Hard Numbers

What Hard Numbers does

Hard Numbers is a London-based, privately held B2B marketing and communications consultancy founded in June 2020 by Darryl Sparey and Paul Stollery, operating under parent company The Family. The firm delivers an integrated suite of services spanning media relations, Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), outsourced lead generation, paid media management, content marketing, account-based marketing, analyst relations, broadcast PR, community-as-a-service and influencer relations, with a specialist cybersecurity PR practice and proprietary research frameworks including the six-vector Cyber Trust model and the Coverage to Capital study. Its core technology stack centres on HubSpot CRM for logging every journalist, analyst and influencer interaction, Google Data Studio for real-time client dashboards, and GEO methodologies for optimising client visibility in ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Google AI Overviews.

The agency targets UK and EMEA mid-market and enterprise B2B technology clients across cybersecurity, fintech, SaaS, HR tech, IP services, EV charging and renewables, with a named enterprise roster that includes Darktrace, ESET, Gigamon, Talkwalker, Trust Payments, Zellis, Heliox and Rouse. Revenue is generated through contracted professional-services retainers and project fees with KPIs written into contracts, and the firm operates a sales-led go-to-market via competitive pitches, direct outreach, referrals, the CIPR client-agency finder, and inbound demand generated by its own award-winning PR, original research and Beneath the Surface podcast. The consultancy has been recognised as a Top 3 fastest growing PR agency in the UK (PR Week) and globally (PRovoke), won PRCA Small Consultancy of the Year in 2023 and consecutive PR Moment B2B PR Agency of the Year awards in 2025 and 2026, alongside multiple AMEC Gold, Silver and Bronze awards between 2021 and 2025.

Name

Hard Numbers

Legal name

Hard Numbers

Website

https://hardnumbers.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hard Numbers is a London-based B2B marketing and communications consultancy, founded 2020, serving UK and EMEA mid-market and enterprise technology clients across cybersecurity, fintech, SaaS and HR tech with KPI-linked PR, GEO, lead generation, paid media and content services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services Retainers and Project Fees: Hard Numbers generates revenue through contracted professional services engagements with B2B technology, fintech, cybersecurity, and professional services clients. Services include media relations, generative engine optimisation, outsourced lead generation, paid media management, content marketing, and account-based marketing. The agency agrees KPIs with clients and writes them into contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Hard Numbers is a performance-driven B2B marketing and communications consultancy that delivers integrated PR, content, paid media, lead generation and account-based marketing campaigns for technology, cybersecurity, fintech and professional services clients. Services are sold on retainer or project basis with KPIs written into contracts, and delivered using proprietary data, HubSpot CRM and real-time dashboards to attribute communications activity directly to pipeline and revenue.

Product overview

Hard Numbers is a performance-driven marketing and communications consultancy offering a integrated suite of PR and marketing services. Their primary services include Media Relations, Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), Outsourced Lead Generation, Paid Media Management, and Content Marketing. Additional specialized services include Account Based Marketing, Analyst Relations, Broadcast PR, Community as a Service, and Influencer Relations. They have a specialist Cybersecurity PR practice and offer proprietary research frameworks such as the 'Cyber Trust' framework. The agency produces thought leadership content through their 'Beneath the Surface' podcast and newsletters ('Coverage to Capital' and 'The Number'). Their GEO Audit and GEO Primer services round out their AI-focused offerings. The company operates as a services-based consultancy rather than a software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Media Relations Building credibility and securing media coverage by helping writers learn about clients' companies, targeting journalists who matter in each sector. Sold to B2B technology, cybersecurity, fintech and professional services clients.
• Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) Optimisation of client content for AI search platforms including ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, going beyond traditional SEO to capture visibility in generative search results. Sold to brands seeking AI-search presence.
• Outsourced Lead Generation Targeted campaigns designed to deliver leads, sales opportunities and pipeline directly attributable to communications activity. Sold to B2B technology buyers seeking measurable demand generation.
• Paid Media Management Strategic paid media campaigns designed to maximise return on ad spend for the client rather than the platforms. Sold to B2B buyers seeking ROI-driven paid media execution.
• Content Marketing Strategic content creation to build reach, reputation and relationships and move prospects through the customer journey. Sold to B2B brands seeking content-driven demand and thought leadership.
• Account Based Marketing Targeted marketing campaigns built around a clear picture of target accounts to reach ideal customer prospects at scale. Sold to B2B companies running enterprise sales motions.
• Analyst Relations Strategic engagement with industry analysts using specialised techniques to position clients on analysts' radar. Sold to B2B technology and cybersecurity vendors seeking analyst recognition.
• Broadcast PR Television and radio PR delivered as a specialist public relations discipline. Sold to B2B brands seeking mainstream broadcast exposure.
• Community as a Service Building and managing engaged customer communities as a strategic asset in crowded sectors. Sold to B2B technology vendors seeking to operationalise community-led growth.
• Influencer Relations Strategic relationships with sector influencers to build brand credibility and trust. Sold to B2B brands seeking trusted third-party advocacy.
• Cybersecurity PR Specialist PR services for cybersecurity vendors in observability, data security, AppSec, vulnerability management, MSSPs and agentic AI, designed to translate coverage into category building, M&A, demand and leads. Sold to enterprise and startup cybersecurity buyers.
• GEO Audit Audit service identifying which AI conversations a brand is missing, mapping content gaps and providing actionable recommendations to improve AI search visibility. Sold to brands investing in generative engine optimisation.

Quantifiable outcome

• AI-referred visitors convert 4.4x better than traditional organic search visitors (SEMRush research cited on Hard Numbers blog)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Indigo MurphyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Indigo Murphy partnered with Hard Numbers to launch a new GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) service offering. This partnership extends Hard Numbers' GEO capabilities through collaboration with another agency.
• The Family (Parent Company)coreOthers · 1 June 2020The Family is the parent company of Hard Numbers and sister agency Hype Collective. Founded in 2017, The Family rebranded in 2023 and operates a portfolio of creative agencies. The Family's growth strategy involves helping agency founders launch and scale businesses, including through the StaffSeed programme which provides funding and shared services to employees who want to launch their own agencies.
• Hype CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Hype Collective is a youth marketing agency and sister company to Hard Numbers under parent company The Family. Hype Collective launched in 2017 and helped seed the StaffSeed fund which was used to launch Hard Numbers in 2020. Both agencies operate an open-door hiring policy and share services including CRM, finance, HR and marketing systems.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• WE Communications: Global communications firm with strong B2B technology practice serving SaaS, fintech and cybersecurity clients. Comparable on target customer mix but operates as a wider-portfolio incumbent rather than a tech-specialist boutique.
• FleishmanHillard: Large global public relations network with a substantial B2B and technology practice across EMEA. Provides the same core services (media relations, content, analyst, paid media) but at vastly broader scale as part of a wider agency portfolio.

Direct peers

• March Communications: US-based B2B technology PR and marketing agency serving SaaS, fintech and security clients — directly comparable on tech-vertical specialisation and integrated earned/owned/paid service model.
• CCgroup: UK-based B2B technology PR agency with deep specialisation in B2B SaaS, cybersecurity, fintech and enterprise tech — the closest UK-headquartered direct competitor on size, positioning and target verticals.
• Hotwire: Globally focused B2B technology and cybersecurity PR agency with comparable mid-market and enterprise client mix and overlapping service offerings (media relations, content, analyst relations). Directly comparable given shared tech/cyber vertical emphasis.
• Archetype: B2B technology-focused PR and marketing agency serving SaaS, cybersecurity and enterprise software clients with comparable service stack (media relations, content, analyst relations, GEO-adjacent offerings).
• Lewis: Global B2B marketing and communications agency with strong technology practice and a performance-driven GTM model; comparable on revenue model (professional services retainers and project work) and B2B tech vertical focus.
• Clarity: Global B2B communications agency (formed via Babel PR / other mergers) with tech and cybersecurity client emphasis and similar service-line structure to Hard Numbers.
• Resonance: B2B technology PR and marketing firm with comparable mid-market and enterprise SaaS client roster and integrated media, content and analyst relations service mix.

Regional players

• RH Strategic: US-based B2B PR agency with comparable cybersecurity, enterprise tech and policy-adjacent communications practice; geographic scope differs from Hard Numbers' UK focus but competes for similar global enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hardnumbers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hard-numbers
• Instagraminstagram.com/hard.numbers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hard Numbers