ET Medialabs
2025
Why
performance marketing and analytics agency
Impact
Expanded digital footprint
Outcome
Integrated into firm
McKinsey & Company
Management Consulting and Strategic AdvisoryFounded 1926- HQ today: New York, NY
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026
Acquisitions
McKinsey Acquisitions
4
Major Deals Covered
What are McKinsey's biggest acquisitions?
This page covers 4 major deals from 2022 to 2025, each with its price where disclosed and the reason behind it.
- Major deals covered
- 4
- First deal
- 2022
- Most recent
- 2025
| Company | Year | Price | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| ET Medialabs | 2025 | Undisclosed | performance marketing and analytics agency |
| Strategic Estimating Systems | 2024 | Undisclosed | cost estimating and economic evaluation for capital projects |
| Iguazio | 2023 | Undisclosed | AI and machine-learning platform |
| SCM Connections | 2022 | Undisclosed | technology-enabled supply chain planning and analytics |
- What companies has McKinsey bought?
- Major acquisitions by McKinsey documented here include ET Medialabs (2025), Strategic Estimating Systems (2024), Iguazio (2023) and SCM Connections (2022).
- What is McKinsey's most recent acquisition?
- The most recent McKinsey acquisition documented here is ET Medialabs, in 2025.
Strategic Estimating Systems
2024
Why
cost estimating and economic evaluation for capital projects
Impact
Deepened energy expertise
Outcome
Integrated into firm
Iguazio
2023
Why
AI and machine-learning platform
Impact
Integrated into QuantumBlack
Outcome
Integrated into QuantumBlack
SCM Connections
2022
Why
technology-enabled supply chain planning and analytics
Impact
Enhanced supply chain practice
Outcome
Integrated into firm
McKinsey & Company's Growth & Acquisition Strategy
Since 2021 McKinsey has pushed beyond advice into implementation, technology and AI. QuantumBlack is the center of that push, supported by tuck-in acquisitions in data engineering, supply-chain planning, capital-project estimating and digital marketing. Internally, the firm rolled out its Lilli generative AI platform and by January 2026 reported about 25,000 AI agents working alongside roughly 40,000 people. Recruiting has also changed: in 2026 McKinsey began testing graduate candidates on how they work with AI tools.
How McKinsey & Company Makes Money
McKinsey makes money by charging fees for professional services. Clients pay for project teams, usually priced per team per week, and increasingly through multi-year transformation programs and some outcome-linked arrangements. Work spans corporate strategy and M&A, operations and supply chain, marketing and sales, organization and people, risk, sustainability, and technology and AI delivery through QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey. It does not sell products at scale; the economics depend on billable utilization, pricing power and partner leverage.
McKinsey Acquisitions FAQ
Why did McKinsey acquire QuantumBlack in 2015 and what was its impact?
In 2015, McKinsey acquired UK-based data analytics firm QuantumBlack, which originally developed real-time telemetry analytics for Formula 1 racing teams. QuantumBlack became the foundation of 'QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey,' expanding the firm's capabilities in machine learning, neural networks, and production-grade enterprise AI engineering.
What was McKinsey's acquisition of Veryday and how did it expand design consulting?
In 2016, McKinsey acquired Swedish design agency Veryday (one of the world's oldest and most decorated industrial design firms) and merged it into McKinsey Design. This allowed McKinsey to offer end-to-end product design, user experience (UX) architecture, and customer-centric physical hardware engineering alongside corporate strategy.
How did the acquisition of Candid Partners strengthen McKinsey's cloud capabilities?
In 2020, McKinsey acquired Candid Partners, an Atlanta-based cloud consulting and technology services firm. The deal brought hundreds of certified enterprise cloud architects into McKinsey Digital to help Fortune 500 clients migrate legacy IT architectures to AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.
Why did McKinsey acquire Inceptez and how did it bolster software engineering?
McKinsey acquired specialized engineering and cloud data firms like Inceptez to build internal data engineering muscle, enabling the firm to build and deploy complex data pipelines, lakehouses, and real-time streaming architectures required for generative AI deployments.
What was the acquisition of Squeend and supply chain analytics assets?
McKinsey acquired specialized supply chain tech startups and procurement analytics software firms (such as Orpheus in 2020) to create 'Spend Intelligence' platforms, providing corporate clients with automated spend categorization, supplier risk tracking, and procurement cost-reduction software.
How does McKinsey integrate acquisitions into its strict partnership culture?
Unlike tech holding companies that maintain separate brands, McKinsey typically absorbs acquired companies directly into its functional practices (e.g., McKinsey Digital, QuantumBlack, McKinsey Sustainability), integrating acquired founders and technologists into the firm's standardized partnership track.
What role do strategic acquisitions play in McKinsey's rivalry with tech consultancies?
Strategic acquisitions in AI, cloud, design, and cybersecurity allow McKinsey to compete directly against digital systems integrators like Accenture and IBM, providing clients with comprehensive end-to-end strategic design and operational execution under one trusted brand.
Has McKinsey ever acquired financial advisory or investment banking firms?
No. McKinsey has deliberately avoided acquiring investment banks, audit firms, or brokerages to avoid severe conflicts of interest, regulatory entanglements under SEC rules, and maintain its position as an unconflicted, pure-play strategic management advisor.
Does McKinsey acquire other companies?
Historically, never; they relied entirely on organic, elite hiring. However, as "Digital Transformation" became a multi-billion dollar market, McKinsey realized they lacked pure tech and design talent. They launched "McKinsey Digital" and began aggressively acquiring highly specialized boutique agencies (like the elite design firm Lunar in 2015) to directly compete with massive tech integrators like Accenture.
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