Akili (pronounced (uh • kē’ • lē) meaning “knowledge” in Swahili) is a business management and technology consulting firm founded in 1992, with locations in Dallas, Denver, and Atlanta. Our core purpose is to improve the business performance of our clients through the application of people, process and technology.
Akili delivers industry focused solutions for Global 2000 companies. Akili’s consultants have functional and technical expertise, project management skills, solution architecture, application configuration, data management, integration and training skills.
Whether clients are looking for an on-premise or a cloud-based solution, Akili can deliver the best combination of technology and consulting to ensure our client’s business objectives are met.
COMPANY HISTORY
October 2016
Akili becomes authorized implementer of SAP S/4HANA® Cloud for Enterprise Resource Planning.
April 2015
Akili Announces Its XStream Upstream Oil & Gas Solution as a Certified SAP® Business All-in-One Partner Solution.
May 2014
Akili becomes an Anaplan partner, adding Anaplan’s Planning Platform for Finance, Sales and Operations to its solutions offerings.
August 2012
Dominant SAP account wins in the oil and gas industry enable Akili to double in employee count and expand our offerings into Program Management, Data Conversion and Enterprise Resource Planning solutions.
May 2008
Akili’s partnership for Corporate Performance Management shifts to SAP. Akili’s expertise in SAP Business Planning and Consolidation becomes a dominant offering across the South-central US.
February 2006
From 2000 to 2006 Akili weathered the dot.com collapse along with the rest of the technology industry. Emerging in 2006 with a renewed vision for system configuration and platform integration. Outlooksoft was leveraged for Akili’s Corporate Performance Management projects.
September 1999
Akili continued to double in revenue every two years from 1995 to 1999. The employee count steadily grew to 250 with Shiek Shah focusing on the custom development work and Andrew Thorby leading the process work. Akili’s momentum and ability to attract the highest quality talent set them up to receive a valuation of $60M in 1999.
May 1998
Akili offices move to a 28,000 sq.ft. space on the 15th floor of Downtown Dallas’ Bryan Tower.
July 1995
CFO, Shamir Shah, both a trusted financial advisor and brother to Shiek Shah, joins Akili as company revenues reach $100K. The company went on to exceeded $1M within the same year.
June 1994
Akili’s Core Values are established, laying the foundation for all major decisions personally for Co-CEOs Shiek Shah and Andrew Thorby, but also steering both internal and client-facing decisions for Akili’s growing employee count as well.
January 1994
After a joint financial investment of $20K and 18 months of deal pursuits, Akili won their first major client engagement with JCPenny Insurance.
November 1993
After a year of contract consulting work, commuting weekly together from Dallas, TX to Monroe, LA, Shiek Shah and Andrew Thorby’s shared vision to start their own company was born. They named it Akili (pronounced (uh • kē’ • lē) meaning “knowledge” in Swahili) and settled into 3000 sq.ft. of a 3rd floor Dallas office building on Oak Lawn Ave.
April 1992
Shiek Shah, a native Indian who grew up in Kenya, and Andrew Thorby, an Australian, met at a bar over $.25 all-you-can-eat oysters in Monroe, LA. Their rapport and like-mindedness stemmed from their Commonwealth countries of origin, the ingrained business ethics taught them by their fathers, and their strong belief in scenario-based technology solution design.
RECOGNITION
Best Companies to Work for in Texas 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019
Inc. 500 / 5000 1999 2000 2012 2013 2014 2015
Dallas 100 1997 1998 1999 2009 2013
National Minority Supplier Development Council