The Stable Acquires RichContext

Growth Catalyst Partners Invests as The Stable Merges with Kreative Sales & Marketing

April 15, 2020

Marketing & Advertising

The Stable has merged with Arkansas-based retail agency Kreative Sales & Marketing and secured investment from growth equity firm Growth Catalyst Partners. The combined company will create a larger omni-channel consumer brand agency—expanding retail representation (including Walmart), eCommerce and product development capabilities—with a combined employee base of 100+ and offices in Minneapolis, Bentonville, Seattle and Austin.

Accenture Acquires The Stable

August 16, 2022

Marketing & Advertising

Accenture has acquired The Stable, a technology-enabled commerce agency and portfolio company of Growth Catalyst Partners. The Stable’s team of more than 400 people will join Accenture Song to strengthen Accenture’s commerce transformation and omnichannel commerce capabilities; financial terms were not disclosed.

The Stable Acquires Jacobs Marketing

November 17, 2020

Marketing & Advertising

The Stable, a commerce and retail-launch agency, has acquired Minneapolis-based Jacobs Marketing. The acquisition folds Jacobs’ staff of more than 50 into The Stable to bolster its retail activation, analytics and insights capabilities and expand its Minneapolis footprint.

The Stable Acquires Shopify Agencies BVA and Zehner

December 13, 2021

Marketing & Advertising

The Stable, a commerce agency backed by Growth Catalyst Partners, has acquired Shopify-focused agencies Brand Value Accelerator (BVA) and Zehner. The deals—completed with financing support from Balance Point Capital—combine The Stable’s retail commerce capabilities with BVA’s and Zehner’s deep DTC and Shopify expertise to create a larger omnichannel commerce agency that now employs more than 500 people. BVA was previously a portfolio company of August Spark.

Southfield Capital Acquires Contextual.io

January 26, 2026

AI & Machine Learning

Southfield Capital has acquired Contextual.io, an AI orchestration platform and solutions provider, and will integrate the business into its lower-middle-market value creation model. The acquisition embeds Contextual’s AI orchestration and solution delivery capabilities into Southfield’s partnership model to accelerate operational transformation and identify AI-driven investment opportunities; terms were not disclosed.

SmartCommerce Acquires Basketful Co.

October 11, 2022

Cloud & SaaS

SmartCommerce, a PE-backed provider of data-centric, AI-assisted SaaS solutions for CPG, has acquired Basketful, a provider of in-context eCommerce optimization tools and data-driven category/channel insights. The deal expands SmartCommerce’s Click2Cart portfolio—adding contextual commerce and broader category visibility—and the companies have begun integrating technologies to deliver enhanced services to clients in Q4.