Start with the decision
Clarify the objective, market context, and constraints before selecting a tactic.
About · Founded 2013
A strategy-led consultancy, grounded in how products work.
A boutique marketing and consulting agency in Sarasota, Florida, serving B2B manufacturers and high-tech companies.
01Getting seen since 2013
From performance marketing to strategy-led growth.
Virtual Alchemy was founded in 2013 by Chris Ray, a chemical engineer turned entrepreneur and strategist. What began as a performance marketing firm has evolved into a strategy-led marketing consultancy focused on helping B2B manufacturers and high-tech companies grow through clear positioning, scalable systems, and AI-ready execution.
CRENGINEERING
× STRATEGY
× STRATEGY
FOUNDER PERSPECTIVE01 / 01
02Founder background
We understand how products are made, bought, and scaled.
Chris brings first-hand experience across the product and operational lifecycle, from inventing and launching new products to leading manufacturing operations, leading process engineering, and helping to implement quality systems. This operational grounding sets Virtual Alchemy apart. We don’t just market. We understand how products are made, bought, and scaled.
After co-founding TBL Performance Plastics (acquired in 2019 by a leading private equity firm), Chris led the global rebrand of six life sciences companies under the SaniSure name, now a leader in single-use biopharma equipment. He later earned his MBA (Class of 2020, Louisiana State University, 2nd in class), focusing on business strategy, competitive advantage, and operations management.
Product launchesManufacturing operationsQuality systems
03How we work
Clear choices.
Connected execution.
Connect strategy and execution
Link positioning, campaigns, sales follow-up, CRM, and operations.
Make next steps usable
Turn conclusions into specific actions the team can own, apply, and review.
Client work stays private
Client names, customer data, screenshots, and project outcomes stay private unless the client gives permission to share them.
04Experience
Roles across product, operations, and life sciences.
Director of Marketing & Communications
SaniSure
Supported the multinational merger following TBL Performance Plastics' acquisition and led the global rebrand of six life-sciences companies under the SaniSure name.
President & COO
TBL Performance Plastics, a SaniSure Company
Co-founded and led a manufacturer of injection-molded fittings and components, extruded tubing, single-use cleanroom assemblies, and custom-fabricated products for pharmaceutical applications.
Research & Development
William T. Burnett & Co., Foam Division
Concurrent with TBL Performance Plastics.
Chemist
Freedom Metal Finishing, Inc.
Concurrent with TBL Performance Plastics.
Engineering Intern
Planar Energy Devices
Helped develop a novel deposition process for lithium-ion micro-battery cathodes.
05Education & credentials
Technical foundations.
Business strategy.
Chemical Engineering
University of Florida
Louisiana State University
Statistics Hall of Fame; second-highest GPA in the graduating class.
Additional credentials and courses
- Business Strategy: Competitive AdvantageWharton Online · Feb 2023
- Bitcoin and CryptocurrenciesUniversity of California, Berkeley · Jan 2022
- Cloud PractitionerAmazon Web Services · Sep 2020
- Intellectual Property Law and Policy: Part 1University of Pennsylvania Carey Law · Jul 2018
- Dust Explosion ControlAIChE · Dec 2011
- Process Safety 101AIChE · Dec 2011
- Inherently Safer DesignAIChE · Dec 2011
- Chemical Reactivity HazardsAIChE · Dec 2011
The next step
Bring the strategic question you’re working through.
Tell us the decision, campaign, or handoff your team wants to improve.