Key Takeaways
- • Chemistry, a private-equity-backed agency, acquired Boston creative agency Colossus, a 20-person firm, marking Chemistry's entry into the Boston market.
- • Colossus co-founders Jonathan Balck, Greg Almeida, and Travis Robertson sold the firm and are expected to remain with the business and hold equity in the combined company.
- • Chemistry is backed by Breakwater Management, which invested in the business last year; the Colossus deal is Chemistry's first acquisition since that investment.
- • The combined business now has about 200 people across offices in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, New York, Miami, and Boston.
- • Balck says the deal will support Colossus's push to win Boston's consumer brands, many of which have moved their ad work out of state or in-house.
Summary
Chemistry, an advertising agency backed by private equity, has acquired Boston-based creative agency Colossus, according to the Boston Globe. Co-founders Jonathan Balck, Greg Almeida, and Travis Robertson sold the 20-person firm to Chemistry, and all three are expected to stay on and hold equity in the larger business. Balck said the founders had not planned to sell so soon after launching Colossus in 2019, but found Chemistry's culture and approach more appealing than what they would have encountered at a major ad holding company. He said that at 20 to 25 people, agencies struggle to staff work and offer full capabilities, and that Chemistry's scale solved that problem.
Chemistry is backed by Breakwater Management, which invested in the business last year. One trade publication's publisher context describes Chemistry as having taken a majority private equity investment in 2025, with 185 employees and $40 million in annual revenue, and reports that Colossus had 20 employees and $6 million to $7 million in annual revenue. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Chemistry's other offices are in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, New York, and Miami, and with Colossus the company now has about 200 people. Balck noted that many of Chemistry's leaders came through its acquisitions, which he said reflects the company's culture.
Colossus built its profile during the early pandemic with campaigns for clients including wine seller Archer Roose and restaurant software firm Toast, as well as a campaign for the Boston Legacy FC soccer team. This year, the agency worked with Kayem and the Museum of Fine Arts on a project that digitally placed Kayem hot dogs into famous historical American paintings to mark the country's 250th anniversary. Colossus also won a New England Emmy for a short film on autism made for the New England Center for Children in Southborough.
Balck said backing from Chemistry and Breakwater will help the team pursue Boston's established consumer brands, many of which have shifted ad work out of state or in-house in recent years. "The idea is to expand here," he said. "Let's give the brands here a harder choice." The deal was reported in the Boston Globe's weekly Bold Types column on Boston's business scene.
Chemistry is backed by Breakwater Management, which invested in the business last year. One trade publication's publisher context describes Chemistry as having taken a majority private equity investment in 2025, with 185 employees and $40 million in annual revenue, and reports that Colossus had 20 employees and $6 million to $7 million in annual revenue. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Chemistry's other offices are in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, New York, and Miami, and with Colossus the company now has about 200 people. Balck noted that many of Chemistry's leaders came through its acquisitions, which he said reflects the company's culture.
Colossus built its profile during the early pandemic with campaigns for clients including wine seller Archer Roose and restaurant software firm Toast, as well as a campaign for the Boston Legacy FC soccer team. This year, the agency worked with Kayem and the Museum of Fine Arts on a project that digitally placed Kayem hot dogs into famous historical American paintings to mark the country's 250th anniversary. Colossus also won a New England Emmy for a short film on autism made for the New England Center for Children in Southborough.
Balck said backing from Chemistry and Breakwater will help the team pursue Boston's established consumer brands, many of which have shifted ad work out of state or in-house in recent years. "The idea is to expand here," he said. "Let's give the brands here a harder choice." The deal was reported in the Boston Globe's weekly Bold Types column on Boston's business scene.
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