Digital agency Dare has been sold by its owner EDC Communications to Oliver Group, one of the UK’s fastest-growing independent agencies.

Dare will continue to trade as a standalone agency brand operating within Oliver. EDC companies Identica and Elvis are not part of the deal. Established in 2004, Oliver’s approach is unusual, putting tailor-made agency teams within client organisations. It currently has 50 such teams working client-side.

Dare was founded in 2000 by Mark Collier, the former Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) joint managing director, and in its early years, was heavily involved in the mobile space, creating award-winning mobile campaigns for Axe (Lynx) among others, though it seemed to lose interest in mobile until recently, following its acquisition by Canadian marketing group Cossette in 2007. Its clients include Nike, EE, Barclays and Ryanair.

M&A firm Cavendish Corporate Finance advised on the sale.