WTF acquires creative agency BTG in Nikhil Kamath’s second big buy

MUMBAI: Nikhil Kamath is on a shopping spree in India’s creative economy, and he has just bagged his second trophy. WTF, the media and venture platform founded by Kamath, has acquired By The Gram, better known as BTG, the independent creative agency built from scratch by founders Aaliya Amrin, Eman Batliwalla and Danisha Kohli. Khimani & Associates advised BTG and its founders on the deal.

Eight years in the making and built without a rupee of institutional backing, BTG steps into its next chapter while holding onto exactly what made it work: its independence and its creative leadership. The agency will keep operating under its existing founders, with its creative practice, team and client relationships staying fully intact.

What changes is the firepower behind it. BTG now gets access to fresh capital and operational muscle to scale its capabilities, backing that comes with a client roster that already reads like a wish list: Netflix, Prime Video, IKEA, Volkswagen, Bumble, Soho House, Marriott and Nykaa, spanning luxury, beauty, hospitality, entertainment, technology and consumer brands.

The deal is WTF’s second move into the independent creative agency space, following its earlier acquisition of One Hand Clap, and slots neatly into Kamath’s wider strategy: building a stable of founder led, culture first creative businesses across India.

The transaction was led by Priyanka Khimani, founder of Khimani & Associates, alongside Mohak Kapoor, a senior member of the firm’s M&A practice, and supported by senior associate Surbhi Gupta and associate Saniya Gandotra.

Two acquisitions in, and Kamath’s creative portfolio is starting to look less like a side bet and more like a serious new front, one that is putting founder led Indian creativity firmly on the map.