M&AAug 4, 2026, 15:20 UTC

France's Artefact buys Belgian AI consultancy Agilytic in Benelux push

What's the deal? Artefact, a French data and AI consulting firm, has acquired Agilytic, a Belgian consultancy of 30 data and AI specialists. Over 10 years, Agilytic has run more than 400 projects in Belgium and abroad, serving health insurers, banks, and retailers.

Why now? The deal follows Artefact's January acquisition of Dutch firm Ofi Services, reinforcing its Benelux platform. From Brussels, the group aims to serve companies in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and northern France.

What's the endgame? Artefact wants Agilytic's team as much as its client base. "Les talents, dans ces domaines, ne sont pas faciles à trouver," said Robin Verschuren, AI Tech Lead at Artefact's Brussels office, noting the addition helps the firm grow faster. Artefact already employs about 20 people in Brussels and is recruiting continuously.

By the numbers: Artefact became a unicorn — a company valued above €1 billion — in July 2025 after British private equity fund Cinven took a stake. The group now counts more than 2,500 consultants, engineers, and data scientists across 27 countries.

For Agilytic, the sale is a strategic move rather than a forced exit. "Notre mission reste identique," said Julien Theys. "Nous disposons simplement de plus de moyens pour y parvenir."

What's next? Chief executive officer and co-founder Vincent Luciani told Le Figaro he wants around 15 more acquisitions and revenue of €800 million within five years, up from the €300 million projected this year. Artefact is expanding in the US, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

The signal: Unlike broad consulting giants such as Accenture, Deloitte, BCG, and McKinsey, Artefact bets on deep data and AI specialisation. Its buying spree shows how well-funded specialists are consolidating scarce AI talent to outpace larger, generalist rivals.