West Monroe Partners, a Top 100 Vertical Market MSP for 2019, has acquired GoKart Labs, a Minneapolis-based digital product studio. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
GoKart’s capabilities will be used to create digital products and experiences for clients and build scalable technology platforms, West Monroe asserts.
Founded in 2009 by Son Smithmier and A.J. Meyer, GoKart Labs employs more than 50 people. The deal will double West Monroe's presence in Minneapolis, where the firm has operated since 2013. The acquired business will continue to work out of Minneapolis but serve clients internationally as West Monroe builds out additional studios in other offices, the company said.
West Monroe Partners Acquires GoKart Labs: Executive Perspectives
Greg Layok, managing director of West Monroe’s national technology practice, commented on the news:
“GoKart Labs blends business and creative skills to solve business issues and provide greater value and differentiation for their clients, aligning perfectly with our approach for driving value through our uncommon blend of business and technology expertise. When you incorporate GoKart Labs’ iterative design thinking and product expertise into West Monroe’s proven consulting approach and deep-rooted industry teams, our clients will be able to achieve even better returns, faster, for their digital transformation efforts.”
Tom Ewers, managing director and leader of West Monroe’s Minneapolis office, added:
“GoKart Labs’ ability to invent, design, and build custom digital experiences for industry-leading companies particularly aligns well with a large part of West Monroe’s client base. West Monroe has also found a great company, with strong alignment on culture values, as well as extraordinary creative talent. I couldn’t be happier that it’s in Minneapolis.”
GoKart Labs Co-founder Don Smithmier concluded:
“In West Monroe, we found a company that shares our values and entrepreneurial spirit, while also bringing a huge array of complementary skills to help scale the important work we do for category-leading clients. This gives our team immediate access to a national brand presence and 1,400 colleagues with deep industry knowledge and end-to-end digital skills, all of which will significantly amplify results for clients and present new opportunities for our people.”
Smithmier will join West Monroe as a senior director on the digital team. Co-founder A.J. Meyer also joins West Monroe as an Innovation Fellow.
West Monroe Partners: Acquisition Experience
This is West Monroe’s second acquisition of 2019 and the largest in the firm’s 17-year history. In April, the company bought Chicago-based Waterstone Management Group, an advisory firm for private equity companies and Fortune 500 companies.
