iSoftStone Buys Akona

iSoftStone Information Service Corp., a Beijing-based provider of IT consulting and software services, has agreed to acquire Akona Consulting, a Seattle-based business and technology consultancy. No financial terms were disclosed. iSoftStone has raised VC funding from AsiaVest Partners, Infotech Ventures, Mitsui & Co. and Fidelity Asia Ventures.

PRESS RELEASE

Today iSoftStone Information Service Corporation (iSoftStone) and Akona Consulting announced they have finalized their agreement whereby iSoftStone will acquire Akona Consulting, a business and technology consulting firm headquartered in Seattle, Wash., USA.  With the acquisition of Akona, iSoftStone will significantly grow their United States operations and expand their core offerings into strategic business services which include research, business strategy and interactive design.

“This combination allows us to strategically expand our business through Akona’s well respected presence in the United States”, said T.W. Liu, Chief Executive Officer of iSoftStone.  “Our customers are continuously asking us to provide a combination of off-shore technology capabilities as well as local, on-site business consulting services.  As such, we look forward expanding our presence through Akona’s business service offerings as we grow globally, particularly in the United States and Europe.”

The resulting combined firm will provide customers a single, full-service consulting organization that has the best of local, on-shore consulting services across a number of market needs with the economic and scale benefits of an off-shore partner capable of delivering across a number of strategic IT service offerings.

“The services that Akona offers are the perfect complement to what iSoftStone is already doing overseas,” said Lincoln Popp, Chief Executive Officer of Akona Consulting.  “By combining our business consulting service offerings with iSoftStone’s technical and engineering resources, we think we’ll have a great advantage in delivering value to our combined customer base.”

Akona, which was founded in 2004 by Anders Brown and Lincoln Popp, delivers integrated consulting services across four key disciplines: 

Research and Strategy – Business strategy consulting, market research, brand and digital strategy, and analytical services.

Creative and Interactive Design – Web and interactive design, content strategy and development, and interactive marketing.

Project Leadership – Project management, staff augmentation, process analysis, and technical consulting.

Application Development – System integration, application development, product engineering, ERP system analysis, and asset management.

Akona was recently named the 19th largest software developer in the Pacific Northwest by the Puget Sound Business Journal.

 “We are very excited to continue the investments we’ve made here in the Pacific Northwest, and to help grow the U.S. and Europe business for iSoftStone,” said Anders Brown, President and Chairman of Akona.  “The Akona service offerings are only going to get stronger and more comprehensive with this combination.”

About iSoftStone

iSoftStone Information Service Corporation (iSoftStone) is a leading IT outsourcing service provider in China. Headquartered in Beijing, China, iSoftStone has offices in the United States, Japan, Korea, as well as many Chinese cities. iSoftStone is a CMMI Level 5 company and has been certified with ISO9001 and ISO27001(BS7799).  iSoftStone focuses on several vertical markets, including Financial Services, Telecommunications, High Tech, Oil and Gas, and Transportation and Logistics. iSoftStone is also rapidly expanding into new business areas such as Business Process Outsourcing.  For more information, visit www.isoftstone.com.

About Akona Consulting

Akona is an integrated consulting company, creating results based on insight and innovation to meet clients’ strategic business goals. Founded in 2004, Akona has developed a proven track record in the marketplace for solving complex business problems and delivering on-target results.  For more information, visit www.akonaconsulting.com.