NEW DELHI: Platform-first martech company Wondrlab has made its first acquisition with What’s Your Problem (WYP), a creative agency which started over five years ago. WYP founder, MD & CCO Amit Akali will now be the co-founder at Wondrlab. Malabar Capital Advisors served as financial consultants for the acquisition.
Akali comes with nearly 25 years of experience. Before founding WYP, he was national creative director at Grey India, along with being part of the Grey Global Creative Council.
In a short time, WYP has established itself as one of the fastest-growing creative agencies in India, winning accolades at international awards like Cannes Lions and Clio, along with content agency of the year at Goafest. It has also been the most awarded agency from India at the APAC Effies.
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 and will be followed by a series of high-impact reveals.
Wondrlab founder & CEO Saurabh Varma 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. We both believed in the power of creativity and the future which data and technology can serve us. We both felt that our future is in building our own platforms. It is truly amazing seeing WYPs journey and the incredible job Tejas Mehta, Ruchita Zambre and the entire team has done and the reputation they’ve built for it. I am proud that Amit joins us as a co-founder. I could not have asked for a better partner to help us shape and drive our creative firepower. WYP is our first acquisition and we will continue to curate, partner, launch and acquire as we move forward.”
Wondrlab co-founder & CCO Amit Akali said, “What we’ve achieved at WYP has been phenomenal. Today, we are a 60-member team at our new BKC office in Mumbai. The momentum in the last year has been even greater, with us being probably the only agency that’s grown manifold in the lockdown. 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. A big thanks to Praful who helped me start WYP with the other co-founders. To Tejas, who has played a key role in our growth and continues to do so. Along with every past and present employee who’s always looked at WYP as their own family and given it their all. We are thrilled to be a part of Wondrlab. 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, “When I first spoke to Saurabh and the other co-founders Vandana and Rakesh, it was uncanny how we share the same goals, ambitions and ideals. Together we aim to be a technology and creative powerhouse.”
