Accenture Makes Strategic Investment in Pipeline to Accelerate Gender Parity in the Workplace

August 06, 2021 at 07:59 AM EDT

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has made a strategic investment, through Accenture Ventures, in Pipeline, a Denver-based startup that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to increase financial performance by closing the gender equity gap.

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Accenture makes a strategic investment in Pipeline to accelerate gender parity in the workplace.

Pipeline’s cloud-based AI platform helps companies assess, address and action against gender biases. By analyzing hiring, pay, performance, potential and promotion data, Pipeline helps organizations quickly identify internal areas of unconscious bias to make gender equity actionable and attainable, providing recommendations that support improved financial performance for the organization, as well as growth for the individual. It’s a significant opportunity: Pipeline research found that for every 10% increase in intersectional gender equity, organizations realize a 1-2% percent increase in revenue.

“History has demonstrated that financial incentives and good intentions alone will not close gender equity gaps, which have become even more pronounced in the wake of the pandemic,” said Katica Roy, founder and CEO of Pipeline. “By putting a laser focus on these issues at the corporate level, and with the close collaboration and investment from Accenture, Pipeline looks forward to accelerating its impact in the market.”

Pipeline is part of Project Spotlight, the exclusive Accenture Ventures program that offers unprecedented access to Accenture’s technology domain expertise and its enterprise clients. Through the program, Pipeline will co-innovate with Accenture at its Innovation Hubs, Labs and Liquid Studios, working with subject matter experts to adapt its solutions to the enterprise market and scale faster and more effectively.

“Today’s C-suite leaders are driving responsible business practices, which include ensuring a workforce that’s inclusive and diverse in every way,” said Christie Smith, global lead for Talent & Organization / Human Potential at Accenture. “Pipeline’s data-driven analytical platform provides a solution for organizations to close the gender equity gap, create strong cultures, and unlock new sources of value that increase financial performance.”

As the latest Accenture Ventures investment to align with Accenture Talent & Organization / Human Potential, Pipeline joins Beamery, a London-based startup that uses AI technology to help companies attract, engage and retain talent at a global scale and SkyHive, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based startup that uses AI and quantum analysis to facilitate labor market transformation, reskilling and learning.

Tom Lounibos, managing director, Accenture Ventures, added, “Our investment in Pipeline aligns with Accenture Ventures’ commitment to cultivate the latest technologies, enhanced by human ingenuity, that solve for our clients’ most important challenges. Pipeline can help our clients stop unconscious bias in the workplace and increase financial performance, allowing them to do well while doing good.”

About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services—all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 569,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit www.accenture.com.

Accenture’s Talent & Organization / Human Potential connects people and technology to unlock human ingenuity and drive enterprise wide change. To learn more, visit https://www.accenture.com/us-en/services/talent-organization-human-potential-index.

About Pipeline

Pipeline is a Denver-based technology company that increases the financial performance of companies by closing the gender equity gap. Pipeline's proprietary SaaS platform uses artificial intelligence to assess, address and action against the gender biases costing the U.S. alone $2 trillion. A component of the platform, the Pipeline Forecast™, provides a clear view of the timeline for investment and projected returns. This issue is not just about good sense, this is about dollars. Big dollars that turn heads to create social change. For more information, visit PipelineEquity.com.