IBM is deepening its investment in AI-driven consulting with its latest acquisition of Hakkoda, a New York-based data and AI consultancy. The deal, announced Monday, is expected to strengthen IBM’s ability to deliver advanced AI and data transformation services to clients in key industries, including financial services, public sector, and healthcare.
While IBM didn’t disclose the financial terms, the strategic intent is clear. According to Mohamad Ali, IBM’s Senior Vice President and head of its consulting arm. Hakkoda’s capabilities will accelerate IBM’s AI ambitions. “With Hakkoda’s data expertise, deep technology partnerships, and asset-centric delivery model. IBM will be even better-positioned to deliver value faster to clients as they transform with AI,” Ali said in a statement.
Founded in 2021 by former Deloitte GM Erik Duffield, Hakkoda has quickly built a reputation for helping companies modernize legacy data systems. And migrate workloads to cloud platforms — especially Snowflake’s data cloud. It also provides tools to help enterprises transform and manage their data, a key ingredient in enabling scalable AI strategies.
The acquisition brings hundreds of Hakkoda consultants across the U.S., Latin America, India, Europe, and the U.K. into IBM’s growing consulting division. Duffield emphasized that the two companies share a vision for shaping the AI-driven future of business. “From the beginning, Hakkoda has committed to being ‘in the arena,’ not observing the greatest transformation in history but shaping it,” he said. “IBM’s heritage of innovation and deep client relationships are the perfect complement to our mission.”
The move is part of IBM’s broader AI growth strategy, which includes a flurry of recent acquisitions. In February, IBM acquired DataStax, a platform for building generative AI applications. Shortly afterward, it finalized its deal to acquire HashiCorp, an infrastructure and security automation leader. These deals are designed to build an integrated ecosystem for enterprise-grade AI adoption.
So far, the strategy appears to be working. IBM reported its biggest revenue growth in five years during Q4 2024, driven in large part by its AI consulting business. The company says its AI-related bookings and sales have already exceeded $5 billion since inception. A strong indicator that its bets on AI and automation are paying off.
Hakkoda, which had raised $5.6 million in funding from backers like Tercera, Lead Edge Capital, and Casimir Holdings. Now finds itself part of a much larger platform. One that is aggressively scaling its AI consulting services on a global stage.
As the demand for enterprise AI expertise continues to surge, this deal positions IBM to lead the charge. Not just with powerful tools, but with the human insight needed to apply them.
