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Fuel growth without losing control

Founder-First Capital for Agencies

We’re built for founders who want to scale on their terms. Whether you’re a profitable agency ready to accelerate or a startup building something game-changing, we provide flexible funding paired with operational expertise. 

This isn’t about dictating how you run your business. It’s about giving you the firepower to hire senior talent, expand into new markets, invest in technology, or prepare for an exit, while your control stays intact.
A Team Meeting, People Smiling
A Team Meeting, People Smiling

How We Invest

We back two types of founders:
Profitable agencies ready to accelerate
Independent shops where growth feels slower than it should, and you need capital + expertise to push ahead.
Tech-enabled startups
The Agency Growth Pad is designed as a flexible way for ambitious agencies to work with us, without the full commitment of membership.
Our typical ticket size ranges from five-figure injections to multi-million growth capital. Where traditional PE takes 60%+ and installs their team, we take minority stakes and scale yours. Day-to-day stays yours. We’re firepower, not bureaucracy.
Book a Confidential Call
Book a Confidential Call

Profitable Agencies: Scale faster without selling out

If you’re already profitable but growth feels slower than it should, this is for you. We back agencies with capital and expertise to:
Hire ahead of revenue
Bring in senior leaders before cash flow supports it
Invest in technology
From automation to AI integration, lifting margins and defensibility.
Expand into new markets
Launch new services or geographies with confidence.
Prepare for exit
Build infrastructure buyers pay premiums for.
Unlike traditional investors, we don’t want control. We partner for scale, with valuation always in mind.
A Team Meeting, People Smiling

Early-Stage Ventures: Backing the future of tech-enabled agencies

For startups with something special, we selectively form joint ventures. We look for founders building technology-enabled agencies or SaaS tools that serve the marketing ecosystem.

Think:
Bring in senior leaders before cash flow supports it
Platforms enhancing human creativity instead of replacing it.
Tools that solve real bottlenecks for agencies and brands.
Examples we’re already backing:
OnlyScience
Agentic AI tools designed to supercharge agency data research.
A Team Meeting, People Smiling

Why Founders Choose Unusual Capital

Others want control. We take minority stakes
Others add bureaucracy. We add infrastructure and networks
Others think about exit last. We design for valuation from day one

How We Decide

We keep it simple. You’re likely a fit if:
You’re ambitious and serious about scaling.
You want to grow without giving up control.
Your business strengthens or complements the UG ecosystem.
For early-stage founders: we’ll consider joint ventures where your technology or model is a clear multiplier for agencies or creative-led businesses.
We may occasionally take larger minority positions to accelerate scale and integrate you into the Unusual ecosystem. Even here, the principle is the same: we inject capital and expertise, but founders stay in control of their vision and direction.
A Team Meeting, People Smiling

Reality Check: Why Capital Alone Doesn’t Scale

In the last decade, 70% of agency roll-ups failed, not for lack of capital, but because they lacked infrastructure. Capital without systems is fuel poured on sand.
Hire too late? Competitors eat your pipeline.
Chase growth without infrastructure? Margins collapse.
Take the wrong capital? You lose control of your agency.
Capital is only the spark. Infrastructure is the multiplier. Without both, growth doesn’t scale, it stalls.
Book a Confidential Call
Book a Confidential Call
three ways to Use Capital

Use the Capital For

Capital is the spark, but infrastructure is the multiplier. We give you both.

Freedom

Stop self-funding growth and regain headspace. Bring in senior leaders ahead of revenue so you’re not carrying the weight alone.

Firepower

Scale faster than competitors and win bigger mandates. Invest in automation and AI transformation, expand into new markets or service lines, and acquire complementary capabilities.

Future Value

Every pound compounds into higher multiples at exit. Structure growth in a way that strengthens margins, builds resilience, and multiplies valuation.

Founder Story

We backed an agency with six-figure capital so they could hire ahead of revenue. Within 12 months, revenue doubled, churn halved, and they unlocked new markets. We’ve seen this pattern again and again: when capital is paired with infrastructure, valuations compound.

The Bigger Picture

The biggest multiple gap in today’s market isn’t creativity, it’s technology. Agencies with embedded tech now trade at 10-15x EBITDA, compared to just 5x for traditional shops.

By 2026, the valuation gap won’t just be about multiples. Service shops will be priced as irrelevant; platforms will be priced as inevitable.

Investors are rewarding agencies that run like SaaS platforms but deliver creative services: scalable, defensible, and founder-led. That’s the future Unusual backs.

Ready to Explore Capital with Unusual?

From first conversation to funding can be as quick as 4–8 weeks, depending on complexity.

Whether you’re scaling a profitable agency or shaping a tech-enabled startup, the right capital can change your trajectory. Our role is to help you find the structure that accelerates growth without forcing compromise.

“Capital doesn’t change your trajectory. The wrong capital traps you in it. The right capital multiplies it.”

Luke Tobin

Luke Tobin

Chief Executive Officer

A Team Meeting, People Smiling

Book a confidential call

No decks. No posturing. Just a straight conversation about growth on your terms. Not ready for funding but want to explore? Start with a confidential chat. Because the wrong capital clips your wings. The right capital multiplies them, while you stay in the driver’s seat.

Book a Confidential Call
Book a Confidential Call

"Unusual's approach isn't just advisory - it's partnership from those who've actually built & exited."

Steve O'Brien

Steve O'Brien

Founder, Woya Digital