Digital Shop Dragon Army Swells With Two Acquisitions, Looks to More Growth

One of the leading digital agencies in Atlanta, Dragon Army, has acquired two fellow agencies, Sideways8 and Watchword Brand,  to combine into one full-service digital hub.

“In digital marketing, creative problem-solving is key,” Jeff Hilimire, CEO of Dragon Army, tells Hypepotamus. “Our clients will benefit from our combined service offerings and the influx of team members.”

“We have been very intentional in the way we structured this acquisition to allow us to serve small and large clients equally well.”

Founded by Hilimire, Dragon Army started as a mobile game studio in 2013. The business received angel investment through Atlanta Ventures’ David Cummings to scale.

According to Crunchbase, they raised a total of $1.1 million before pivoting in 2016 to an agency model.

The company has tripled in size in the last three years with big-name clients like Delta Air Lines, The Coca-Cola Company, and Honey Baked Ham.

“We’re working to forge new ground in the industry and build a new type of agency that believes business should be a force for good,” says Hilimire. 

To that end, Hilimire also co-founded non-profit hackathon 48in48 with Adam Walker, the CEO of Sideways8. In the past four years, the duo (along with thousands of volunteers) has served over 700 non-profits across 10 cities.

Walker shares that the acquisition was a natural next step for his business, which focuses on both non-profit and technology companies. 

Since starting the non-profit, we’ve always dreamed of working together at a for-profit dedicated to bettering the community,” said Walker. 

Watchword was also attracted to Dragon Army’s community focus and fast growth trajectory, says founder and Principal Rachelle Kuramoto.

“It’s a responsibility and an opportunity to operate a business as a force for good in the community. It’s how I’ve run Watchword, and it’s how Jeff and Adam have run their businesses as well,” said Kuramoto.

“With this new venture, Dragon Army has an even greater capacity to lead through smart work, strong values and positive impact.”

Dragon Army has plans to expand further in the future, shares Hilimire.

“We are committed to make a bigger impact on the community and to build the type of company we aspire to be. We will continue to look at both organic growth as well as additional agency acquisitions,” says Hilimire.