Reinventing the Digital Agency Model with a Global Marketplace of On-Demand Experts

Croud is a global digital marketing agency with a full-service capability spanning brand planning, strategy, integrated media, social, creative, and data. Founded in 2011 with the mission to reinvent the agency model, Croud combines 600+ in-house digital experts with a proprietary global marketplace of 2,900 on-demand digital marketing specialists. This disruptive operating model is enabled by its proprietary technology platform, Croud Control, and delivers scalable, cost-efficient resourcing and flexibility.

Following a highly competitive process, this transaction sees ECI invest to take a majority stake in the business, enabling Croud’s leadership team to continue scaling globally in digital-first, tech-enabled marketing. In partnership with ECI, Croud is set to expand the business through further acquisitions and organic growth.  

This new collaboration builds on Croud’s successful five-year partnership with private equity partners LDC, during which period the business achieved threefold growth. GP Bullhound also advised Croud on the transaction in which LDC invested in 2019.

Luke Smith, Founder & CEO of Croud, commented: “GP Bullhound ran a highly competitive process, with multiple suitors across both the US and UK, in order to find the right partner for us. This is the second time that we have chosen GP Bullhound to advise us and we are once again delighted with the outcome.”

Simon Nicholls, Partner, and Alessandro Casartelli, Managing Director, at GP Bullhound, commented: “Croud’s operating model is innovative, globally unique and enabled by its proprietary technology platform.  It is rare to find a digital agency that is so clearly differentiated and we believe the business is well set for further success both in the UK and the US.”

This transaction is further testament to GP Bullhound’s position as a leading adviser globally in the Digital Services sector, having recently advised Unlimited on its sale to Accenture, Goat on its sale to WPP, Team ITG on its investment from Bridgepoint, and Talon on its sale to Equistone, among many others.

For Enquiries, please contact: 
Simon Nicholls, Partner, at simon.nicholls@gpbullhound.com
Alessandro Casartelli, Managing Director, at alessandro.casartelli@gpbullhound.com

About GP Bullhound
GP Bullhound is a leading technology advisory and investment firm, providing transaction advice and capital to the world’s best entrepreneurs and founders. Founded in 1999 in London and Menlo Park, the firm today has 12 offices spanning Europe and the US. For more information, please visit www.gpbullhound.com.