We’re thrilled to announce that Upstatement has joined the kyu Collective, an exclusive network of the world’s most unique studios that includes IDEO, Sylvain, and SYPartners.
For more about the logistics, check out the official press release. I’m here to tell you why we made the decision and what it all means for Upstatement. (Spoiler: not much changes for us day-to-day.)
Over the past 15 years, we’ve been proud to call Upstatement “weird.” In kyu and GDP, we’ve found partners who perfectly align with our values and appreciate everything that makes us different: an inclusive environment, progressive philosophy, life-work balance, and the courage to turn down work that is not values-aligned. kyu not only recognizes the value in this, they’re committed to supporting it. Their network of companies and corporate philosophy show that they’re not afraid to push boundaries in the pursuit of excellence.
As a digital product studio with an editorial mindset, this opens up a world of new possibilities for us. We’re especially excited about our new strategic alliance with the storytellers at Godfrey Dadich Partners (GDP) and the culture-builders at Ghost Note. As a group, we’ll bring together the best tools of journalism, strategy, product, design, and engineering to make The New Editorial, a model that helps organizations tell their own stories and build platforms where communities can thrive. All three studios will operate independently, working together for clients when appropriate.
We’re so humbled to join this prestigious group, and have countless people to thank. From the clients that took a chance on us, to the people who joined us on this journey, we truly can’t express enough gratitude for all the generous support we’ve received over the years. Upstatement is a collection of kind, talented, and ambitious people who want to push the boundaries of what’s possible, and we’re going to continue to be that kind of place.
Upstatement’s culture and leadership team will remain the same—our principals and leaders will continue to advance our agenda within this new context. Our commitment to our people and our clients is also unchanged: we will continue building the best brands, design systems, and platforms with a crew of one-of-a-kind talents.
To all our people, clients, and friends, thank you so much for everything that brought us to this milestone. We’re excited to embark on what’s next, and bring you all along with us.
Sincerely,
Mike Swartz, CEO
