A 20-person Boston advertising shop called Colossus has been scooped up by Chemistry, a much larger marketing firm backed by Los Angeles private equity money, marking Chemistry's first-ever foothold in the Boston market. The deal brings together a scrappy local creative outfit known for its Kendall Square rebrand and its string of Ad Age awards with a national agency whose client list includes Coca-Cola, Netflix, and the NFL.
Colossus was sold by its three co-founders, Jonathan Balck, Greg Almeida, and Travis Robertson, as reported by The Boston Globe. All three are expected to stay on with the combined business and will retain some equity going forward. Balck, who serves as a co-founder and managing director at Colossus, told the Globe that the agency's founders had not intended to sell so soon after launching the firm in 2019.
Balck said Chemistry's culture and approach appealed to Colossus's founders more than what a major ad holding company could offer. He also pointed to a structural problem common among small agencies: at 20 to 25 people, a firm faces increased difficulty and often lacks the people and capabilities it needs to get the work done, according to the Globe's reporting.
From Pandemic Growth Spurt to National Buyer
Colossus grew rapidly in the early days of the pandemic, building campaigns for wine seller Archer Roose and restaurant software firm Toast, per the Globe. In the year before the sale, the agency kept expanding its roster, landing creative and design work for Adobe Acrobat, Wellness Pet Company, Astound Broadband, and Kayem, according to PR Newswire.
That commercial momentum came alongside recognition from the advertising industry's own trade press. Colossus earned Ad Age Small Agency of the Year honors three years running, taking the Design category in 2024, B2B in 2025, and Healthcare in 2026, the same PR Newswire release notes. The agency also won a New England Emmy for a short film about autism made on behalf of the New England Center for Children in Southborough, a project that featured former Daily Show host Jon Stewart to raise awareness for autism education, according to the same report.
The Kendall Square Rebrand and a Campaign Clunker
Among Colossus's most visible local projects was a new visual brand identity and design system it built for the Kendall Square Association in late 2025. The association's members include Cambridge tech and life sciences leaders such as Moderna, Google, Microsoft, and MIT, as reported by MarComm News. The agency also worked with Kayem and the Museum of Fine Arts on a campaign digitally inserting Kayem hot dogs into famous historical American paintings to mark the United States' 250th anniversary, per the Globe.
Not every campaign landed so well. The Globe's reporting describes Colossus's launch campaign for Boston Legacy FC as a clunker. The rollout, built around a controversial “Too Many Balls” advertisement for the team then known as BOS Nation FC, sparked public backlash in October 2024 before the franchise pulled the billboards and social posts within 24 hours and rebranded, according to BU Today. Fans and players criticized the rollout video at the time for focusing on men's sports teams rather than the new women's soccer club itself.
Chemistry's Private Equity Backing Fuels Expansion
The acquisition is Chemistry's first since Breakwater Management invested in the business in 2025. The Los Angeles-based private equity firm acquired a majority stake in Chemistry that May alongside capital partners Genesis Park and Tecum Capital to fund the agency's growth and acquisition strategy, according to Breakwater Management.
Chemistry's broader business now has about 200 people and offices in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, New York, and Miami, the Globe reports. The deal makes Boston its fifth U.S. regional hub. Its national client roster includes Coca-Cola, Netflix, the NFL, and Five Guys, with capabilities that stretch across media planning, public relations, and web development, the Breakwater release states. Chemistry was also named an Ad Age A-List Standout in 2026 after ranking sixth on the national Ad Age A-List in 2023, per PR Newswire.
What Comes Next for Colossus in Boston
Balck said he saw a need for a stronger local alternative, noting that brands had worked with agencies based elsewhere, according to the Globe.
Balck told the Globe that Colossus aims to expand in Boston and offer local brands a stronger choice. Tracxn has described broader consolidation in the agency sector and the development of hybrid service models.
