18 months ago, a VP at Velocity Capital Management sent us a cold LinkedIn messa
By Chrnov · November 14, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
18 months ago, a VP at Velocity Capital Management sent us a cold LinkedIn message.
Today VCM owns LV8 and Mirage, now combined into one platform. RockWater was exclusive sell-side advisor to both companies and founder Griffin Haddrill.
Quick backstory…
Nishant Jain of VCM reached out to us in March 2025. Separately, Michael Booth cold-pitched Griffin on Mirage, which turned into a sell-side mandate. Then during diligence we saw the bigger play.
LV8, a social-first brand agency, and Mirage, with 70+ owned channels and 400+ creator partners, were worth more together than apart.
So we restructured the mandate around one platform. Brand relationships plus owned distribution and audience. The market hasn’t really seen this combo before.
Griffin stays CEO, with capital to go acquire. Huge credit to Mike for leading the deal for the RockWater Industries team.
Full story in the newsletter below, incl how the combo came together and what VCM is building next.
If you own two complementary businesses, how are you thinking about an exit? Sell separately, combine first, or haven’t gotten there yet?