NEWBURYPORT, MA: Matter Communications has acquired Calypso, a Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based PR, marketing and branding agency.
Calypso works with clients in the finance, healthcare and energy industries, among others.
Discussions between the two firms began in Q4 2019, and the deal was finalized on Friday, said Matter founder and CEO Scott Signore. He declined to disclose financial terms.
“In some respects, it happened relatively quickly. When you’re making an acquisition like this, once you collectively see the finish line, most parties would say it seems to drag, but we hit it off professionally very, very well. The principals are exceptional professionals and great to work with in the process,” Signore said. “Because the fit was so authentic and perfect, it really made the process move a lot more briskly.”
Including Calypso, Matter’s annual revenue is more than $25 million, Signore said. Matter’s revenue increased by 28% in 2018 to $19.7 million, according to PRWeek’s Agency Business Report.
Signore added that the Calypso brand “will fade away and that will become the seventh fully Matter-branded and operated office in the U.S.” Calypso founder Kevin Stickney will be a senior adviser at Matter, and managing partner Houssam Aboukhater will leave the firm after a transition period, he added. Calypso’s 10 employees will retain their jobs as Matter staff.
Signore said that adding a firm located north of Matter’s Newburyport, Massachusetts, base will allow it to attract talent from new regions, even the Portland, Maine, area.
“The sea coast area in New Hampshire that’s anchored by Portsmouth is a vibrant area for business,” he added. “There are a lot of early-stage tech companies as well as established businesses.”
