Most scaled independents looked at Grapevine.ai during the sale process and didn't get it. They couldn't process the economic model. They didn't know how to assess the technology. Justin Hayashi leaned in and won.
Recorded at Possible 2026 in the Unplugged Collective pavilion, Christian Hassold and Ayelet Shipley sat down with Justin Hayashi, CEO of NewEngen, one of the most tech-forward independents in the market to break down how he thinks about acquisitions, what makes NewEngen genuinely different from its peers, and what he's looking for next.
NewEngen started in 2016 as a tech company trying to dethrone Marin Software, among others. It evolved into the agency their clients always said they were and built a platform around content, creator marketing, and measurement that most of their competitors can't replicate.
What we cover: The origin story; from Zulily's IPO to trying to build a bidding algorithm to accidentally building an agency, how three acquisitions in the content and creator space shaped NewEngen's differentiated positioning, the Grapevine.ai deal thesis and why beating an aggressive forecast during diligence was the final proof of conviction, how NewEngen handles integration with a \"do no harm\" philosophy while keeping brands like Donut Studios intentionally separate, and the buy box for what comes next: social, content, measurement, and commerce.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:12: Cold open: does the YC target on agency backs keep you up at night?
1:08: Welcome and guest intro: Justin Hayashi, CEO of NewEngen, at Possible 2026
1:19: The backstory: from Zulily IPO and billion-dollar sale to Qurate, to founding NewEngen
2:25: The original thesis: dethrone Marin Software and Kenshoo — and why it didn't work
3:58: The pivot: from SaaS company (that clients kept calling an agency) to what NewEngen is today
4:28: Tech-enabled DNA: what survived the pivot and what defines NewEngen now
5:54: What scaled independents are getting wrong — and where NewEngen differentiates
6:45: Three acquisitions in the content and creator space: why content was always the bet
7:23: The Grapevine.ai deal: why most scaled independents walked away and NewEngen stepped up
8:04: Why Caroline's conviction and operator mindset won the first filter
9:00: 900 vetted, high-performing creators vs. seven million claims — the quality argument
10:29: Two lenses: founder CEO conviction vs. PE underwriting — how Justin navigated both
11:06: The aggressive forecast, the bottoms-up conviction, and what actually happened
11:30: Zuckerberg's earnings calls as diligence data: short-form video growth 20% → 30% YoY
12:43: What made Grapevine.ai hard for strategic buyers: long-tail revenue and small contracts
13:37: How Caroline's client migration story played out in real time during diligence
15:19: Donut Digital acquisition: \"do no harm\" integration and why they kept the brand
16:45: LT Partners vs. Acorn Influence vs. Donut Studios: three different integration approaches
17:57: The hardest integration lesson: get alignment on goalposts before you close
18:59: Buy box: social/content, measurement, commerce, B2C only, $3-12M revenue sweet spot
21:02: Closing take: NewEngen is the software-led agency ready to take on Silicon Valley
🎙️ Guest: Justin Hayashi, CEO, NewEngen | Recorded at Possible 2026
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinhayashi/
Connect with Christian and Ayelet
Ayelet’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-shipley-b16330149/
Christian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hassold/
Web: https://www.inorganicpodcast.co
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