Harper + Scott, a leading creative agency that creates bespoke branded merchandise for brands such as Sephora, L’Oreal, Nike, Carnival, Diageo and COTY, is excited to announce the closing of its first investment round with participation from Rotor Capital Partners, Summerfield Capital Management and former Coach CEO, Lew Frankfort. The investment puts the agency at a valuation of approximately $50M. In addition to the funding infusion, Harper + Scott has added John Howard of Rotor Capital Partners, Noah Rabinsky of Summerfield Capital Management, and K5 Global Founder Michael Kives to its Board of Directors to help drive expansion into media, entertainment and technology while deepening the agency’s connection in the retail sector.
The agency, founded in 2014 by Michael Scott Cohen and Jon Alagem, designs, manufactures and reimagines never-before-seen, innovative branded merchandise, employee gifts, gifts-with-purchase, influencer-marketing and original retail products.
“We are looking forward to partnering with Michael, Jon and the Harper + Scott team. They have built a differentiated business in the branded merchandise space by proving there is a lot more to branded merchandise than traditional corporate gifting. There are many applications to their partnership-oriented, insights-driven consultative approach to merchandising and they have only scratched the surface of the opportunity,” said John Howard of Rotor Capital Partners.
“We are extremely excited to partner with Rotor, Summerfield and their strategic limited partners at this important time in Harper + Scott’s lifecycle. With their partnership we will be able to take our company to new heights, domestically and abroad, to build the company of the future in our industry,” said Jon Alagem, president, Harper + Scott.
Most recently, Harper + Scott designed and produced all of Compass real estate’s branded merchandise, as well as built an internal web store utilized by more than 14,000 of its agents. Sally Hansen tapped Harper + Scott to design and produce an influencer mailer for its Sally Hansen x Jelly Belly collaboration. And for Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar, the team created original illustrations and copy that seamlessly integrated into the Milk Bar brand with a keen focus on creativity, quick turnaround times and complete transparency.
“The world of branded merchandise has been asleep for many years and in just five years we have proven that by focusing on creativity and innovation, branded merchandise can be even more important to a company’s marketing and retail strategies than digital and print advertisements,” said Michael Scott Cohen, CEO, Harper + Scott. “We are excited about what’s still to come over the next five years as we continue to invest in talent, technology and in our incredible clients.”
