Published by Gbaf News
Posted on July 25, 2018
4 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Rocket Insights, the Boston-based design & development agency, has acquired Bad Design, one of the fastest growing mobile design & development agencies in New York City.
The acquisition will further fuel Rocket Insights’ growth with a new office in Manhattan, led by the Bad Design team.
Additionally, the acquisition signals the continued success of Rocket Insights’ unconventional approach to building the top app development agency.
“We’re building the agency we always wished we could hire,” said Ashley Streb, Rocket Insights Co-founder & Mobile Lead. “We’ve stripped away all the normal overhead of a typical agency and are focused on connecting our clients directly with incredible talent. Bad Design has such a great reputation in New York; we’re very fortunate that they will be helping us expand beyond Boston with a new ‘Rocket NYC’ studio.”
Bad Design was founded in 2017 by Julia Wilson and Nathan Hulsey to bring a fresh approach to product design and development in New York City.
Having built upon their success leading Scout, Northeastern University’s student-led design studio, the Bad Design team has quickly made a name for themselves as the “best-kept secret” in New York, designing high-profile products for Chosen, Nference, and Hi Marley.
“Our goal has always been to create experiences that are useful, exciting and effective,” said Wilson. “Rocket Insights and Bad Design share this important mission to deliver a better agency experience with real product expertise. We’re proud to join the Rocket Insights team, expand Rocket’s design services and help more companies build apps with a true product partner.”
The acquisition signals Rocket Insights first expansion office on the East Coast. Since the company’s founding in 2014, Rocket has doubled year-over-year and expanded beyond its Boston customer base to include clients like the BBC, Comcast, and Fox Entertainment Group. With the addition of a New York City office and a talented local team, Rocket Insights will be well positioned to bring their unique product agency approach to a broader audience.
Rocket Insights, the Boston-based design & development agency, has acquired Bad Design, one of the fastest growing mobile design & development agencies in New York City.
The acquisition will further fuel Rocket Insights’ growth with a new office in Manhattan, led by the Bad Design team.
Additionally, the acquisition signals the continued success of Rocket Insights’ unconventional approach to building the top app development agency.
“We’re building the agency we always wished we could hire,” said Ashley Streb, Rocket Insights Co-founder & Mobile Lead. “We’ve stripped away all the normal overhead of a typical agency and are focused on connecting our clients directly with incredible talent. Bad Design has such a great reputation in New York; we’re very fortunate that they will be helping us expand beyond Boston with a new ‘Rocket NYC’ studio.”
Bad Design was founded in 2017 by Julia Wilson and Nathan Hulsey to bring a fresh approach to product design and development in New York City.
Having built upon their success leading Scout, Northeastern University’s student-led design studio, the Bad Design team has quickly made a name for themselves as the “best-kept secret” in New York, designing high-profile products for Chosen, Nference, and Hi Marley.
“Our goal has always been to create experiences that are useful, exciting and effective,” said Wilson. “Rocket Insights and Bad Design share this important mission to deliver a better agency experience with real product expertise. We’re proud to join the Rocket Insights team, expand Rocket’s design services and help more companies build apps with a true product partner.”
The acquisition signals Rocket Insights first expansion office on the East Coast. Since the company’s founding in 2014, Rocket has doubled year-over-year and expanded beyond its Boston customer base to include clients like the BBC, Comcast, and Fox Entertainment Group. With the addition of a New York City office and a talented local team, Rocket Insights will be well positioned to bring their unique product agency approach to a broader audience.
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