Inside Our Adweek Roundtable with PE-Backed Agency Leaders: Growth, Pressure & Opportunity

Read the full article on Adweek

The pressure to scale. The promise of independence. The challenge of navigating investor expectations.

These were just a few themes that emerged during a recent virtual roundtable we hosted in partnership with Adweek. The 60-minute invite-only session brought together top executives from PE-backed marketing agencies to unpack the real-world impact of private equity investment—and what it takes to land and scale 7-figure growth in this environment.

Moderated by Adweek Executive Editor Alison Weissbrot and our own Janet Vinci, VP of Client Services at Christian Banach, the discussion featured voices from some of the most ambitious and fast-growing firms in the space—including Courtney Lewis, CMO of The Variable, Elizabeth Ross, CEO of Shift Paradigm, Eric Bertrand, CEO of Mod Op, and others.

Why did we host this?

Because the playbook is changing. More independent agencies are increasingly turning to PE to scale without selling to holding companies. But along with capital comes pressure: accelerated growth targets, cultural shifts, integration demands, and a need for predictable, high-value client acquisition.

This roundtable was designed to create a space for honest dialogue among peers facing those exact pressures—and to spotlight the strategies leaders are using to rise to the occasion.

Some key insights:

• Smart growth beats fast growth—sustainable, strategic scale wins in the long run.
• Not all PE firms are created equal; those with agency experience offer more alignment.
• Integrating multiple firms under a PE portfolio requires not just process but trust.

We’re proud that this conversation led to a full-feature article in Adweek by Audrey Kemp, highlighting the big takeaways from the session and the voices behind them.

Read the full article on Adweek to see what agency leaders are saying about life after PE investment—and how they’re preparing for their next big win.