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APCO is launching the Global Africa Investment Summit, a platform designed to accelerate investment across Africa and help transform the continent’s economic future. Countries that subscribe to the GAIS platform will work with APCO staff, alongside a dedicated GAIS team, to identify their top sovereign assets for investment. Companies will also be invited to join the platform as members. The goal of GAIS is to connect countries with the companies that can help them unlock and monetize their opportunities. These partnerships will culminate in an annual forum. APCO founder and executive chair Margery Kraus is a co-founder of GAIS, along with Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, president emeritus of the African Development Bank Group. Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas Greenfield will also be part of GAIS. “The early interest from leaders and partners has already been extraordinary, which only reinforces how much potential GAIS has to make a real impact,” said Kraus.
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| Ian Hiscock |
LV8, which specializes in social media strategies and digital marketing, launches a paid media practice, expanding the agency’s capabilities across performance marketing, growth strategy and audience acquisition. The new practice will be led by Ian Hiscock, who joins the firm as head of paid media strategy. Hiscock founded boutique advertising agency Noteworthy HQ. The paid media practice’s offerings include paid social, programmatic media, creator amplification, new customer funnel strategy, and full-funnel performance measurement. “Paid media has always been part of how we help brands convert audiences to customer,” said Griffin Haddrill, who co-founded LV8 with Gabby Gamad. “This launch is about formalizing that practice, investing in specialized leadership, and scaling what’s already working.”
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Moxie Strategies introduces Aimi by Moxie, an AI-powered qualitative research product. Short for AI-moderated interviews, Aimi replaces the traditional focus group with one-on-one, adaptive conversations that the agency says capture authentic language and emotional nuance at scale, enabling public affairs, corporate communications and policy teams to sharpen messages, avoid missteps and deploy resources with greater precision. By delivering actionable insights in as little as 10 days, Aimi promises to help teams move faster, test ideas earlier and make confident decisions without the delays, costs or group dynamics that limit traditional focus groups. “Aimi helps our clients cut through the clutter by understanding the language that resonates, the concerns that actually matter, and the narratives that move people,” said Moxie Strategies CEO Maggie Moran. “That leads to better outcomes—and far more efficient use of client resources.”
53Six, a Dublin- and London-based sports marketing agency, is acquired by Irish experience and entertainment group FUEL... Blue Highway Advisory releases a report that looks at how the shift from CEO to AI has changed the way in which consumers access information, and offers advice on how to handle the new landscape... Get Engaged, whose services include campaign ideation, social media management, influencer marketing, celebrity partnerships, content production and paid media, joins SAMY, a social-first agency headquartered in Madrid. 
The Hoffman Agency, a Silicon Valley-based firm with offices in Europe, Asia and the U.S., teams up with United Partners Network, a global community of independent communications agencies... ChangeMakers acquires R&G Strategic, a Halifax, Nova Scotia-based firm with a practice that spans ESG and sustainability strategy and reporting; stakeholder engagement; climate and GHG consulting; sustainability campaigns; branding; communications; and marketing... AltaVista Strategic Partners, a Baltimore-based firm, opens an second office in Tampa, effective Oct. 15.
Curley & Pynn Public Relations Management rebrands as Biplane focused specifically on helping nonprofits build visibility, reputation and trust to advance their philanthropy... SKDK launches a payer negotiation practice that is designed to support health systems as they navigate increasingly complex negotiations with insurers... ChangeMakers, a strategy and communications firm with over 400 professionals across North America, launches RepScore.
Prosek Partners opens in San Francisco under the leadership of partner Nadia Damouni... Caliber Corporate Advisers, which works with clients in the fintech and financial services sectors, introduces the Caliber Authority Index (Caliber AI), a proprietary measurement platform... Herbie Thiele Consulting, a public affairs firm blending lobbying and communications, is launched by the longtime Sachs Media partner.
Bospar expands its Audit*E tool for small- and medium-sized businesses, which provides comprehensive visibility scoring, competitive analysis and platform-specific improvement recommendations, giving users actionable intelligence to help with brand positioning.... 5W is increasing its presence in Tampa and the Florida market....PR Consultants Group, a nationwide network of senior-level public relations, strategic communications and marketing specialists in more than 50 U.S. markets, has brought on 13 independently owned public relations firms across 13 markets and 12 states so far in 2026.
