Accenture Ventures to forge new relationships with entrepreneurs, accelerating innovation for Accenture and its clients

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has appointed veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneur Tom Lounibos to lead Accenture Ventures as its new Managing Director.

Mr. Lounibos joins Accenture Ventures following a decades-long career as a highly successful technology entrepreneur and founder of six different software startups. He took two of those companies public (Knowledgeware and Sagent Technology) and sold the other four to larger software companies. Accenture Ventures was an investor in his most recent company, SOASTA, which was later acquired by Akamai.

Tom Lounibos, managing director Accenture Ventures

“Tom’s proven track record as an entrepreneur and his wealth of venture capital expertise makes him the ideal person to help us take Accenture Ventures to the next level,” said Paul Daugherty, group chief executive – Technology and chief technology officer at Accenture. “His vast network of contacts in the global VC community, and ability to connect with and earn the trust of startup founders, will be invaluable as we grow Accenture Ventures and extend our innovation at Accenture and for our clients.”

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An expert in cloud application development and an advocate of quality online user experiences, Mr. Lounibos has four decades of experience serving in executive roles at early-stage software companies and often consults with the CEOs of innovative application software and mobile startups. His sought-after expertise earned him board positions at several Silicon Valley companies and a position as entrepreneur-in-residence at Crosspoint Venture Partners.

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“As an entrepreneur, joining Accenture Ventures presents a unique opportunity to help emerging, innovative startups create and grow, and also collaborate with some of the most admired companies in the world,” said Mr. Lounibos. “I’m especially looking forward to working with the Accenture team on developing new ideas and concepts that we can bring to market together with our clients.”

In addition, the company named former entrepreneur, technology executive and investment banker Jake Kaldenbaugh as Managing Director, overseeing the venture arm’s global investment strategy. Mr. Kaldenbaugh was previously the founder and managing director of CloudStrategies and he served as vice president of corporate development at CA Technologies, where he oversaw strategic corporate development across the company’s DevOps, mobility, cloud and analytics initiatives. He was also a senior banking leader at GrowthPoint Technology Partners, an emerging growth investment bank.

Launched in 2015, Accenture Ventures acts as a bridge to the global innovation ecosystem by bringing Accenture’s clients together with best-in-class, enterprise-relevant startups to unlock their growth potential and accelerate digital transformation. A vital part of the Accenture Innovation Architecture, Accenture Ventures also makes targeted equity investments in emerging technology startups, matching their capabilities with the business needs and priorities of Accenture’s clients.

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