CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA (Sept. 8, 2022) – Falfurrias Capital Partners today announced it has made a platform investment in Said Differently, a global marketing agency that assembles integrated teams of specialists strategically sourced to meet and exceed specific client goals. Terms were not disclosed.
The deal is the fourth investment from Falfurrias’ $850 million Fund V. It’s the first investment by the Charlotte-based private equity firm in support of its “Future of Work” thesis, which aims to identify and grow companies poised to capitalize on dramatic changes taking place in how work gets done.
As part of the investment, Falfurrias’ Alexander Jutkowitz will join Said Differently as Executive Chairman. Jutkowitz has been an Executive in Residence for four years at Falfurrias, where he has been actively involved with the firm’s investments across marketing, media and information services including My Code, Ballast Research and Industry Dive.
“The Covid pandemic opened a lot of people’s eyes to how technology can turn the traditional employment model upside down,” said Jutkowitz. “Said Differently has completely revolutionized the traditional agency model by amassing a collection of global talent that would rival any agency, and I know Falfurrias is excited for them to be the launching pad for additional investments in similarly innovative companies.”
Said Differently was founded in 2020 before the start of the pandemic by Rachel Barek and Brian Skahan, both former managing directors at leading global marketing agencies. The company operates virtually, with Barek based in Washington, D.C., Skahan living in Florida, and the rest of its employee base spread around the globe. The true measure of Said Differently’s capabilities, however, is its proprietary network of more than 3,000 specialist studios, freelance designers, programmers, strategists and other marketing experts worldwide, up to 300 of whom may be engaged in client assignments at any given time.
“The traditional professional services model is outdated,” Barek and Skahan said in a joint statement. “Clients are in dire need of a lean and modern solution to manage the complexities of today’s market, customized to their changing needs. We built Said Differently as the interface between clients and a world of talent that has already shifted to a new way of working. We are set up to solve the challenges our clients will face over the next decade and beyond, and we’re eager to partner with Falfurrias on the next stage of this journey.”
“We began looking at opportunities around the ‘Future of Work’ in April 2020, shortly after Covid began disrupting so many businesses,” said Falfurrias Partner Geordie Pierson. “There’s a lot of innovation out there, especially among B2B service providers, and we found Said Differently to be one of the most successful in completely transforming the delivery of world-class capabilities. We see a lot of potential to build off what they’ve accomplished, and we’re thrilled to have Brian and Rachel at the forefront of our efforts in this area.”
Alston & Bird served as Said Differently’s legal counsel, and K&L Gates served as legal advisors to Falfurrias Capital Partners on the transaction.
About Said Differently
Reinventing the outdated “agency model,” Said Differently offers an untraditional global approach to strategic consulting, design and development services that garner award-winning campaigns, products and platforms for the most innovative companies in the world, from nonprofits to VC-backed start-ups to Fortune 500 brands. Launched in 2020 with founders based in Miami and Washington, D.C., Said Differently’s network of over 3,000 specialists are geographically distributed across the globe to service a range of clients across industry verticals, time zones and languages. For more information, visit saiddifferently.com.
About Falfurrias Capital Partners
Falfurrias Capital Partners is a Charlotte-based private equity investment firm founded in 2006 by Hugh McColl Jr., former chairman and CEO of Bank of America; Marc Oken, former CFO of Bank of America; and Managing Partner Ed McMahan. The firm has raised more than $1.9 billion across five funds and invests in growing, middle-market businesses in sectors where the firm’s operational resources, relationships and sector expertise can be employed to complement portfolio company executive teams in support of growth objectives. Falfurrias Capital Partners employs a proprietary, research-based process called “Industry First” to identify markets with durable growth trends, construct a thesis based on research findings, and partner with management teams to create strategic value. For more information, visit www.falfurriascapital.com.
Media Contacts:
Barry Finkelstein for Falfurrias Capital Partners, bfinkelstein@luquire.com
Alexis Roberts for Said Differently, alexis@purposenorthamerica.com