Accenture PLC has agreed to acquire the UK-based artificial intelligence startup Faculty, a transaction that values the company at over $1 billion.
This deal represents one of the largest acquisitions of a private UK AI startup to date, signaling a trend of accelerated transformation within the consulting industry as it responds to the wave of artificial intelligence.
Accenture stated that acquiring London-headquartered Faculty will significantly enhance its ability to help clients implement AI within their core and critical business processes.
Faculty employs over 400 staff, including professionals such as science PhDs, data scientists, and AI engineers.
Upon completion of the transaction, Faculty's Chief Executive Officer, Marc Warner, will assume the role of Chief Technology Officer at Accenture and join the company's Global Management Committee.
The specific terms of the deal were not disclosed by either party.
Informed sources indicated that the transaction assigns a valuation of approximately £600 million to the shares held by Faculty's venture capital investors, a substantial increase from the company's enterprise value during its last funding round in 2021; this valuation excludes shares held by employees and related incentive arrangements.
Faculty was founded in 2014 by physics researchers Marc Warner and Angie Ma, along with former BlackRock and Ocado engineer Andrew Brookes, predating the current generative AI boom.
The company has raised over £40 million in total funding to date, with investors including Apax Digital, LocalGlobe, and Mercuri.
According to disclosed financial data, Faculty generated revenue of £41.7 million for the 12 months ending March 2025, representing a 29% year-on-year increase, while reporting a pre-tax loss of £3.8 million.
Faculty has built a strong reputation in recent years among UK public sector and corporate clients.
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company collaborated with US tech firms, including Palantir, to build a data platform for the UK government and participated in developing an "early warning system" for the National Health Service.
More recently, Faculty has been involved in the UK's AI safety and security project, testing the safety防护 mechanisms of large language models.
Accenture and Faculty have been collaborating since 2023, with Accenture assisting Faculty in deploying AI products and data decision-making tools for clients, including Novartis.
Against the backdrop of an overall industry slowdown, Accenture is also facing its own transformation pressures.
The company's market capitalization has retreated from its post-pandemic high, it recently underwent workforce adjustments, and is pushing employee retraining to adapt to AI-related business demands.
This acquisition marks a significant step for Accenture as it accelerates the build-out of its AI capabilities to respond to industry-wide changes.
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