R/GA has made its first acquisition in its nearly 50 year history: AI system design studio Addition.
The deal comes less than a year after R/GA was sold by IPG and to a group of its leaders, with majority backing from private equity firm Truelink Capital. Terms were not disclosed.
It was funded by R/GA’s Innovation Fund, launched in March 2025 with $50 million to support talent investments, product development, partnerships, and acquisitions.
Global CEO Robin Forbes described the acquisition as “a long-term strategic investment,” which the agency is now able to make as “a distinct advantage of our independence” after being sold from IPG.
“As R/GA continues to embrace new technology in service of creativity, we believe AI presents perhaps the most potent opportunity yet,” Forbes told ADWEEK. “Addition, built from the ground up as an AI system design and development studio, slots perfectly into this vision.”
Founded in 2021 by Paul Aaron and Rick Barber, Addition has worked with clients including Google, Amazon, NBCU, Unilever, Prudential, and The New York Times.
Addition’s 12-person team, as well as its network of AI experts, will join R/GA, but the company will retain its brand. Forbes said Addition will continue to go to market with its independent offering while also lending its capabilities to R/GA more broadly.
“This allows Addition to retain a level of independence, enables them to continue to service their core clients as normal, and allows them to collaborate on R/GA client work,” he explained.
Aaron and Barber will join R/GA’s global executive management team, reporting to Forbes and working alongside chair and global chief creative officer Tiffany Rolfe, chief technology officer Nick Coronges, and chief strategy officer Melissa Jackson Parsey.
“Joining R/GA represents an opportunity for us to embed our approach to AI within a truly global and innovative company,” Aaron said in a statement shared with ADWEEK. “R/GA’s creative culture, history of innovation, and ambition to lead the intelligence age makes this the perfect partnership. We’ve always wanted to shape the future of brands and this acquisition will enable us to do so on a much larger scale.”
Forbes said the deal is part of a larger strategy to deepen R/GA’s AI capabilities, positioning the agency to design custom systems and tools for clients.
“While R/GA has strong AI strategy and product capabilities, Addition brings a very specialized, deep expertise in AI system design and development,” he said. “They give clients access to new, brilliant minds who are at the forefront of AI innovation, which is a rare talent pool.”
R/GA and Addition already share clients, including Google, and have worked together on previous projects and pitches. The two companies have already began integrating their operations.