ONE Group has acquired a stake in BYSELECT, the experiential strategy agency founded by Yasmine Badri, marking the continued expansion of its multi-brand ecosystem dedicated to the future of brand experience. Backed by YKONE, the transaction includes growth funding and a new shareholding structure, while BYSELECT continues to operate under its founder’s leadership.
The move comes just months after BYSELECT’s creation and in response to a level of market demand that has grown faster and broader than initially anticipated. Since its inception, the agency has already led several high-profile initiatives in the region, including the LOEWE Greenhouse activation at Al Ain Oasis, developed around the intersection of craft, landscape, and cultural storytelling, and the design and experience management of the World Sports Summit, an initiative led by the Dubai Sports Council.
For the summit, BYSELECT was responsible not only for the overall Summit design but also for the management of the event’s ancillary programming, including hospitality, satellite gatherings, and guest-facing moments surrounding the main summit.
As brands shift away from campaign-led visibility toward long-term cultural relevance, the partnership brings together BYSELECT’s experience-first methodology with the wider ONE Group ecosystem spanning brand content, influence, production, cultural programming, and physical-to-digital brand environments. Supported by YKONE’s global infrastructure and investment, BYSELECT is positioned to strengthen its regional footprint while expanding internationally with greater scale and consistency.
This reflects a broader industry shift: experience is no longer a downstream activation layer, but a central mechanism through which meaning, loyalty, and long-term brand value are built. Through its integration into ONE Group, BYSELECT will expand its capability to deliver continuous, high-touch brand platforms across markets, while maintaining the cultural sharpness and operational rigor that define its approach.
“BYSELECT is an entrepreneurial vision that has generated tremendous demand from brands in a very short period of time. Our role through ONE Group is to support that momentum with the right ecosystem, investment, and international platform so BYSELECT can scale regionally and globally without losing what makes the work culturally precise and operationally credible. This step reflects our broader ambition to build a best-in-class group of specialist agencies shaped around the convergence of culture, experience, and content,” said Olivier Billon, Founder and CEO of YKONE and ONE Group.
Founded in the UAE, BYSELECT has established itself as a strategic partner to government entities, luxury and lifestyle brands, cultural institutions, and destination-led initiatives. Its approach translates brand strategy into lived environments, operating at the intersection of cultural insight, commercial performance, and spatial storytelling. This positioning reflects a wider evolution across luxury and premium sectors, where experience increasingly functions as a primary driver of brand equity.
“BYSELECT started with a clear vision, and the market response has surpassed our expectations. This marks an important next step in a relationship built on shared ambition and complementary strengths. By joining the ONE Group ecosystem, we are in a stronger position to meet demand, deepen our regional presence, and deploy our work internationally with greater scale while staying true to the intent and craft that define what we do,” said Yasmine Badri, Founder and CEO of BYSELECT.
With this transaction, ONE Group further strengthens its experiential and cultural strategy capabilities, with BYSELECT anchoring its offer across luxury, lifestyle, hospitality, sport, and public-sector ecosystems. The collaboration will focus on experiential advisory, cultural strategy, retail and destination experiences, and multi-market cultural programming.
