BerlinRosen acquires tech and comms shop Inkhouse
The deal marks BerlinRosen’s fifth majority investment in 10 months.
by Jess Ruderman for PR Week, May 10, 2023
NEW YORK: BerlinRosen Holdings has acquired technology and communications agency Inkhouse, effective May 1.
Inkhouse provides communications for clients across technology, artificial intelligence, healthcare, venture capital, climate tech, education, consumer and security.
Inkhouse will have immediate access to the expanded resources and talent of the BerlinRosen network including advertising, public affairs, regulatory consulting, crisis management, digital marketing, content studio, DE&I and influencer marketing, the agency said in a statement.
The deal marks BerlinRosen Holding’s fifth majority investment in 10 months, including M18, Derris, Glen Echo Group and Onward, in addition to the expansion of its European footprint with a new office in Amsterdam.
“Inkhouse is a powerhouse across industries powering the future,” BerlinRosen principal and cofounder Jonathan Rosen said.
“Together, with our leading tech practice and Glen Echo Group’s leadership in the tech policy space, we’re set up as a network to be the strategic partner to the companies and investors who are building the technology that shapes our world.”
Inkhouse will continue to retain its brand and will remain independent under its existing leadership.
Beth Monaghan will continue to serve as CEO of Inkhouse in addition to partnering with the head of BerlinRosen’s tech practice Dan Levitan and founder and CEO of Glen Echo Maura Corbett to help lead overall direction of the network in tech comms.
Inkhouse set out over a year ago to find a growth partner to approach the “next phase” of business as the women-led firm closes in on $30 million in revenue. Monaghan cited BerlinRosen’s complementary areas of work and Rosen’s aligning mission of proving “what’s good for people is good for business,” as a critical reason for partnering with the firm.
“We’re living in a world where AI and social media are being legislated and our clients are facing all sorts of new market opportunities and challenges,” Monaghan said. “BerlinRosen brings new capabilities to our clients to help us all navigate those with deeper understanding of what's happening and more capabilities to position our clients to succeed in those markets.”
The addition of Inkhouse will bolster the holding company’s technology division across BerlinRosen, representing clients including Samsung, Mozilla, Blink Energy and Cornell Tech; and Glen Echo Group, representing clients including Google, Twilio, Hewlett Foundation Cyber Initiative and the American Library Association.
The deal complements BerlinRosen Holdings’ team of over 500 strategists across 10 offices in the U.S. and Europe. The agency received a growth investment from private equity firm O2 Investment Partners in January 2022 that has served as a partner in the firm’s recent investments.
BerlinRosen supports clients across a range of industries including corporate, social impact, ESG, nonprofit, entertainment, media, racial justice, healthcare, hospitality, lifestyle, technology, issue advocacy and workers’ rights. BerlinRosen was named PRWeek’s 2023 Outstanding Large Agency of the Year.
Inkhouse is a strategic communications firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 2007, the agency represents a team of 142 total in offices across 16 states with 60 people based at headquarters. Current clients include Databricks, Dialpad, ForgeRock, Harvard University’s Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative, Incredible Health, The Markup, Raytheon, VMware, Xerox and ZwitterCo.
Inkhouse reported a revenue of $27.5 million in 2022, up 13% from 2021, according to PRWeek’s Agency Business Report 2023.