Accenture Invests in Operational Resilience and Supply Chain Cybersecurity Company Interos

Rhea-AI Summary

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has made a strategic investment in Interos, a company specializing in operational resilience and supply chain risk management. The investment aims to enhance supply chain transparency and risk management using AI and machine learning. Interos' platform analyzes various supply chain issues in real-time, addressing vulnerabilities that could result in significant financial losses. With a valuation exceeding $1 billion, Interos joins Accenture Ventures' Project Spotlight, which connects tech startups with major corporations for strategic innovation.

Positive

• Strategic investment in Interos enhances Accenture's supply chain risk management capabilities.
• Interos platform provides real-time monitoring of supply chain risks, potentially reducing financial losses for clients.
• Interos has a valuation exceeding $1 billion, indicating strong market potential and growth.

Negative

• Terms of the investment were not disclosed, creating uncertainty about the financial implications for Accenture.
• Dependence on the performance of Interos may pose risks if the startup fails to deliver expected outcomes.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has made a strategic investment, through Accenture Ventures, in Interos, an operational resilience and supply chain risk management company that uses machine learning to monitor global business relationships and identify risks.

Accenture Makes Strategic Investment in Interos (Photo: Business Wire)

The Interos platform uses AI and machine learning to monitor and analyze a wide array of supply chain issues in real time across multiple risk categories, including financial, operational, governance, geographic, and cybersecurity. The company’s Operational Resilience Cloud contains more than 30 million unique entities sourced from public, academic, government and commercial data sets.

“Organizations need a better way to understand not only their own cybersecurity vulnerabilities, but potential risks across the entire scope of their supply chains,” said Kelly Bissell, who leads Accenture Security globally. “With Interos, we can help our clients see the typical ‘blind spots’ in their global supply chains. Through a holistic, real-time view of global business relationships and developments, they can review, monitor and anticipate cyber threats and other risks to their business that might normally go unnoticed until it’s too late.”

Jennifer Bisceglie, CEO of Interos said, “The ongoing disruption to the global supply chain, which continues to escalate, has brought the issue of risk and resilience from the back room to the board room. Our research has shown that large companies are losing an average of $184 million annually because of supply chain disruption. There has never been a stronger case for automated and continuous supply chain monitoring which can only be accomplished with AI and machine learning capabilities. This investment from Accenture will allow us to plug into new markets across the globe and bring real-time, effective insight and operational resilience to companies urgently trying improve their supply chain management.”

With a current valuation of more than $1 billion USD, Interos is the latest company to join Accenture Ventures’ Project Spotlight, an engagement and investment program that connects emerging technology software startups with the Global 2000 to fill strategic innovation gaps. Project Spotlight offers extensive access to Accenture’s domain expertise and its enterprise clients, helping startups harness human creativity and deliver on the promise of their technology.

New Accenture research shows why organizations should think beyond securing their own enterprises to better secure their vendor ecosystems. Accenture’s 2021 State of Cyber Resilience report reveals that despite two-thirds (67%) of organizations believing that their ecosystem is secure, indirect attacks accounted for 61% of all cyberattacks this past year, up from 44% the prior year.

“Supply chain visibility is one of the biggest issues in business resiliency today, and as corporate relationship networks continue to grow, this problem will only become more and more complex,” said Kris Timmermans, Accenture’s Supply Chain & Operations global lead. “Accenture Ventures’ investment in Interos will transform the way our clients see into their own ecosystems and will help safely accelerate their growth. From a whole new angle, clients will get clear picture of their supply chain and potential threats to their business operations, including cyber risks they should prioritize and address.”

Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services—all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 624,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Accenture Security is a leading provider of end-to-end cybersecurity services, including advanced cyber defense, applied cybersecurity solutions and managed security operations. We bring security innovation, coupled with global scale and a worldwide delivery capability through our network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Helped by our team of highly skilled professionals, we enable clients to innovate safely, build cyber resilience and grow with confidence. Follow us @AccentureSecure on Twitter, LinkedIn or visit us at www.accenture.com/security.

About Interos
Interos is the operational resilience company — reinventing how companies manage their supply chains and business relationships — through our breakthrough SaaS platform that uses artificial intelligence to model and transform the ecosystems of complex businesses into a living global map, down to any single supplier, anywhere. Reducing months of backward-looking manual spreadsheet inputs to instant visualizations and continuous monitoring, the Interos Operational Resilience Cloud helps organizations reduce risk, avoid disruptions, and achieve superior enterprise adaptability. Businesses can also uncover game-changing opportunities to radically change the way they see, learn and profit from their relationships. Based in Washington, DC, Interos serves global clients with business-critical, independent relationships across their primary operational areas: supply chain, financial, cybersecurity, regulatory and ESG compliance, and geographical. The fast-growing private company is led by CEO Jennifer Bisceglie and supported by investors Kleiner Perkins, NightDragon, and Venrock. For more information, visit www.interos.ai.

Copyright © 2021 Accenture. All rights reserved. Accenture and its logo are trademarks of Accenture.

This content is provided for general information purposes and is not intended to be used in place of consultation with our professional advisors. This document refers to marks owned by third parties. All such third-party marks are the property of their respective owners. No sponsorship, endorsement or approval of this content by the owners of such marks is intended, expressed or implied.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211206005073/en/

Alison Geib

Accenture

+1 703-947-4404

alison.geib@accenture.com

Denise Berard

Accenture

+1 617-488-3611

denise.berard@accenture.com

Zehra Medi-Barlas

Interos

+1 404-704-6156

zmehdibarlas@interos.ai

Source: Accenture

FAQ

What company did Accenture invest in?

Accenture invested in Interos, a supply chain risk management company.

How does Interos enhance supply chain management?

Interos uses AI and machine learning to monitor and analyze supply chain risks in real-time.

What is Interos' valuation following Accenture's investment?

Interos has a valuation exceeding $1 billion.

What role does Accenture Ventures play in this investment?

Accenture Ventures' Project Spotlight connects emerging tech startups like Interos with major corporations.

What are the potential financial impacts of this investment for Accenture?

The financial terms of the investment were not disclosed, leaving some uncertainty about its implications.