Accenture has purchased a stake in KETOS, a California startup with a software system that can monitor water quality across more than 30 parameters.

Accenture is one of the world’s largest consulting firms. It generated more than $61 billion in revenue last year, mostly from selling IT consulting services to large corporations.

Accenture operates a business unit called Accenture Ventures that invests in startups developing promising new technologies. Accenture Ventures led the investment in KETOS.

Accenture Ventures has two main priorities when it buys a stake in a startup. One is to realize a return on its investment, while the other is to help its parent company foster ties with startups in which it invests. 

As an IT consultancy, Accenture has a lot to gain from building relationships with tomorrow’s leading software companies. Investing in a tech company while it’s still a startup is an effective way of getting it into the Accenture ecosystem. 

KETOS sells a software system that uses sensors to collect data about the water running through a pipe. It not only collects the data, but also analyzes it for useful insights and generates visualizations that make the findings easier to understand. 

KETOS’ software is used in many different areas.

Agricultural firms rely on the software to measure nutrient levels in the water that they utilize to irrigate crops. By gaining a more complete picture of the nutrients that its crops receive, a firm can make better decisions about how to manage its agricultural operations.

KETOS also markets its software to plant operators. Automakers, for instance, can use the startup’s software to measure metrics such as the temperature and conductivity of the water that they use during car manufacturing.

Besides tracking what’s in the water that a firm uses, KETOS also measures how the quantity of water used. Firms can use the startup’s software to understand their water usage and plan future procurement deals accordingly. 

“Stakeholders can use KETOS to easily access water quality data in real-time and turn it into insights-driven decisions that can positively impact efficiency, operations, yield, compliance, treatment and much more,” commented KETOS founder and CEO Meena Sankaran.

The investment from Accenture is a major milestone for KETOS for multiple reasons.

One reason is that winning Accenture’s approval carries a lot of marketing weight in the business software market. Another reason the investment is a notable win for KETOS is that Accenture provides the startups in which it invests access to a program called Project Spotlight.

Through Project Spotlight, Accenture connects startups with Global 2000 firms in its customer base. This gives startups access to a large pool of potential clients, as well as opportunities to better understand customer requirements.

The relationship with Accenture would prove especially valuable for KETOS if the consulting giant decides to bundle the startup’s technology with its IT advisory services. 

The next time Accenture is working on a client project that involves optimizing water usage or quality, its employees could potentially use KETOS’ software to support their work. Such an arrangement, if realized, could become a major source of revenue for the startup. 

“Companies like KETOS can help manage the flow of data for our clients and partners as they continue to seek better measurement tools and capabilities to deliver on the promise of sustainability,” commented Accenture Ventures managing director Tom Lounibos.

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