Chemistry

Canaccord Genuity Advises Independent Creative Agency Chemistry on its Strategic Investment from Breakwater Management to Fuel Next Stage of Growth

Canaccord Genuity has advised independent full-service advertising agency Chemistry on its significant investment from Breakwater Management LP, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm focused on investments in leading lower-middle market companies in media and entertainment, marketing, and tech-enabled services. The agency is known for its innate ability to build brands and solve complex business challenges by connecting culture, technology, media, and real-time insights. This investment will allow Chemistry to remain independent, while fueling its next phase of growth with capital to invest in services, talent, emerging technologies, organic expansion, and strategic acquisitions.

Chemistry builds culturally relevant brands through creative ideas that can’t be ignored. With 170 employees and offices in Atlanta, New York, Pittsburgh, and Miami, the agency’s fully integrated capabilities span creative, production, strategy, branding, design, social, research and analytics, media, public relations, digital, web development, SEO, and tech solutions. Chemistry’s foundation of experimentation embraces the test and learn approach, creating a state of constant evolution and innovation. This has led to massive market share wins and high cultural relevance for clients, including Coca-Cola, Comcast, Domino’s, Five Guys, Frontdoor, NFL, NBA, Netflix, Massage Envy, Kidde, Heineken, IHG Hotels and Resorts, and CG Insurance. In the past three years, the agency has experienced +360% explosive growth. The shop has been named an Ad Age A-List Agency, CMO Agency of the Year, an Adweek’s Fastest Growing Agency, and is a two-time finalist for Campaign US’ Independent Agency of the Year, as well as Adweek’s Midsize Agency of the Year. 

Chemistry is committed to giving employees the opportunity to do the best work of their lives while living their best lives. This has led to an enviable employee retention rate of more than 86%. The agency’s unique collaboration ethos allows employees to collaborate seamlessly across disciplines, including its award-winning creative department; a full-service production arm, Test Tube Productions; a digital solutions arm, REACT; and a minority-led and certified Hispanic arm, Chemistry Cultura. The firm’s media division is a Premier Google Partner in the top 3% of agencies nationwide, lauded for its innovative media solutions as well as for its proprietary programmatic platform, Media Catalyst. 

All Chemistry partners will retain ownership, and all leadership will remain in current roles. Everyone will continue to do what they do best – connecting consumers and brands in meaningful ways that drive outsized results for clients.

Based in Los Angeles, Breakwater Management LP provides private equity capital to leading lower-middle market companies in the media and entertainment, marketing, and tech-enabled services sectors. The firm aligns itself with committed management teams and owners, providing creative financing solutions tailored to meet individual company needs. Breakwater’s senior investment team has more than 60 years of private company investing and operating experience and has built the firm on a deep commitment to integrity, partnership, and growth.