The leading global professional services company, Accenture has announced it’s appointed Tom Lounibos to lead Accenture Ventures as its new managing director as it builds out the VC branch of the company.
Lounibos, who’s garnered a reputation as a "serial entrepreneur," has founded six software startups. He's taken two of these companies, Knowledgeware and Sageant Technology, public. Meanwhile, the other four have been sold to larger software companies. It's interesting to note that Accenture Ventures was an investor in his most recent project, SOASTA, which was acquired by Akamai.
"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."
The technology entrepreneur is also an expert in cloud application development. His expertise has earned him board positions at many Silicon Valley companies and a 10-month long position as entrepreneur-in-residence at Crosspoint Venture Partners.
Launched in 2015, Accenture Ventures goes above and beyond making investments in startups, but also works with founders on ideas while helping burgeoning entrepreneurs understand the markets, building relationships and driving organic growth. Accenture Ventures also invests in companies that can help its existing client base, are already either partnered with the professional services company or will become partners with the investment.
"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 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."
This wasn't Accenture Ventures' only announcement. The company also published that Jake Kaldenbaugh, a former entrepreneur, technology executive, and investment banker would come on as managing director. In this role, he will oversee the global investment strategy of the venture arm. He was previously the founder and managing director of CloudStrategies, a cloud-computing solutions provider.
