Paris-based Influencer Marketing agency YKONE has made two moves in late October to grow its international footprint, taking a minority stake in Tokyo-based creative and social media agency Lateam and acquiring Milan-based digital agency Digital Dust, according to a report from WWD.

The Lateam deal, announced October 30, marks YKONE’s entry into Japan. The agency, founded by Pablo Yano, will be renamed “YKONE Tokyo,” and Yano will stay on as chief executive. YKONE said it plans to raise its stake to a majority interest over the next two years. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“Japan is one of the most powerful influence markets in the world, yet no international Influencer Marketing agency has yet established itself there,” said Olivier Billon, founder and CEO of YKONE. “That situation convinced us to open YKONE in Tokyo. Japanese culture, built on rigor, attention to detail and creativity, deeply aligns with our values: creating cultural moments that leave a lasting mark, with a global vision and local execution.”

The Tokyo investment extends a presence in Asia that already includes Hong Kong and Shanghai, where YKONE has operated since 2021, and India, where it took a 70% stake in Barcode in 2024.

A Milan Acquisition Rounds Out the Week

Prior to the Lateam deal, YKONE acquired Digital Dust, a boutique Milan agency founded in 2013 that has worked with Lancôme, L’Oréal, Cartier, Chopard, Pomellato and Ginori 1735. Founders Federica Zucchi and Alessandra De Siena, along with CEO Matteo Zucchi and the rest of the staff, are staying on. Terms of that deal were also undisclosed.

“As YKONE continues to grow internationally, we are equally committed to strengthening our leadership in the cities that have shaped the luxury industry,” said Matteo Baldi, CEO of YKONE Europe. “Milan is one of those cities. It is a global center for fashion, design, beauty and culture, and Digital Dust is a natural strategic fit for us. Its entrepreneurial spirit, local expertise and strong beauty credentials add real depth to our platform in Italy.”

Both deals extend a strategy YKONE has followed for several years: buying into local market leaders rather than building new offices from scratch. The agency took a 51% interest in Milan’s MB New Media Agency, which runs the Bold Management talent firm, in 2021, followed by Germany’s Cover Communications in 2022. In 2025, it acquired a majority stake in Paris-based talent management firm The Digital Prototype and a 25% stake in Swiss firm Atlas Agency, the latter aimed at the DACH region’s watchmaking, jewelry and beauty sectors. In September this year it acquired Italia Eventi, a luxury event organizer now rebranded as No Border.

YKONE is part of One Group, a $200 million company formed in January through YKONE’s merger with creative production house Mirror Mirror, founded by Juliette Lambert and Valentine Suc. At the time of that merger, the combined entity reported more than 400 employees across 20 cities and €150 million in revenue; WWD now puts the group at 480 employees across 21 cities.

The expansion comes as dealmaking across the Creator Economy accelerates more broadly. Advisory firm Quartermast Advisors tracked 70 creator economy M&A transactions in the first half of 2026, up 23% year over year, with agencies accounting for 21.4% of deal volume. Quartermast found agency valuations ranging from 3.5x to 10.1x EBITDA depending on recurring revenue share, margins and growth rate, with the highest multiples going to firms carrying more than 70% recurring revenue. Quartermast founder James Creech said the broader wave of acquisitions reflects market maturity rather than speculation: “Capital is flowing toward businesses with defensible moats, healthy margins, and meaningful scale. It means buyers are underwriting the Creator Economy the way they’d underwrite any other sector: on fundamentals, not narrative.”

YKONE’s own roll-up strategy fits that description. Rather than entering new markets outright, the agency has consistently bought minority or majority stakes in established local operators and retained their founding teams and client rosters, a structure it has now applied to both a first-time market entry in Japan and a deepening of its existing position in Italy.

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