Capgemini buys design agency Adaptive Lab
Global consulting firm Capgemini has continued its recent succession of acquisitions with the purchase of Adaptive Lab. The London based digital design studio joins Idean, the design wing of Capgemini which it acquired in spring 2017.
Established in 2009, Adaptive Lab works to build Beta Businesses which realise growth through experimentation. In the past year, among other things, the firm helped launch new businesses Smarty, V.Auto and have further Beta Businesses launching soon. It already counts Santander, Standard Life, Vodafone and Three among some of its clientele and Adaptive recently helped mobile provider Three launch its latest SIM-only brand, while leading the development of Vodafone's V-Auto app for automotive vehicle security. Now, the ambitious digital design studio has targeted an enhanced global footprint by opting to merge with Idean.
Idean is a global design agency founded in the Finnish capital of Helsinki in 1999. The firm began life as a user research agency, and some 19 years on, Idean has relocated its head office to Palo Alto, San Francisco, along with having opened 11 studios across North America and Europe – including a team in London, having opened a studio here late in 2017. The group works with a number of Fortune 500 companies and start-ups in auto, financial services, healthcare, industrials, retail, and tech, something which gained the group greater financial backing last year, when it was acquired by Capgemini.
While the deal that sees Adaptive Lab join Idean is for an undisclosed fee, sources close to the story have told the British media that the figure is likely to rest in the tens of millions. Upon completion of the transaction, Adaptive's team of 50 will be merged with the London office of experience design firm Idean, joining its global network under the new branding of Idean UK. James Haycock, Managing Director and founder of Adaptive Lab will take on a senior management role at Idean UK as part of the deal.
Haycock himself said of the move, "To compete in these fast-moving markets, companies need to completely rethink how they approach growth… Idean shares our philosophy and our ambition to take this modern approach global," continued Haycock. "They also recognise our special culture and how important this is in attracting the best talent and delivering impactful work."
He added, "Our vision is to bring design, business and technology skills together in small, collaborative teams to help our clients do just that. It allows organisations to quickly pilot, scale and learn so that they can seize business opportunities before anyone else."
The activity comes as the latest chapter in an ongoing acquisition strategy for Capgemini, which like the consulting industry as a whole, is keen to buy its way into the lucrative digital design and advertising space. In 2016, this saw the firm complete a transaction for innovation expert Fahrenheit 212, while in 2017, the firm scooped award winning digital and global commerce services provider Lyons Consulting Group, to further strengthen its design offering.
