principal Consultant

• CFA Level II passed

• CFA Certificate in ESG Investing

• FSPCA Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) Certification

Credentials & Certifications

Selected Creative Recognition

• Animated short film recognized with international awards and screened at 14+ international film festivals

• Certificate of Artistic Achievement, Luxembourg Art Prize