Founded in 2010 by Nick Hoag and Jonathan Sandridge, The Future Forward is an NYC creative agency helping brands achieve greater influence by aligning strategy, design, and technology. With a concentration in the architecture, engineering, and construction space but serving clients across industries, this Brooklyn-based studio creates cohesive digital experiences through brand identity design, UI/UX design, web/app development, and creative campaigns. For 11 years, the agency’s strategically-driven, collaborative-based infrastructure has been powering their approach to building (or rebuilding) brands and yields brand identities with lasting value.

Looking For a Business Growth Partner, Not an Exit

Nick and Jonathan had been pouring their time, energy, and expertise into The Future Forward for over a decade, and they had a lot to show for it: a thriving, in-demand agency with great clients, a reputation for results, and a bright future. But they knew that The Future Forward couldn’t reach its potential alone, and they wanted to partner with a larger team that could provide the necessary business support to scale the agency.

The Future Forward’s core team was used to wearing tons of hats – managing various roles and functions to keep day-to-day operations up and running. But with additional resources, team members could focus on the specialized tasks only they could do, increasing productivity and providing a pathway for sustainable growth. 

Nick and Jonathan didn’t want to exit, they just wanted some support. They knew the sky was the limit for The Future Forward, and they were excited to find a partner they could grow with for years to come. With our reputation for helping entrepreneurs buy and sell amazing businesses with a shorter timeline and simple, personalized process, they reached out to us at Barney to make it happen.

Specialized Expertise and Huge Growth Ahead 

We love an agency that’s best-in-class in their niche, and The Future Forward definitely fit the bill. Serving more than 50 notable clients in architecture, engineering and construction including Eskew Dumez Ripple, Fry Reglet, VMDO, Workstead, Anderson Mason Dale Architects, Dillon Kyle Architects, and Roger Ferris + Partners, they developed a lucrative, long-term niche in the industry. Their specialized expertise has led to positive online exposure, extensive credibility, and a considerable advantage over their competitors, creating a consistent pipeline of inbound leads and project requests.

But that isn’t all that makes The Future Forward special. With their impressive expertise in branding and digital design work, well-developed agency-client relationship approach that creates and sustains fruitful long-term collaborations with clients, successful design and development processes delivering consistent results, and reputable online presence across branding and design blogs, high-ranking lists, awards sites, and social media, we knew right away that The Future Forward had a bright future ahead of them. 

Many building and architectural product companies lack a modern online presence, and The Future Forward is well-positioned to provide ongoing branding and technology services to this large network of potential clients. With their current minimal outbound efforts yielding positive results, there’s a massive opportunity for the agency to develop a dedicated sales team, initiate further outreach efforts, and expand the pipeline of leads. Since the agency’s core team was at full capacity, a buyer could help them grow by tapping into additional staffing resources, establishing a steady hiring channel, and attracting future talent.

Looking for Business Support to Scale

Nick and Jonathan were looking for a buyer who could provide the necessary business support to scale the agency. They didn’t want to exit, they just wanted to find a larger agency who could support the incredible work they were doing with their team and take advantage of all the growth opportunities at their fingertips.

With their dream buyer, team members would be able to focus on the amazing work that only they could do, rather than wearing all the hats to keep the day-to-day operations up and running – increasing productivity and engagement, and paving the way for their big growth. 

A Thriving Agency with a Bright Future

Excited to bring Nick and Jonathan’s vision to life, we set out to learn everything we could about their agency from culture to clients to numbers. We popped the hood at The Future Forward and got to know them inside and out, calculating their value to buyers in today’s market with our keen understanding of the agency space. We crafted amazing marketing materials and shared them with potential buyers to help them see what we saw: a thriving agency with great clients, a stellar reputation, and a bright future. Enter The Future Forward’s perfect fit: Multiplica. 

Taking The Future Forward to the Next Level

Founded in 2000 to design and create relevant, persuasive and commercially intelligent digital experiences for their clients, Multiplica is a digital native consulting company with offices dotting the globe from Buenos Aires to Barcelona. With a focus on helping clients better connect with their users and substantially improve their business results through reaching their full digital potential, Multiplica has the expertise, resources, and connections to take The Future Forward to the next level. 

Another Happy Ending Acquisition 

When all was said and done, The Future Forward found the perfect agency to take them into the future, and Multiplica got to invest in a powerful, thriving team with a big name in a high-potential market. Nick and Jonathan stayed on at the helm of The Future Forward, excited to work with Multiplica for years to come. Back at Barney, we sat back and added The Future Forward to our list of over 150 media, marketing and tech companies we’ve guided through successful, happy-ending acquisitions to perfect-fit buyers.