UCL-founded AI startup acquired by Accenture in $1 billion deal said to be largest of its kind in the UK
Faculty, previously called the Advanced Skills Initiative, launched in 2014 to develop AI tools and technology. It was founded by UCL graduates Marc Warner (PhD Physics and Astronomy), Angie Ma (PhD Physics), and Andy Brookes.
Since 2023, Faculty has been working with Accenture, providing AI consultancy services and products. In a deal said to be worth more than $1 billion. Accenture has announced plans to acquire the startup. All 400 members of the Faculty team are expected to move over to Accenture.
Writing on LinkedIn, Alan Hudson, Founding General Partner at one of Faculty’s investors, Mercuri, hailed the deal as the “first UK tech unicorn of 2026”.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed working with the Faculty AI team over the years and we have learned a lot from them along the way. We are proud to have been an investor in the company given all it has achieved and its forward thinking approach to responsible AI. We wish the entire Faculty AI team every success in their exciting next chapter,” he added.
Warner, who served as CEO at Faculty and will now move to the role of Chief Technology Officer at Accenture, comments: “Our vision has always been a world in which safe AI delivers widespread benefits to humanity.
“We have spent the last ten years supporting our clients to bring this world about, step by step. As AI advances rapidly, the ambition of our clients is now, rightly, no less than the reinvention of their business. I am delighted that by teaming up with Accenture, we have everything in place to support AI transformation from start to finish.”
