Deloitte and EY buy BC tech consultancies

Big Four firms Deloitte and EY on Tuesday both announced the acquisition of technology consulting firms based in British Columbia, with Deloitte buying Striven and EY buying Freshworks Studio.

Founded in 2014 and based in Vancouver, Striven is a technology testing and quality engineering firm that primarily works with mid-market BC clients in government, healthcare, insurance, fintech, and retail. The firm has 20 employees, according to LinkedIn.

Deloitte has previously collaborated with Striven on a number of consulting projects. As part of the acquisition the firm will join Deloitte’s systems engineering offering within its consulting business.

Deloitte CEO Anthony Viel said, “In terms of testing and quality engineering, Striven's team will be of special value for those organizations, large and small, looking to take on large transformation projects, and we’re excited to help and inspire our clients every step of the way.”

The deal is the latest in numerous technology firm bolt-ons for Deloitte since February 2021, when the company opted to sell a significant portion of its regional accounting capabilities to fuel further investment in digital capabilities. Those deals include AE Cloud Consultants, Ouest Business Solutions, Dataperformers, Clockwork, Groundswell Group, and TWG.

Founded in 2016 and based in Kelowna, Freshworks Studio builds applications for healthcare and government clients. The firm’s offerings span service design, UI/UX design, mobile apps, and web development.

Freshworks has built more than 100 mobile and web products, including the BC Vaccine Verifier, Critical Worker Benefits, and Espri by Telus Health.

EY’s acquisition of Freshworks will expand EY Design Studio’s digital strategy, design, and development capabilities. Sam Mod, Rohit Boolchandani, and Shawn Jamieson will join EY as partners, alongside their more than 100-person team.

"We're extremely excited to welcome the team of designers and developers from FreshWorks Studio to help our clients create value and solve problems through memorable digital experiences," said Anthony Rjeily, EY Design Studio leader at EY Canada.

EY earlier this year bought Gensquared, a data and analytics consultancy, and Blackdot, a customer transformation consulting firm.