What Ten35 does

Ten35 (legal entity Ten35, LLC) is a privately held, full-service advertising agency founded in 2016 and headquartered at 444 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, with additional offices in Houston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York. The company delivers end-to-end brand communications services spanning strategy, creative, digital, experiential, and production, with a stated specialization in multicultural marketing — particularly work aimed at Black and culturally diverse consumer audiences. Its client roster is concentrated in enterprise CPG, beverage, and automotive categories, with named work for Pepsi (Dig In), Lipton (Cousin T digital series with T-Pain), LifeWTR (Black Art Rising), General Mills Gushers, Polaris (Slingshot), and Stellantis-adjacent automotive programming. The company also runs a Pro-Bono practice ([email protected]) and a community-supplier initiative, and its CEO Ahmad Islam has been recognized by the US Black Chambers (2021 Small Business of the Year) and Ad Age/Meta (The List 2022).

The business model is professional services: B2B agency engagements delivered against project and (likely) retainer scopes, sold via direct sales ([email protected]) and supported by top-of-funnel brand-building through LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and earned media in outlets such as Ad Age, Forbes, Adweek, Crain's Chicago Business, and Black Enterprise. The team is 25 people strong with a leadership trio of Ahmad Islam (Managing Partner/CEO), Sherman Wright (Managing Partner/COO), and Aimee Federman (CFO); the workforce composition is 41% People of Color, 33% Women, and 8% LGBTQIA2S+. No proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capability, or app product is disclosed; the agency's value proposition rests on creative talent, cultural insight, celebrity and influencer access, and demonstrable enterprise client work rather than technology differentiation. No funding rounds, M&A activity, or external institutional investors are disclosed.

Name

Ten35

Legal name

Ten35, LLC

Website

https://ten35.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ten35 is a privately held, full-service advertising agency delivering strategy, creative, digital, experiential, and production services with a multicultural marketing focus to enterprise consumer brands across five US cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multicultural & Diversity Marketing Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAK)

Keywords

• Full-service advertising agency
• Multicultural marketing services
• Creative and brand strategy
• Experiential and digital marketing
• Consumer brand campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising Services: Full-service advertising agency providing strategy, creative, digital, experiential, and production services for brand communications and experiences.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ten35 is a full-service advertising agency that delivers strategy, creative, digital, experiential, and production services for brand communications and experiences. The agency specializes in multicultural marketing, serving major consumer brands across automotive, beverage, food, and lifestyle categories with culturally curious, insights-driven creative work.

Product overview

TEN35 is a full-service advertising agency offering an integrated portfolio of services including strategy, creative, digital, experiential, and production. The agency specializes in multicultural marketing and brand development across categories such as automotive, consumer goods, food and beverage, and entertainment. Service offerings include brand development, social media services, influencer marketing, digital content creation, celebrity partnerships, community engagement, and strategy consulting, all delivered through their offices in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-Service Advertising Integrated advertising services encompassing strategy, creative, digital, experiential, and production for brand communications and experiences, with a focus on multicultural marketing and brand development for major consumer brands.
• Multicultural Marketing

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Stellantis and National Business LeagueflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTen35 CEO leads panel for the nation's first Black Supplier Development Program pilot, a Stellantis initiative in partnership with the National Business League focused on developing Black-owned suppliers in the automotive industry.
• Ad Age and MetacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAd Age and Meta jointly present 'The List' recognizing top multicultural leaders in advertising, with Ten35 CEO Ahmad Islam joining the 2022 list.
• Blavity (Afrotech)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerTen35 CEO Ahmad Islam leads Black Media Leadership Panel at Afrotech Executive Conference, a premier event for Black innovators and tech leaders organized by Blavity.

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Burrell Communications Group: Chicago-based independently owned multicultural ad agency serving major CPG and consumer brands. Most direct comparable to Ten35 given shared Chicago HQ, multicultural focus, and similar enterprise client profile.
• Walton Isaacson: Independent full-service agency with deep multicultural and lifestyle marketing expertise serving brands like Nike, McDonald's, and Google. Closely comparable to Ten35 in scope, cultural-fluency positioning, and mid-sized independent structure.
• Carol H. Williams Advertising: Independently owned, Black-led full-service agency with decades of multicultural marketing experience for major consumer brands. Directly comparable to Ten35 on ownership profile, multicultural specialty, and enterprise client base.
• Translation LLC: Independent creative and brand strategy agency with strong cultural-marketing credentials serving brands such as Google, NBA, and Target. Comparable to Ten35 as a boutique, culturally-attuned alternative to network agencies.
• Alma: Independent multicultural creative agency working with major CPG and consumer brands (e.g., Coca-Cola, McDonald's). Comparable to Ten35 in multicultural positioning and enterprise client mix.
• UniWorld Group: Black-owned, multicultural-focused full-service agency serving Fortune 500 clients. Comparable to Ten35 on ownership identity, multicultural specialization, and enterprise-grade service portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• FCB Global (IPG): Global creative network under IPG with dedicated multicultural capabilities. Competes with Ten35 on enterprise pitches but offers global scale, media, and procurement leverage a boutique cannot match.
• Grey (WPP): WPP-owned global creative network with established multicultural and inclusive marketing practice. Broad incumbent competing for the same enterprise CPG and consumer brand budgets as Ten35.
• Hearts & Science: Omnicom media and creative agency with data-driven approach to audience segmentation including multicultural segments. Relevant incumbent competitor on enterprise pitches where data-driven cultural targeting is demanded.

Others

• Adcolor: Industry organization advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion across advertising, media, and marketing. Thematically adjacent to Ten35's multicultural focus and relevant for industry visibility, awards, and recruiting pipeline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ten35agency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ten35/mycompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/weareten35

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 Ten35