People-Centricity.
Entrust your team to protect your agency’s legacy.
Trust your agency to those who care about it most.
Entrust your team to protect your agency's legacy
Trust your agency to those who care about it most
Loyal to your team? So are we
You put your heart and soul into creating and growing your agency. We honor that.
With AVA, you’ll receive a bespoke plan that fits your specific needs and reflects your vision for tomorrow. We are an “Anti-Holding Company,” meaning we partner with founders and their teams to support their path to growth.
Your team is the heart of your agency, and it’s our goal to keep them there. We know firsthand that a good team is foundational to agency success.
We build brilliant teams from the ground up, focusing on effectiveness, efficiency, culture, and quality — without losing sight of what makes those teams great in the first place.
Why sell to AVA?
We’ll give you executive leadership
that will take on the stress and burden of operational efficiency
Instant access
to our personal rolodex of 1000+ of investors
Mentorship with top experts:
Peter Lang, Felix Velarde, and Tom Shipley
Our knowledge, resources, tools, team, and network
are now yours
Why sell to AVA?
We’ll give you executive leadership
that will take on the stress and burden of operational efficiency.
Instant access
to our personal rolodex of 1000+ of investors
Mentorship with top experts:
Peter Lang, Felix Velarde, and Tom Shipley
Our knowledge, resources, tools, team, and network
are now yours
Traditional M&A firm vs. AVA
Traditional M&A
Top down
Commercials-first
Forced Integrations
Bottom up
People-first
Agile agency partnerships
Bespoke approach
Our secret sauce
(it’s no secret)
Our success is nothing without the facts and the proof to back it up.
Here’s some of AVA’s secret sauce that we know leads to better results:
Dedicated deal team that’s focused on people and agency success
Proven back-office support systems, tools, and approaches that deliver scale and efficiency
Our 2Y3X methodology is proven to scale and grow agencies at speed
Problem solvers & growth accelerators
AVA was founded by agency owners. This means we lead our acquisition programs with a founder-led and people-centric approach. We understand the inherent problems founders face when trying to scale their agency. We’ve gone through the same path you are experiencing and know how to generate the results you want for your agency.
We’ve been there, done that, and delivered the results. Suffice it to say, we’ve got your back.
You’ve reached the end of your business lifecycle; you’re burnt out and looking for a way to maximize your exit.
AVA ADVANTAGE:
Investment for your agency
WE PROVIDE:
Immediate and longer-term investment opportunities
You’re interested in another project or venture and no longer looking to run a service-based agency.
AVA ADVANTAGE:
We free you from operations for you to pursue other interests
WE PROVIDE:
Bespoke methodology utilizing our 2Y3X program
Your agency has grown, but you don’t enjoy the day-to-day anymore. You want to get back to doing what you love to do – whether that’s sales, consulting, or being a creative director.
AVA ADVANTAGE:
Opportunity to be in a position where you’ll thrive
WE PROVIDE:
Access to different roles, larger clients, & scope of services
You’re hitting the glass ceiling and constantly trying to reinvent the wheel. You need help scaling your business.
AVA ADVANTAGE:
Bigger & better pitching power
WE PROVIDE:
Scale-at-speed approach to healthy growth
It’s lonely at the top – we get that. You want greater challenges and to surround yourself with high-caliber team members to help you flourish.
AVA ADVANTAGE:
Access to seasoned colleagues
WE PROVIDE:
Opportunity to work with talented team members
You’re worried about your legacy. You want to sell your agency, but most M&A firms don’t care about the “tomorrow” after a founder leaves. You spent years creating your agency and care about your team and legacy.
AVA ADVANTAGE:
WE PROVIDE:
Meet your team
With decades of experience, AVA’s team is composed of industry super-specialists dedicated to providing exceptional results and a positive impact on your agency’s teams.
Brand, operations, and marketing executive, with 25+ years of experience leading agency and corporate teams to develop and implement strategic growth and marketing programs to increase brand awareness, drive acquisition, and retention for brands like Qualcomm, Lexus, GE Ventures, Caesars, UPS, and Trimble. Agency CEO (The Collective Experience), President and CEO (MCX Technologies, publicly-traded: TSX/OTC), EVP Strategy and Global Marketing (Kalibrate).
“Life’s too short to work with people you don’t like. Be authentic, be bold — and build something amazing.”
— Felix Velarde
Felix Velarde is a serial digital pioneer who started the first of six agencies in 1994. After three years as an agency group CEO, he became the UK lead for Mei Lin Fung and Vint Cerf’s People-Centered Internet coalition.
In 2016, he founded the 2Y3X program which now reaches Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North America. In 2021, the manual for the program, Scale at Speed: How to Triple the Size of Your Business and Build a Superstar Team, was published worldwide by Hachette.
“Our focus is on people, on culture, on scaling from the bottom up — on building an agency group with the people who represent the future of digital, instead of relying on outdated models that belong in the past.”
— Peter Lang
Peter is an entrepreneur, advisor, investor, and philanthropist. He has more than 11 years of experience starting, building, buying, and selling companies in online publishing, media, advertising, e-commerce, training, and consulting. Peter is the creator of the leading agency M&A training program DAB.
Prior to joining AVA, Peter co-founded Uhuru Network, growing the group 500% in two years.
“As a serial entrepreneur and founder myself, I want to work with partners & agencies who share AVA’s values of integrity, trust and ambition. We’re going to build something amazing.”
— Tom Shipley
Tom has over 20 years of experience launching and scaling brands and omni-digital, multi-brand platforms. His brands have sold over $2 billion through D2C marketing, Amazon, and retailers including Costco, Ulta, CVS, Nordstrom, HSN, and more.
Prior to joining AVA, Tom raised $100 million to launch Foundry, the Amazon and e-commerce brand aggregator.
Tony Atkins manages AVA’s extensive outreach program. With hands-on responsibility for acquisitions, he looks after founders from first contact all the way through a deal.
Tony was the founder of CixxFive, a digital marketing agency based in Dallas, Texas, which was acquired by Uhuru in 2020.
Matthew Kruchko
Managing Director
Jo Royce
Groups COO
Felix Velarde
Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer
In the news and around the world
- September 7, 2022
- By AVA Acquistions
- July 14, 2022
- By AVA Acquistions
- July 10, 2022
- By AVA Acquistions
