Waracle acquires Inov8 Consulting to bolster AI and data practice

What's the deal? Dundee-headquartered digital product consultancy Waracle has acquired Edinburgh-based Inov8 Consulting, a cloud and data services firm founded in 2011 with 28 staff. The deal strengthens Waracle's data and artificial intelligence practice and supports plans to grow its workforce from nearly 300 to 500 across the UK and Bulgaria.

Waracle operates from sites in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, and Sofia, serving clients in financial services, energy, health, and the public sector. Inov8 specialises in AI, cloud, and data services.

Why now? Waracle has been actively building out its data and AI practice since early 2025. Chief executive David Tuck said the company "worked really hard to find a data and artificial intelligence consultancy that matched our ambitions, values and culture."

Inov8 founder and chief executive Brian Graham said joining forces "will provide a great opportunity to be part of Waracle's continued growth."

What could go wrong? Integrating a 28-person specialist team into a nearly 300-strong consultancy always carries culture and retention risk. Waracle's ambition to grow headcount to 500 also means it will need to keep winning new business at scale to justify the expansion.

The signal: The deal reflects a broader trend of mid-sized consultancies acquiring niche AI and data firms to stay competitive. As enterprise demand for AI capabilities accelerates, building in-house expertise through acquisition is often faster than organic hiring — especially in a tight market for data talent.

Read more: bdaily.co.uk