Kearney acquires innovation advisory firm Silicon Foundry
Kearney, a global management consulting firm, has acquired Silicon Foundry, a San Francisco-based innovation advisory firm.
Founded in 2013, Silicon Foundry helps corporate clients navigate new technologies, engage with promising startups, and unlock partnership, investment, co-creation, and acquisition opportunities. The firm works with leading companies including UPS, Ford, BP, and Deutsche Telekom.
Silicon Foundry has a team of 17 professionals, according to its website.
Kearney’s acquisition of Silicon Foundry will expand its services to help corporate leaders access the venture world to improve agility and innovation.
Corporate executives often express interest in tapping into the innovation ecosystem, but often lack expertise or networks to reach those in Silicon Valley or elsewhere, says the Chicago-headquartered firm. Such challenges are often magnified for overseas companies looking to interface with the startup ecosystem of the San Francisco Bay Area.“This acquisition reaffirms our firm’s commitment to innovating the management consulting model, and providing transformative services to our clients and learning opportunities to our consultants and professionals,” David Hanfland, Americas region chair at Kearney, said.
Ben Smith IV, the consultancy’s Americas lead for the TMT sector, added, “Given Kearney’s global reach, the ability to provide clients across Europe, Middle East, and Asia with direct access to some of the most disruptive start-ups across the major global technology ecosystems will truly set the firm apart from our competitors.”
Kearney provides end-to-end management consulting to large clients in a range of industries. The Chicago-based firm has more than 4,200 people in 40+ countries.
“We are thrilled to join forces with Kearney and in doing so, to leverage and further enhance the range of its resources, the depth and breadth of its relationships with top executives and entrepreneurs spanning all major industries, and add to the full range of expertise and services capabilities across the firm,” said Neal Hansch, CEO of Silicon Foundry.
Kearney earlier this month appointed its first-ever external board members: Bob Swan, former CEO of Intel, and Isabelle Xoual, a managing director at investment bank Lazard.