We Are Era Buys New Kith // Expands Influencer Services in Benelux
May 2, 2025 by Chris Erwin
RockWater Roundup
M&A analysis of the creator economy to make you a better operator and investor.
Today we discuss We Are Era’s acquisition of New Kith, a Benelux-based talent and influencer management company. We analyze the deal details, strategic rationale, and why ad agencies are expanding their social and influener capabilities.
Let’s break it down…
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–TARGET: New Kith–
Overview
- Influencer Management for Dutch and Belgian talents such as influencers, artists, models, and athletes
- Founded in 2017 by Twan Elfers and Danny Roumimper
- Offices in Amsterdam and Antwerp
- 19 associated members on LinkedIn
Business Lines
- 360 talent representation – contracts/invoices, campaign management, dealmaking, personal branding, product development
- Brand marketing services – campaign strategy and management, influencers selection, creative production
Talent Highlights
- Joshua Nolet – Frontman of Dutch band Chef’Special
- Lynn van den Broeck – Flemish TV and theatre actress. Best known for her role as “Viv” in the Belgian soap “Thuis”.
- Olga Leyers – Belgian Actress and TV/ radio host
Company Highlights
- Strong geographic coverage and capabilities in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg region (Benelux)
- Clients include Levi’s, Nivea, New Balance
Capital Markets History
- April 2025 – Acquired by We Are Era
–BUYER: We Are Era–
Overview
- European creator economy agency, offering content production, influencer marketing, and talent management
- Founded 2012 as Divimove by Brian Ruhe, Philipp Bernecker, and Sebastiaan van Dam; rebranded to We Are Era in 2021, led by Tobias Shiwek (CEO), Nancy Julius (COO) and Christoph von Schwerin (CFO)
- Headquartered in Berlin, 7 other European offices
- 184 associated members on LinkedIn
Corporate Ownership
- Fully owned by RTL Group, an entertainment and TV broadcasting company
- RTL Group is majority owned by Bertelsmann, a German media conglomerate
Company Highlights
- Represents 1,500 European talents across entertainment, beauty, lifestyle, etc
- Clients include Tinder, Ikea, TikTok, Adidas, and Chelsea FC
Business Lines
- 360 talent management – contract negotiation, brand partnerships, personal branding, and career development for influencers
- Brand marketing services – campaign strategy and management, influencer selection, creative production
- Content Production – develops and produces digital content, including branded series and original formats, for various platforms and broadcasters
Capital Markets History
- New Kith marks We Are Era’s 4th acquisition, and 3rd since 2024
| Company Name | Deal Date | Deal Type | Description |
| New Kith | Apr-25 | M&A | Influencer Management |
| Kings League | Feb-25 | Early Stage VC | Influencer Soccer League |
| Social Match | Nov-24 | M&A | Social Media Agency |
–DEAL DETAILS–
Overview
- Terms undisclosed
- Announced 4.15.25
Post Deal Ops
- Based on press quotes, founders are likely to stay on and drive continued growth
Strategic Rationale
- Merges New Kith’s talent roster with that of WAE
- Expands WAE’s capabilities in Benelux region
- New Kith to leverage WAE back-end services such as legal, finance, HR
- Helps advertisers access more localized / smaller communities amplified by WAE’s broader European market reach and insights
- WAE CFO: “We share the vision of building the leading talent agency in the Benelux region”
- Greater scalability and internationalization for New Kith talent
–WHAT ELSE I FIND INTERESTING–
- We Are Era has focused on expanding into Benelux. Over the past few years, WAE’s Dutch team has organically built a local presence with 11 team members (per LinkedIn). They’ve now acquired New Kith due to the agency’s strong reputation and brand within the Benelux region, further bolstering their local presence. This aligns with the company’s mission to be “the shortest route to every community”. It also builds on WAE’s acquisition of Social Match in Germany in 2023, which added influencer marketing and branded content capabilities across German speaking regions. With recent activity in both Benelux and German speaking regions, WAE is pursuing a strategy to offer European social, influencer, and talent solutions under one roof.
- We Are Era is expanding into sports. The company recently produced Bolzplatzkönige (“Football Field Kinds”), a documentary exploring soccer players and their journey through the sport. In 2024, WAE invested into Kings League, a 7v7 soccer format featuring streamers and content creators broadcasted through Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok. Parent co RTL Group also has a large sports broadcasting business, showing games across major European leagues such as the UEFA Europa League and Premier League. Further, there’s strong interest in sports x social, which underpins investments into companies like Good Good Golf (our deal analysis here). Given the strategic moves in sports by WAE, as well as the sports media capabilities of its parent co, its no surprise that sports is a clear growth mandate for the company.
- Advertisers increasingly want diverse social and influencer capabilities under one roof. Ruben Stuurman, Managing Director of We Are Era Netherlands: “For talents, this means the best guidance and opportunities to professionalise their careers, while advertisers no longer need to coordinate with multiple agencies but instead gain a single strong partner with all the social expertise and connections to every talent and community in the Benelux under one roof.” This move reflects a broader industry shift: brands want to streamline campaign execution by working with fewer partners who offer full-service capabilities.
I’m the founder of RockWater Industries. We do M&A and strategy advisory for creator economy and digital agencies. From buy / sell-side M&A and fundraising, to consumer research and go-to-market planning.
DM me on LinkedIn or email me chris @ wearerockwater dot com
