Development Agency 10up Acquires Brainstorm Media

Web development Agency 10up has announced they have acquired Brainstorm Media for an undisclosed amount. Brainstorm Media, also a WordPress development agency, was a staff of eight led by Paul Clark and Taylor Aldridge. The entire team will join 10up at the start of 2014, adding to its development capacity and strengthening the creative design arm of the company. This brings the total number of full time 10up employees to 50.

While Brainstorm Media may not be familiar to you, they’ve been developing websites on top of WordPress for years. Brainstorm’s team has worked with a number of high profile clients such as Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals and the Wall Street Journal. A few months ago, Sarah Gooding profiled a plugin created by Paul Clark called Github Plugin Search that enables users to access and install WordPress plugins directly from your dashboard.

However, Paul is most widely known throughout the WordPress community for his presentation on how WordPress Saves Lives and Moves Governments. I’ve been told by those who have attended his sessions that he always receives a standing ovation.

This acquisition is similar to the one we reported on in the middle of November when VeloMedia acquired Crowd Favorite. When I spoke with Jake Goldman, President of 10up, and asked him why they acquired the company, he replied:

I’ve been impressed with Brainstorm since Paul, Taylor, and I met at WordCamp LA more than 2 years ago. Paul is a very unique mix of skilled software engineer, smart business leader, and inspiring speaker. Taylor’s gravitas and depth – more than two decades worth – when it comes to design is very apparent, and I’m inspired by his genuine values. Our teams share common values around contribution, quality, and work ethic, and our capacity to effectively collaborate was validated with a trial engagement. Everyone at 10up feels very lucky and excited to be joining forces with this team.

WordPress Has A Healthy Ecosystem

This acquisition is a sign that the WordPress community as a whole is maturing. WordPress companies acquiring other WordPress companies is a signal that the WordPress ecosystem is healthy. Within the next 2-4 years, I think these acquisitions will be common place. The ecosystem is filled with WordPress development agencies that are one to ten person operations. Any of these development agencies that become mildly successful will most likely become an acquisition of talent more than anything else.

Watch Paul Clark’s WordCamp Presentation