We merge agencies and build them for a bigger exit.
Bigger agencies sell for more.
Our goal: double your exit proceeds compared with selling your agency on its own today.
Talk to a PartnerLed by Tom Shipley, founder of DealCon, and Garrett McClure, President of Born & Bred.
Two things are happening to your business at the same time.
01The exit wave
A generation of founders is heading for the door. Most will hit the same wall: a small-company price, tough terms and a buyer who sees the founder as the whole business.
Plenty never sell at all. About a third of sell-side engagements never close.2
02AI is here
AI is already changing how agency work gets sold, delivered and priced. Buyers have started asking a new question in diligence: what's automated? If the answer is "nothing," you'll hear it in the offer.
Two agencies with the same revenue. One uses AI to write proposals, run the first draft of client work and close the books every month. The other still does all of it by hand. A buyer pays more for the first one, every time.
Will your exit pay for the life you want next?
A price isn't money in the bank. Half comes at close, if you're lucky. The rest rides on an earnout or a seller note, and debt, fees and taxes come out before you see a dime.
So a lot of founders sell and stay in the grind. Three more years chasing someone else's targets, in a company that isn't theirs anymore.
Getting to real money takes two things: a bigger agency, and one rebuilt around AI. Both while you're still running the place every day.
We built this for you.
Most founders sell one company in their lifetime, if they sell at all. Very few have brought AI into a company. And both are landing right when you planned to ease off.
You need a partner you can trust, who's been through exits and is putting AI to work in real companies right now.
- Step1
We talk, founder to founder.
You tell us what you built and what you want out of it. We tell you straight whether Northfuse fits.
- Step2
Work together for six months.
Your agency stays legally yours. We start putting AI to work, share playbooks and send each other leads. You see how the other founders work and how we execute, then decide on terms you've seen up front.
- Step3
Merge and build one AI roll-up.
You join other founder-led agencies in one group of 5 to 7, with about $10M in combined EBITDA. We build one shared AI backbone, one back office and one operating standard. You keep running your agency, and we do the heavy lifting.
- Step4
The group sells for more.
A bigger group sells at 7 to 10x or more, not 3 to 4x. When it exits, you share in that price.
You merge only if you decide to.
How we build the bigger agency.
Putting agencies under one holding company isn't enough. A buyer pays 7 to 10x or more for a business they trust to keep performing after the deal closes. So we build that business with you.
- CombineComplementary agencies, clients and leaders
- Grow earningsShared leads, bigger clients, better delivery
- Remove discountsClean numbers and a team that runs without you
- Protect your upsideOwnership built around founders' share
- Sell as oneOne company with a clear case for growth
One company a buyer can understand, trust and grow.
- One parent company and brand. A clear market position and an offer clients understand, with an agreed place for each agency's brand.
- One set of numbers a buyer can trust. Standard reporting and clean earnings, so nothing in diligence cuts the price.
- Leadership beyond any one founder. Clear roles and a deeper bench, so clients and decisions don't hang on one person.
- A business that earns the right to grow. Shared sales and delivery, better margins and fixes for client concentration before a buyer finds it.
Dedicated AI engineers doing the work inside the agencies.
- One shared AI backbone. Built once for the group and put to work in every agency.
- It starts in the first six months. AI work begins while you're still deciding, then carries through integration.
- We start where AI pays. Proposals, client delivery, reporting and service, where it saves time and lifts results.
- We measure what changes. Time saved, delivery capacity, client results and earnings after AI costs, so a buyer sees it in the numbers.
When the group sells, you get paid on a bigger number.
Built for founders who want more.
Sound like you? Let's talk about what your agency could sell for.
Talk to a PartnerIf you need cash right away or want to stay fully independent, this probably isn't the right fit. We'd rather tell you that on the first call.
- You own a marketing agency.
- You have a team you'd never want to sell out from under.
- You're excited to be part of the evolution for the next 3 years.
- You want to work with the other founders before you decide to merge.
- You're willing to share ownership and decisions.
- You want the bigger exit you deserve.
We're starting with agency founders.
AI is changing how agencies price, staff and deliver client work, and buyers already know it. They also discount any agency where the founder is still the business. The first Northfuse roll-up is for agency owners who want to fix both before they sell.
If you run an agency, we want to talk to you today.
Talk to a Partneragencies
The people behind Northfuse.
We believe a great exit can change a founder's life, and the cash should go to the people who built the value.
Most founders spend decades building something great. Almost none of them have ever sold a company, or built one to be sold. Nobody teaches you that part.
We built Northfuse to change that.
Tom has spent his career building companies, raising capital and taking them to exit. He started DealCon so founders could learn M&A from people who've actually done the deals.
Garrett has spent the last few years buying and running agencies, and he's putting AI to work inside his own today.
We've both sat on your side of the table. We keep meeting founders who built strong businesses and feel stuck. They look at what they'd take home, and it isn't enough for the life they want next. So they keep going, another year, same grind.
That's why we're doing this.
Tom Shipley
Tom grew Atlantic Coast Brands from $35M to $100M, co-founded Foundry, which raised $100M, and has taken companies through private equity exits. He founded DealCon and the Advisory Boardroom, where founders and dealmakers work through M&A together.
Before that, he built The T. Shipley Catalog into a $20M brand in three years. His brands, including Hydroxatone and Keranique, have sold more than $2B through direct response and retail. Today he invests in and acquires brands and martech companies.
Garrett McClure
Garrett has been on both sides of the deal. He bought into his first agency with sweat equity and an earn-in, then used that stake to buy a bigger one, which he owns and runs today. Along the way he's had about a thousand conversations with founders about selling.
Before that, he was an adtech executive who built channel sales programs at Yahoo and Basis Technologies. He's a member of the Advisory Boardroom, emcees the DealCon CEO M&A Intensive and co-wrote the Amazon #1 bestseller Stories That F*cking Matter.
Know what you're agreeing to.
Is the initial six months free?
Not necessarily. Before day one, the participation agreement spells out any fees, costs and commitments. Being able to walk away doesn't mean it costs nothing, and you'll know the number up front.
Do I get cash when we merge?
Usually not, and that's not where the big payday is. You trade ownership in your business for ownership in the combined company, and the group's cash goes into growth. In special cases, some cash may go toward settling debt so you merge on clean terms. The real payday comes when the group sells.
Will I keep earning while we build?
Yes, you keep running your agency, and founder pay is part of the plan. Your salary, any distributions and what gets reinvested are spelled out in your proposal before you merge.
What happens to my brand and control?
The group runs under one parent company and brand. How your brand fits, your role and your decision rights are set in the merger terms, and you review them before you commit. Founders help steer the group.
How does Northfuse get paid?
We hold equity in each group, so we get paid when you do. Your proposal shows our equity, any fees and how sale proceeds are split, before you sign anything.
What if the group doesn't sell?
A sale, a higher price and a bigger payout aren't guaranteed. Before you merge, you'll see how the company is run, how big decisions get made and what happens if an exit takes longer or doesn't happen.
Let's talk about your exit.
Tell us about your agency and what you'd want out of an exit. A partner reads every note and gets back to you within two business days.
You'll leave the first conversation knowing what this is, whether your agency could fit and what you'd need to see next.
No pitch deck. Just a conversation between founders.