Leicestershire business owner sells business in multimillion-pound deal after founding it with just £100

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 16 November 2022

Business owner Luke Tobin, founder of Oadby-based marketing agency Digital Ethos, is celebrating after South American-based company Cadastra has acquired the company in a deal worth approximately £8 million. 

Luke founded the company in 2016 with just £100 invested and progressed his way up the ladder to be named ‘Great British Entrepreneur of the Year 2020’. Luke also joined Richard Branson’s Virgin StartUp scheme to mentor like-minded entrepreneurs starting their own businesses.   

Digital Ethos was also named ‘The UK’s fastest Growing Agency’ in 2019 and was recently granted B-Corporation status for its sustainability-conscious practices including pledging to plant 50,000 trees in 2022.  

The acquisition by Cadastra, a digital marketing, consultancy and technology company with offices across Europe and South America, will mean that Digital Ethos will establish itself further with an array of international clients and with Luke still at the helm as CEO. 

Speaking on the acquisition, Luke said:

“It’s absolutely amazing to be in this position just a few years on from when I founded the company from nothing. We’re thrilled to have been acquired by an established company and are very excited as to what the future holds for us. 

“Digital Ethos was chosen for the acquisition due to our scale of growth in a very short time, so it’s certainly a cause for celebration not only for me personally but for my whole team.”

In addition to Digital Ethos, Luke is also founder of rapid growth investor brand Tobin Capital, specialising in minority stakes in private organisations, which he will be continuing to develop alongside Digital Ethos’ merger.

Digital Ethos specialises in digital marketing services such as SEO, PR, Social Media and Web Development. Its list of clients includes the NHS, Scrivens and M&S Opticians and the merger with Cadastra means the business will be expanding to 15 countries with more than 700 employees worldwide. 

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