Shared operating infrastructure for independent agencies
A new kind of
agency group.
Built from technology up.
Shared operating infrastructure for independent agencies. Starting with the engine of growth.
The reality
The independent agency model is breaking.
Squeezed from every side
AI is accelerating in-housing. Clients expect more, faster, for less. Margins are at historic lows.
Too many tools, no system
Agencies aren't short of software. They're short of the time and capital to turn it into anything coherent. Holding groups are investing nine figures in unified platforms. Independents can't match that.
Growth is fragile
65% of new business still comes from referrals. As the client pool shrinks, that fragility is exposed. New business is now the number one challenge for agency owners.
The independent model doesn't need better tools. It needs a new architecture.
The thesis
Don't automate the magic.
Automate the machinery.
The agency model is separating into two functions. The front office, strategy, invention, client partnership, must stay human. The back office, execution, production, operations, must be industrialised. Independent agencies can't build that machinery alone. It has to be shared infrastructure, capitalised once and available to every agency that connects to it.
That's what we're building.
Leadership
Big Tech. Multiple agency exits. 10+ years in enterprise AI. FTSE 250 calibre. Now we're building Corbel.
Founded Firedrop.ai, one of the earliest generative AI platforms, serving enterprise clients including P&G, AB InBev, and Domino's. 10+ years building at the intersection of AI and marketing. Board member of two independent agencies.
Former Senior Software Engineer at Meta and Booking.com. 12+ years building AI-driven, data-intensive systems at global scale. Deep expertise in the infrastructure challenges that underpin modern marketing operations.
20+ years scaling and selling independent agencies, including exits to holding groups such as Publicis. Former strategic partner to Sky, Vodafone, BMW, Lloyds Banking Group, HP, GSK, and IBM.
Thought leadership
Thinking out loud.
The window is
narrowing.
The agencies that build intelligent systems now will define the industry's future architecture. The rest will be left behind.