Nikhil Kamath's WTF Acquires Mumbai-Based Creative Agency BTG

Ad Tribe! BureauJul 7, 20262 min read

WTF, the platform backed by Nikhil Kamath, has acquired Mumbai-based creative agency BTG, its second independent creative-agency acquisition after One Hand Clap (OHC). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Why WTF Acquired BTG

Founded in 2018 by Aaliya Amrin, Eman Batliwalla and Danisha Kohli, BTG has built a portfolio across luxury, beauty, hospitality, entertainment, technology, tourism, wellness and lifestyle, with clients including Netflix, Prime Video, IKEA, Volkswagen, Bumble, Soho House, Marriott and Nykaa, a roster that gives WTF instant credibility in categories it may not have reached organically.

"BTG has established a distinct creative perspective and strong understanding of culture," said Nikhil Kamath.

BTG's founders said the deal would "provide the scale and infrastructure needed to accelerate BTG's long-term growth while retaining its creative identity."

What Changes Next

Post-acquisition, BTG says it plans to reduce its reliance on project-based revenue in favour of longer client partnerships, invest in original content and IP, expand its senior creative and strategic leadership, and grow beyond India. A second acquisition in fairly quick succession suggests WTF is building a small stable of independent creative shops rather than making a single opportunistic buy.

Kamath's broader interest in media and content businesses has been well documented outside advertising, and rolling up independent creative agencies gives that ambition a direct route into brand-side production and campaign work rather than just distribution or investment. For BTG's founders, the calculus is the one every independent agency eventually faces: take outside capital and infrastructure, or stay small and self-funded.

WTF's acquisition pace also stands out against how independent Indian creative shops have typically scaled, usually through slow organic growth or a sale into a global holding network rather than a homegrown media platform buying them outright. BTG's Mumbai base also gives WTF a creative outpost outside the Bengaluru-heavy startup ecosystem Kamath is best known for, broadening its footprint across India's advertising hubs.