Your Next Customer Might Not Be Human.
We build marketing infrastructure for the agent era.
The Hybrid Model
That Changes Everything
Neural Partners operates as a hybrid AI-powered marketing technology company combining proprietary infrastructure development with full-service marketing agency capabilities.
This structural integration—rare in a market where 73% premium valuations attach specifically to technology-services convergence—positions the company at the intersection of three converging opportunities:
of ad spend algorithmically managed by 2027
AI marketing technology expansion
emerging agentic commerce ecosystem
Neural Core
The proprietary technology infrastructure—an AI-powered marketing operating system built on AWS cloud architecture with deep Anthropic integration. Unified data architecture, AI-powered automation, real-time intelligence, and scalable campaign orchestration.
Neural Labs
Human-powered service excellence across four core areas: Digital Experience & Infrastructure, Strategy & Creative Intelligence, Growth & Performance Media, and Organic & Earned Experiences. AI augments specialist expertise through rapid experimentation.
The Intentional Hybrid
The hybrid model is not accidental. SaaS businesses command 6-7x revenue multiples with 70-90% gross margins, while agencies typically trade at 1-2x revenue with 20-30% margins. The structural rarity of successful integration creates defensible positioning.
Validation: Publicis Groupe's 73% valuation premium over WPP traces specifically to the Epsilon technology integration.
The Trillion-Dollar Market &
Algorithmic Transformation
The advertising industry stands at an inflection point where 79% of all ad spend will be algorithmically managed by 2027, creating a structural window for hybrid technology-plus-services companies.
Global Ad Spend 2025
U.S. Market Size
Digital Share of Spend
Algorithmically Managed by 2027
The Algorithmic Era
Dentsu Global Ad Spend Forecast, December 2025
"By 2026, 71.6% of all advertising spend is expected to be algorithmic—rising to 76% by 2028—as generative and agentic AI become embedded in media workflows."
Critical Warning from Dentsu: Companies may deploy "too many isolated agents" creating fragmentation and inefficiencies. This plays directly into Neural Partners' integrated infrastructure thesis—unified AI systems versus bolted-on point solutions.
Search/Intelligence
Social Media
Retail Media
Video/CTV
Agentic Commerce
US B2C retail orchestrated by AI agents by 2030
McKinseyGlobal agentic commerce by 2030
McKinseyTraffic growth from AI agents to retail sites (9 months)
Human SecurityYoY increase in traffic from GenAI browsers to US retail
AdobeGartner AI Agent Enterprise Adoption
- By end of 2026: 40% of enterprise apps will integrate AI agents (up from <5% in 2025)
- By 2028: 15% of day-to-day work decisions made autonomously by agentic AI
- Current state: 24% of CIOs deployed AI agents, 50% researching
- Risk factor: 40%+ of agentic AI projects will be canceled by end of 2027
The Hybrid Advantage
Is Real
The marketing industry maintains a fundamental structural divide between agencies (services) and technology platforms (products). This separation creates strategic opportunity for companies that can authentically integrate both.
SaaS Businesses
Recurring ARR with 90%+ renewal rates
Traditional Agencies
Project-based with potential 50%+ churn
Publicis Groupe
1.9x EV/Revenue vs 1.1x for WPP
Premium directly attributable to Epsilon technology integration
Epsilon acquired for $4.4B at 8.2x EBITDA (2019)
Embedded across 50%+ of top 30 accounts
Holding Company Tech Acquisitions
Key Insight: Consulting firms explicitly avoid certain agency functions. Accenture Song's CEO stated they avoid media buying: "We don't want to be a commission business, we want to be a strategic partner." This creates defensible positioning for companies combining technology with full-funnel execution.
The AI Marketing Platform
Landscape Is Consolidating
Among US-based companies combining AI/data capabilities with marketing services, four of six major players have been acquired since 2021—signaling both validation of the category and the challenges of remaining independent at sub-scale.
AI Marketing Platforms
Cognitiv AI
Founded 2015, New York
- 161 employees, ~$15M revenue
- Deep learning advertising platform
- Client growth: 7.5X (2023)
- 2,500x more data than typical ML
Persado
Founded 2012
- $24M revenue, $200M valuation
- AI-generated marketing language
- 96% outperform rate vs human copy
- JPMorgan Chase five-year deal
Scibids
Acquired by DoubleVerify, 2023
- $125M acquisition
- 7.4-8.3x revenue multiple
- AI bidding optimization
- ~70 employees
Albert.ai
Acquired by Zoomd, 2022
- Autonomous marketing AI
- Cash + stock + earnout
Pattern89
Acquired by Shutterstock, 2021
- Part of $35M three-company AI acquisition
- Predictive creative capabilities
Boutique Tech-Forward Agencies
NoGood
Founded 2016, New York
- 56-59 employees, $3.8M revenue
- "Growth squads" model
- Goodie AI platform (AEO)
- Nike, TikTok, Microsoft clients
HawkSEM
Founded 2006, Los Angeles
- 80-85 employees, ~$15M revenue
- ConversionIQ platform
- Google Premier Partner (top 3%)
- 98% client retention
Keenfolks
Founded 2018, Barcelona
- 100+ employees, ~$4M revenue
- Patented "Integrative AI"
- Coca-Cola, Nestlé, J&J clients
- Digiday Innovation Agency of Year
Aspirational Competitors: Lessons
Monks (S4 Capital)
Founded by Sir Martin Sorrell in 2018 to build a digitally-native alternative to holding companies. The "unitary structure" concept proved difficult to execute through rapid acquisitions. Nearly 50% revenue concentration in tech sector clients who cut marketing budgets for AI capex.
DEPT Agency
Backed by The Carlyle Group. 50% technology services, 50% marketing services—true hybrid positioning. First global agency to achieve B Corp certification. Webby Agency of the Year three consecutive years. 15+ strategic acquisitions executed.
M&A Valuation Frameworks
Key transaction: Zeta Global acquired LiveIntent for $250M + $75M earnout (16x adjusted EBITDA) — demonstrating premium valuations for technology-enabled companies.
The Infrastructure
Ecosystem
Strategic capability expansion through key infrastructure partnerships.
Fluency
The Automation Backbone
First Digital Advertising Operating System (DAOS) utilizing robotic process automation. Founded by former Dealer.com executives (sold for $1B+ in 2014).
Human Security
The Trust and Validation Layer
Market leader in bot detection and digital fraud prevention. Formerly White Ops. Acquired by Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking (Dec 2020).
Anthropic
The Intelligence Engine
Frontier AI capability partner. No advertising plans—fundamentally different from ad-supported AI competitors. 85% API / 15% subscription revenue mix.
Strategic: Deloitte partnership (470,000 employees), Snowflake partnership ($200M multi-year)
Built by Practitioners
Three friends who've worked together, trust each other, and know what breaks. We've collectively managed hundreds of millions in ad spend. We're not theorists.
Scott Blodgett
Co-Founder
- 15+ years building advertising technology and automation systems
- Managed $100M+ in ad spend across Meta, Google, and programmatic
- Architected Neural Core and 50+ custom AI tools
Andrew Lane
Co-Founder
- 16+ years driving growth for emerging technology companies
- Specializes in leveraging new tech for competitive advantage
- Content, social, and digital advertising strategist
Jarod Reynolds
Co-Founder
- 16+ years running performance campaigns for startups to Fortune 500
- Deep expertise in retail, automotive, cannabis, and regulated industries
- Client-side and agency-side leadership across full marketing stack
How This Report
Was Produced
This report was produced through Human + Machine collaboration—the same operational thesis Neural Partners brings to clients. The methodology itself serves as proof of concept.
Research Infrastructure
Executed using Neural Partners' proprietary MCP Server integrated with Claude Opus 4.5. The Neural MCP consistently outperformed on content richness, source diversity, and verification capability.
Verified-First Research
Every data point was extracted from fetched content before inclusion. URLs were confirmed. Figures were cross-referenced. Conflicting sources were flagged with ranges.
The Human Element
AI handled research velocity—500+ searches and tool uses, fetching and parsing sources. Human judgment directed synthesis: which frameworks mattered, which comparisons illuminated positioning.
Time Compression
A report of this depth would traditionally require 2-3 weeks of analyst time. Neural MCP infrastructure compressed that to hours while increasing source verification rigor.
This report demonstrates what Neural Partners delivers: intelligent research infrastructure that amplifies human expertise rather than replacing human judgment. The methodology scales.