About AKQA
AKQA is a Business Services company based in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) founded in 1994, and was acquired by WPP in June 2012. Integrated digital marketing campaigns are developed and executed across channels. It operates in the Business Services and Technology sectors. AKQA has raised $8.74 million across 1 funding round from investors including Francisco Partners, General Atlantic and WPP. The company has 100 employees. AKQA has completed 7 acquisitions, including AKQA Leap, DIS/PLAY and H-ART. Its website akqa.com draws about 153 thousand monthly visits. Its Indian entity Akqa Media India Private Limited reported revenue of βΉ39.47 Cr. AKQA offers products and services including Creative Campaigns and Digital Platforms. Its focus areas include Marketing Services, Full Service Marketing Agency, IT Services and Application Development.
Company details
AKQA was founded in 1994 as a provider of digital marketing and creative services. Operations are centered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with services including strategy formulation, creative development, and technological solutions. Integrated campaigns are executed across various digital platforms for clients in diverse industries. Artificial intelligence is incorporated to support service delivery and results measurement.
- Headquarters Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Employees 100
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsBusiness ServicesTechnology
- Website category Computers Electronics and Technology · Graphics Multimedia and Web Design
- Emailβ’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’
- Phoneβ’β’β’β’ β’β’β’β’
- Website akqa.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by WPP (Jun 2012)
- Legal Name Akqa Media India Private Limited
- Date of Incorporation 30 May, 2000
- Jurisdiction Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
- Indian entity revenue₹39.47 Cr
FY 2022 · +30% YoY
- Indian entity net profit₹1.84 Cr
FY 2022 · 5% margin
- Indian entity EBITDA₹3.78 Cr
FY 2022 · 10% margin
- Total Equity Funding$8.74M (USD)
in 1 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$8.74M (USD), Series A
Feb 2008
- InvestorsFrancisco Partners
& 2 more
- Employee Count100
- Investments & AcquisitionsAKQA Leap
& 6 more
- Acquired by
Associated legal entities of AKQA
AKQA operates through Akqa Media India Private Limited (active). Its filings, financials, charges and directors are on the company page.
| Legal entity | Status | Incorporated | Registered in | Revenue (FY 2022) | Employees | Directors | Company page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akqa Media India Private Limited CIN U74300MH2000PTC126852 | Active | 30 May 2000 | Mumbai, Maharashtra | ₹39.5 Cr | 100 | 3 | View details |
Products & Services of AKQA
AKQA offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Creative Campaigns and Digital Platforms.
Development of innovative marketing campaigns using AI
Creation of mobile apps and digital experiences for brands
Funding Insights of AKQA
AKQA has successfully raised a total of $8.74M through 1 strategic funding round. The most recent funding activity was a Series A round of $8.74 million completed in February 2008. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $8.74M
- Total Rounds 1
- Last Round Series A β $8.74M
- First Round $8.74M
(Feb 2008)
All 1 funding rounds of AKQA with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2008 | $8.74M | Series A | β | β | β |
3 investors in total: 3 institutional.
Investors in AKQA
AKQA has secured backing from 3 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Francisco Partners, General Atlantic and WPP.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Private equity fund focused on global markets | 1980 | generalatlantic.com | New York, United States | |
Private equity investment firm focused on technology sector | 1999 | franciscopartners.com | San Francisco, United States | |
Content marketing services are provided by WPP globally. | 1971 | wpp.com | London, United Kingdom |
Investor details for AKQA
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Board of directors of Akqa Media India Private Limited (AKQA)
Akqa Media India Private Limited is the primary company behind AKQA. The board of Akqa Media India Private Limited currently have 3 directors; the longest-serving is Kriti Makhija, appointed in 2014. 6 earlier directors have ceased.
| Director | Designation | Appointed | Tenure | Entity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kriti Makhija DIN 03617045 | Director | 29 Sep 2014 | 12 yrs 1 mo | Akqa Media India Private Limited |
| Anurag Vishweshwarprasad Bhatnagar DIN 06944519 | Whole-time director | 18 Sep 2015 | 11 yrs 1 mo | Akqa Media India Private Limited |
| Sheik Tausif Sajjad DIN 07999954 | Director | 04 Apr 2025 | 1 yr 6 mo | Akqa Media India Private Limited |
People of AKQA
36 people are tracked at AKQA (17 in leadership, 19 in team); the tracked headcount is 100.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Jon Holloway | Managing Director | Leadership |
Elsa Caceres | Head Of Client Services | Leadership |
Britney Drotleff | Associate Creative Director | Leadership |
Emi Cummins | Associate Creative Director | Leadership |
Ajaz Ahmed | CEO | Leadership |
Liz Swanson | Executive Business Director | Leadership |
Bianca Dordea | Joins AKQA In San Francisco As Client Partner | Leadership |
Hideaki Hara | AKQA Tokyo’s New General Manager | Leadership |
Nur El Shami | Chief Operating Officer, Grey New York | Leadership |
Jabari Hearn | North America Managing Partner | Leadership |
Aurelia Albrecht | Associate Design Director | Leadership |
Naomi James | Client Partner | Leadership |
Zeina Korek | Client Partner | Leadership |
Janine Johnston | Operations And Delivery Director | Leadership |
John Gordon | Group Creative Director | Leadership |
Nel Johnson | NZ Director, Experience Design | Leadership |
Flavia A. | Senior Account Director | Leadership |
Zhiyue Wang | Senior Product Designer | Team |
Laura Beretti | Mentoring Emerging Creatives | Team |
Richard Graham | Client Manager | Team |
16 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for AKQA
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Financials of AKQA
Figures of Akqa Media India Private Limited, the primary company behind AKQA, for FY 2022. Revenue was ₹39.47 Cr (+30% year on year). Net profit was ₹1.84 Cr (5% margin). EBITDA was ₹3.78 Cr (10% margin). Revenue has grown at a compounded annual rate of +16% over three years and +20% over five years.
- ₹39.47 CrRevenue · FY 2022 · +30% YoY
- ₹1.84 CrNet profit · 5% margin
- ₹3.78 CrEBITDA · 10% margin
- ₹1 LakhPaid-up capital
- 100Employees (provident fund records)
- +16%Revenue CAGR, 3 years
- +20%Revenue CAGR, 5 years
Balance sheet, profit and loss, cash flow and ratios of Akqa Media India Private Limited are on its company page.
Detailed financial statements for AKQA
Statement rows, ratios, five-year trends and downloadable financials of the group companies require an active premium plan.
- Statement rows
- Financial ratios
- Five-year trends
- Downloads
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Investments & Acquisitions by AKQA
AKQA has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 7 companies. Notable acquisitions include AKQA Leap, DIS/PLAY and H-ART.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Industrial design and consulting services are provided to clients. | mapprojectoffice.com | London, United Kingdom | 2012 | Jun 2018 | β’β’β’β’ | |
Architecture and interior design services are provided globally. | universaldesignstudio.com | London, United Kingdom | 2001 | Jun 2018 | β’β’β’β’ | |
Provider of innovation, strategy, user experience, design, and technical development solutions | dis-play.dk | Copenhagen, Denmark | 1995 | Aug 2017 | β’β’β’β’ | |
Union is recognized as an integrated marketing and communications agency. | union.co.uk | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | 1996 | Jun 2017 | β’β’β’β’ | |
Web application development services are provided to various clients. | p.ota.to | San Francisco, United States | 2011 | Mar 2016 | β’β’β’β’ | |
Bioinformatics, data analysis, and biotechnology services are provided to researchers. | h-art.com | Treviso, Italy | 2005 | Apr 2015 | β’β’β’β’ | |
Advertising and search engine marketing services are provided. | searchrev.com | Palo Alto, United States | 2007 | Aug 2007 | β’β’β’β’ |
Complete acquisition details for AKQA
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of AKQA
13 dated milestones of AKQA across 24 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded AKQA is founded.
- Exit Acquired by Francisco Partners.
- Exit Acquired by General Atlantic.
- Acquisition Acquires SearchRev.
- Funding First funding round of $8.7M.
- Exit Acquired by WPP.
- Acquisition Acquires H-ART.
- Acquisition Acquires AKQA Leap.
- Acquisition Acquires Union.
- Acquisition Acquires Display.
- Acquisition Acquires DIS/PLAY.
- Acquisition Acquires Map Project Office.
- Acquisition Acquires Universal Design Studio.
Web traffic of AKQA
The website of AKQA (akqa.com) receives about 153.5K visits a month and ranks #298,019 among all websites worldwide, #3,003 in Graphics Multimedia and Web Design.
- Monthly visits153.5K
▲ 17.8% vs previous month
- Unique visitors58.7K
per month
- Global rank#298,019
among all websites
- Category rank#3,003
Computers Electronics and Technology · Graphics Multimedia and Web Design
- Bounce rate41%
- Pages per visit2.3
- Average visit36 sec
- DevicesDesktop 40% Β· Mobile 60%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with AKQA. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| northkingdom.com | 100% | 6.4K | #3,467,381 | View details | |
barbariangroup.com | barbariangroup.com | 88% | #8,288,365 | β | |
| domanistudios.com | 80% | View details | |||
| unit9.com | 78% | 35.3K | #979,109 | View details | |
secondstory.com | secondstory.com | 76% | β | ||
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for AKQA
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 40 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Unlock complete access to The Company Check
Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track β from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.
- Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
- Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
- Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal
Related news about Akqa
Complete news archive for AKQA
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about AKQA
AKQA was founded in 1994 and raised its 1st funding round 14 years after it was founded.
AKQA is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
AKQA is a funded company, having raised a total of $8.74M across 1 funding round to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series A of $8.74M, raised on Feb 2008.
AKQA has 100 employees.
The primary company behind AKQA, Akqa Media India Private Limited, reported revenue of βΉ39.47 Cr for FY 2022, up 30% year on year.
AKQA was founded in 1994 as a provider of digital marketing and creative services. Operations are centered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with services including strategy formulation, creative development, and technological solutions. Integrated campaigns are executed across various digital platforms for clients in diverse industries. Artificial intelligence is incorporated to support service delivery and results measurement.
AKQA offers Creative Campaigns and Digital Platforms.
AKQA has 3 investors. Key investors include Francisco Partners, General Atlantic, and WPP.
AKQA operates through Akqa Media India Private Limited.
Yes. AKQA was acquired by WPP in June 2012.
The legal entities of AKQA currently have 3 directors, including Anurag Vishweshwarprasad Bhatnagar, Kriti Makhija, Sheik Tausif Sajjad.

