HMT advised on The Strata Group’s acquisition of brand experience agency, We Are Collider; a leading specialist in experience-led marketing for esports, gaming and consumer engagement.
We Are Collider is a London-based creative agency that operates globally, delivering campaigns across the live, virtual and digital experience sector for brands including Amazon, John Lewis, L’Oreal, Pokemon and Red Bull. The agency creates memorable and long-lasting experiences by applying a mix of established behavioural science frameworks, proprietary research, IP and creative thinking to really get under the skin of how people think, feel and act.
The Strata Group is building a future-fit experiential marketing network designed for ‘People and Brands on a Mission’; those who want to scale or transform faster while adapting more rapidly to changing markets. Uniting deep expertise across every experiential touchpoint into one connected, high-performing ecosystem, The Strata Group offers a truly end-to-end experience for both partners and clients.
The acquisition enhances Strata’s ability to help clients scale and transform at pace, delivering connected audience engagement across internal communications, live experiences, digital, retail and consumer activation, all powered by data, AI and sector expertise. We Are Collider will operate as a standalone agency from its existing office and will continue to service its clients including Amazon Games, John Lewis and Red Bull.
The news follows The Strata Group’s acquisition of Wonderland, the creative global event agency currently delivering Cannes Lions events for high-profile tech and entertainment brands – and marks the next step in The Strata Group’s mission to unite all live communications and experiential skills under one network.
The HMT team acted as buy-side lead advisor on the transaction which included identifying the best targets to fit Strata’s strategic objectives, negotiating detailed terms, supporting the business through due diligence process, developing an enlarged group model, negotiating debt terms with the incumbent lender and project managing the deal to a successful completion.
“’HMT have once again been a trusted partner throughout this process. Working very closely with our senior team they have been with us at every stage. Not only to identify the right strategic fit from the start but then work carefully as an extension of our finance and leadership team through all aspects of the process. They have invested a great deal of additional time in understanding both our needs, the needs of our investors and lenders, and that of the sellers, to help shape a successful outcome.”
– Simon Hambley, Founder – Strata
“We were delighted to advise on Strata’s acquisition of We Are Collider. This transaction has brought together two highly complementary businesses in the experiential marketing sector with strong cultural alignment amongst the leadership team and a shared vision for the enlarged group, creating an exciting platform for further growth.
This was a well-structured deal that delivered an excellent outcome for the shareholders of both Strata and We Are Collider, reflecting the quality of the business, the strength of market demand, and the significant strategic value the acquisition creates for both parties. We wish everyone involved the best of luck and look forward to working with the Strata team on future transactions.”
– Ricky Lane
