Management consulting giant Accenture, which has a large and growing Chicago presence, is acquiring a local analytics tech firm as it enhances its data science offerings.
Accenture announced Friday that it is purchasing Clarity Insights for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition is subject to antitrust clearance, but the deal is expected to close in January.
Clarity Insights, founded in 2008, is a data science consultant that specializes in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Accenture says the acquisition will boost its data science and artificial intelligence engineering offerings throughout its North American operations, as well as beef up its data engineering business, Accenture Applied Intelligence, which employs more than 20,000 people.
Using Clarity’s methods, Accenture says it can better equip its clients with enterprise-scale AI, analytics and automation solutions.
“By adding Clarity Insights to the Accenture family, we continue to lean into our promise of bringing innovative solutions to our clients’ doorsteps in Chicago,” said Jim Coleman, Accenture’s senior managing director, who leads the company’s Chicago operations, in a statement. “There’s a growing demand among our clients to help them scale AI across their organization. It’s no secret that across every industry data is in the driver’s seat and now, with Clarity Insights, we can further help our clients navigate and implement an AI strategy for optimal impact.”
Clarity Insights currently employs nearly 350 people, and also has offices in New York, San Mateo, Calif., and Denver.
Clarity Insights isn’t the first Chicago tech company that Accenture has acquired recently. Last year, Accenture bought Kogentix, a Schaumburg-based big data and artificial intelligence startup, as a way to help it grow its Applied Intelligence division.
Beyond Chicago, Accenture says it has invested nearly $1.2 billion globally on 33 acquisitions in its 2019 fiscal year. The already massive company continues to expand, some of which is happening locally.
Over the summer, Accenture announced that it was adding 600 high-skilled tech jobs in Chicago by 2022, growing its local workforce to more than 6,000 people.
