Dutch IT agency Xebia has drawn up ambitious growth plans within the world’s largest economy: the US. By 2024, Xebia wants to expand its team in the US to more than 1,000 employees.
Xebia was launched in 2001 as a software specialist and over two decades has grown into a full-service digital transformation consultancy with over 4,500 professionals in over 15 countries. The agency offers IT consulting and various technical pathways on themes such as cloud, data, low-code, data science and automation.
Since the arrival of investor Waterland in 2020, Xebia has been engaged in a full buy-and-build campaign. Goal: To achieve a business value of $1 billion by 2024.
To achieve this ambitious goal, Xebia expects to acquire six companies per year over the next two years.
In the last year, the deal mainly focused on the European market (and India). Five companies were acquired in 2021, bringing in approximately 1,300 professionals. The biggest transaction is Polish PGS software. It added about 800 people to its ranks.
This year, Xebia is focusing its acquisition arrows mainly on the US. The IT consulting firm currently employs around 300 people in the US with offices in Atlanta and San Francisco. The acquisition of 47 Degrees, a deal completed earlier this week, adds about 100 colleagues (some of whom operate in offshore centers outside the US), as well as an office in Seattle.
47 Degrees, founded in 2010 by four friends, focuses on mobile applications. Over the past ten years, the company has grown into an established IT consulting and software specialist.
Commenting on the deal, Nick Ellsberry, CEO of 47 Degrees, said: “We were surprised by how well we align with Sepia’s core principles, mission and values. Finding a partner who puts people first, believes in the power of knowledge sharing and mentoring, and is passionate about continuous growth, innovation and improvement is like finding a gold mine.
Globally, Xebia works with well-known names such as Disney and Tesco, and in our country, among others, with ING and Philips.