Brainlabs, a data-driven agency founded by Daniel Gilbert in 2012, has secured fresh private equity investment from American firm Falfurrias Capital Partners (FCP).
The investment values Brainlabs at around $320 million and will help the company expand its international footprint beyond its London HQ.
Brainlabs has grown by 800% since it sold a minority stake to private equity company Livingbridge in 2019.
Since then, it has acquired and integrated eight agencies.
Brainlabs’ expansion strategy includes launching hubs in additional markets across Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company employs more than 850 people and counts Adidas, American Express, Estée Lauder, Mars, and WeTransfer among its clients.
Daniel Gilbert, the founder and global CEO of Brainlabs, remains at the helm of the company in partnership with Stephen Allan, the executive chair and former Worldwide chairman & CEO of MediaCom. Brainlabs’ success signals a new era, and it aims to be the first in a wave of challengers who will be pioneers, setting a new industry standard for media agencies.
Gilbert believes that high performance in media requires a data-driven, tech-enabled methodology rooted in digital media. Brainlabs’ agency culture creates and tests, finding both the big game-changing moves and the marginal gains for its clients using the smartest tech and the sharpest minds.
Brainlabs’ partnership with FCP validates its forward-thinking approach. Geordie Pierson, FCP, said, “We are unbelievably excited to back visionary founders like Steve and Dan.
With his experience of building one of the first media independents, and then later leading WPP’s MediaCom, Steve helped shape the current media agency landscape. Using a revolutionary approach to data and tech, Dan embodies a new breed of media industry pioneers. There’s no limit on what we can accomplish together.”
The investment from FCP will support Brainlabs’ plans for global expansion.
Brainlabs welcomes Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of The Ad Council, and Alexander Jutkowitz, executive in residence at FCP, to the board as non-executive directors. Executive chair Allan said, “Today’s announcement further solidifies this ambition. In the two years since I joined, we have welcomed more and more global brands to our client roster, who are seeing phenomenal results from our teams worldwide. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our previous investors Livingbridge for their support in our rapid growth story and look forward to partnering with the team at Falfurrias to take this growth to the next level.
Brainlabs aims to become the world’s largest independent media agency.
Its growth strategy includes launching hubs in additional markets across Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.
Brainlabs’ unique approach to media investments has attracted more and more global brands to its client roster, who are seeing phenomenal results from its teams worldwide.
Brainlabs’ success signals a new era, and it aims to be the first in a wave of challengers who will be pioneers, setting a new industry standard for media agencies.
