Business Insider · 28 Oct, 11:05 · Business briefing

AKQA's former chief creative officers are launching a new agency. Their pitch: Pay us in equity.

Former chief creative officers from the advertising agency AKQA are establishing a new firm with an unconventional compensation model.

What it means for you ↓ Courses for this story

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The briefing

The story
in brief.

What happened, who it affects, and why it landed on our intelligence desk — in plain English, sixty seconds or less.

Former chief creative officers from the advertising agency AKQA are establishing a new firm with an unconventional compensation model. Rather than demanding standard cash retainers, the founders propose accepting equity stakes in client companies as payment. This approach aligns the agency’s financial success directly with that of its clients, effectively transforming the traditional service-provider relationship into a partnership based on shared ownership and long-term value creation. The move challenges conventional agency economics, suggesting a shift towards risk-sharing collaborations in the creative industry.

Employer demand for Financial Modeling skills — indexed growth since 2019
Indicative index of skill mentions in professional job postings for the field this story moves (2019 = 1)

Your move

What this means
for your career.

Every headline redistributes opportunity. Here is who this one rewards — and how to be on the right side of it.

This shift signals that strategic alignment and equity negotiation skills are becoming premium assets. You must understand how to value intellectual capital and negotiate non-cash compensation packages. Creative leaders and entrepreneurs should study this model to assess whether equity-for-service deals suit their growth stage. To prepare, deepen your knowledge of financial modelling and corporate governance. Learn to articulate how creative output drives measurable business value, enabling you to justify equity stakes. If you are a freelancer or consultant, develop the confidence to propose performance-based or equity-linked contracts. This requires a robust grasp of startup finance and valuation methods. Ultimately, you need to position yourself as a strategic partner, not just a vendor, ensuring your contributions directly impact the company’s long-term market value.

For this story, the fields that convert it into pay are Financial Modeling, Business And Management, Innovation and Leadership and Strategic Marketing — exactly the programmes matched below. The chart shows the indicative salary uplift certified professionals report in each of those fields; every one of them is a click away, from £79, finishing in as few as 20 days.

Indicative salary uplift in the fields matched to this story
Indicative ranges from published continuing-education salary studies, by field — each field is a recommended course below

Matched to this story

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