WestBridge invests in international creative agency Koto
Private equity firm WestBridge has partnered with the management team of Koto, a leading creative agency specialising in integrated brand strategy, identity and digital implementation services. This investment marks the fourth transaction from WestBridge’s third fund.
Founded in 2015, Koto has established a strong reputation for delivering innovative branding solutions to a diverse, global clientele across sectors such as technology, financial services, gaming, sports, and healthcare. Based in London, Koto operates internationally with studios in Los Angeles, New York, Berlin and Sydney.
The investment supports a management buyout and expands Koto’s shareholder base beyond the founding team. It is set to accelerate Koto’s growth plans, including strategic acquisitions and expansion in key markets across the US, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.
WestBridge were advised by our Corporate and Private Equity team, led by Gareth Williams-Davies, alongside Sarah Hale, Nicole Crumbie and Athos Economides and supported by other specialists across the firm including our Commercial, Employment and Real Estate teams.
Ed Minton, Director at WestBridge said:
We’re joining the Koto journey at a hugely exciting time, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with such a talented team. Koto has carved out a very strong position in the market as a leading independent agency providing some of the highest quality creative work to a growing roster of Fortune 500 companies and leading scale up brands. We’re very much looking forward to supporting the team to deliver Koto’s growth ambitions.
As ever, it has been great working with Capital Law again on the latest deal for Fund III – we appreciate the team’s commercial and pragmatic advice and their commitment to making the deal process run as smoothly as possible.
Gareth Williams-Davies, Partner in the Corporate & Private Equity team at Capital Law, said:
This is a really exciting deal for WestBridge and Koto. WestBridge, with such a strong track record of supporting ambitious growth, will be the ideal partner for the management team led by James, Caroline, Jowey and Nick. Together they will no doubt continue to build on the outstanding success they have already had in establishing Koto as one of the leading agencies in the market.
