Accenture buys Indian big data analytics company Byte Prophecy

Global professional services firm Accenture has purchased Indian big data firm Byte Prophecy, adding 50 data scientists and engineers to its roster.

Ahmedabad-based Indian automated insights and big data analytics company Byte Prophecy has been acquired by global professional services giant Accenture. According to Accenture, the purchase was made to help meet the growing demand for enterprise-scale AI and digital analytics solutions across the region, with Byte Prophecy having previously worked closely with Accenture Ventures in the Asia Pacific.

Founded in 2011 by a team of engineers and consultants, Byte Prophecy has since grown to a headcount of almost 50 data science and engineering professionals with particular expertise in insight automation, who will now join the global professional service firm’s Accenture Applied Intelligence unit. The move, says Accenture, will deepen its existing consulting and technology capabilities in data foundations and advanced analytics.

“Across industries, decision making has become more complex, and businesses are increasingly relying on advanced analytics and AI to ensure insight driven, rapid decision making,” said Accenture’s India market unit lead India Piyush N. Singh. “Beyond advanced technology capabilities, Accenture brings our clients a co-innovation mindset, and in Byte Prophecy we found a partner with the right mix of technology and consulting skills.

Singh further cited Byte Prophecy’s client-centric innovation culture, with Accenture Ventures having worked closely with the company in the past on open innovation efforts for clients in the Asia Pacific – collaborating and co-innovating on advanced data and analytics projects. The firm’s Applied Intelligence division is focused on scaling AI, embedding AI-powered data, analytics and automation capabilities into workflows to accelerate time to value.

“Our team has already been working with Byte Prophecy over the past two years, and together we’ve helped clients build the strong data foundations that are the cornerstone for successful AI adoption,” said Athina Kanioura, Accenture’s chief analytics officer and global lead for Applied Intelligence. “Officially making Byte Prophecy’s people and capabilities part of Accenture is a testament to the shared vision of shared success we’ve seen in our joint efforts.”

In response, Byte Prophecy co-founder Mrugank Parikh said the firm was excited by the journey ahead. “Our experience working with Accenture has helped us better understand customer pain points and fine-tune our solution to respond with greater agility to clients’ needs. The opportunity to become part of Accenture Applied Intelligence will enable us to jointly build stronger assets and expand our services to more clients in the emerging markets.”

Accenture’s hyper-buying spree over the past two years shows absolutely no sign of slowing, possibly even accelerating in recent weeks while other businesses have been shelving intended investments in response to the global pandemic.

In just the past four weeks alone, Accenture has acquired Italian firms PLM Systems and Nike Group, New York-based organisation design firm Kates Kesler, and Canadian consultancy Callisto Integration.