Barely a month after its launch, martech company Wondrlab, started by former Publicis Communications CEO Saurabh Varma, has announced its first acquisition What’s Your Problem (WYP), the creative agency behind the controversial Tanishq ads.
Amit Akali, Founder – MD & CCO at WYP, will now be the co-founder at Wondrlab. Before founding WYP he was the National Creative Director at Grey India.
WYP will remain a separate brand and become a part of Wondrlab’s content platform. The acquisition comes just a month after Wondrlab’s launch but could be just the first of many, hinted the press statement issued to announce this deal. “There will be a series of high-impact reveals,” it said.
Wondrlab has already bagged 25 clients and will have over 100 employees by December 2020.
Saurabh Varma, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Wondrlab, said: “I had the opportunity to watch WYP during a pitch and was incredibly impressed by their thinking, passion and ability to solve clients’ problems in a meaningful way. I decided to connect with Amit and over a few conversations realised that we had the same purpose and belief in the kind of work we wanted to do.”
Varma added, “WYP is our first acquisition and we will continue to curate, partner, launch and acquire as we move forward.”
Amit Akali, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Wondrlab, expressing his delight at being part of Wondrlab, said, “I am excited about the new, even larger, playing field we’re getting. The integration is almost seamless as the vision is identical. In a digital-first era, platformisation and technology are the drivers of customised solutions for brands.”
He added, “We’ve been lucky to create some of the most talked-about work in the last few months, be it the iconic Johnnie Walker Travelling Billboard, Tanishq ‘Ekatvam’ or the IPL campaign for Dailyhunt.”
Malabar Capital Advisors served as financial consultants for the acquisition.