Emily Borders
Emily Borders

Highwire PR has acquired Inner Circle Labs, a firm that focuses on cutting-edge technologies in robotics, artificial intelligence and connected consumer.

Julie Crabill and Jonathan Neri founded ICL in 2010 with the aim of translating complex technologies into mainstream narratives. Building off of such early clients as social analytics tool Topsy (acquired by Apple) and personal news aggregator Zite (acquired by CNN and Flipboard), ICL has continued to execute campaigns for future-making companies.

“When we started Inner Circle Labs, we wanted to be both an incredible place to work, learn, and grow and a truly exceptional partner to cool companies,” said Crabill. “We saw this same ethos at Highwire and recognized the inherent benefits of greater scale in location and services.” Crabill, who will be a strategic advisor to Highwire, is taking on the role of CMO at Descartes Labs next month.

Emily Borders, principal at Highwire called ICL “a natural fit for our culture, our clients, and our ambitions.”

With the addition of ICL, Highwire has about 100 employees in San Francisco, New York, Boston and Chicago.