Aricent Explained

Aricent/Altran Americas
Type:	Defunct Company (acquired by Altran)
Products:	Product and service engineering (largely digital and software products and services)
Num Employees:	10,000^[1]
Foundation:	1985 (founding of Future Software Communications); 1991 (founding of Hughes Software Systems); merged after acquisition in 2004.
Defunct:	2019
Location:	Santa Clara, California and later New York, New York (USA) Gurgaon, Haryana (India)
Industry:	R&D Services

Aricent was a global design and engineering services company. It was acquired by French-based company Altran in 2018 and renamed Altran North America in April 2019^[2] and Altran Americas in early 2020. With Altran's acquisition by Capgemini, the successors of Aricent are incorporated into Capgemini Engineering and to a lesser extent, Capgemini Invent.

Aricent was best known for developing telecom software which is used by telecom giants such as Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, Nokia Networks, Oracle, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, and Nortel.

History

Aricent is the successor to Hughes Software Systems, which was established in 1991, as a subsidiary of Hughes Electronics,^[3] with funding from Sequoia Capital.^{[4] [5]}

• 1985: Future Software Communications, a TCP/IP stack developer from India which will eventually merge with Hughes Software Systems.^[6]
• 1991: Hughes Software Systems (HSS) founded by KV Ramani in Nehru Place, New Delhi to develop software solutions in the areas of VSAT-based networks for voice and data, cellular wireless telephony, packet switching, and multi-protocol routing. Pioneered the development of Protocol Stacks.^[7]
• 2004: Flextronics bought HSS to form Flextronics Software Systems and merged with Future Software headquartered.^[8] Acquired Frog Design for approximately $25 million.^[9]
• 2005: Expanded development operations in Kyiv, Kherson and Vinnytsia in Ukraine; Randburg, South Africa; and Beijing, China. Was delisted from India's stock market in preparation for sale.
• 2006: Was acquired by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Sequoia Capital as part of a $900 million sales of software companies.^[4] The transaction represented the largest private equity buy-out in Indian history.^[10]
• 2007: Acquired Datalinx; launched service provider offerings.^[11]
• 2008: The Family Office, a multi-family office company with headquarters in Bahrain also joined in funding Aricent.^[12]
• 2011: Rebranded to Aricent Group.^[13]
• 2011: Opened engineering and development center for testing and wireless technologies in Vietnam^[14]
• 2013: Rebranded to Aricent.
• 2015: Acquired SmartPlay Technologies, a semiconductor service based firm for $180 million. As part of the deal, SmartPlay's 1,200-plus staff joined Aricent's staff.
• 2018: Altran acquired Aricent,^{[15] [16]} with Aricent operating as Altran North America in the Americas;
• 2019: Capgemini announced plans to acquire Altran Group ^[17]
• 2020: Capgemini acquired Altran Group in April, with the majority of Altran staff (including most former Aricent employees) incorporated into Capgemini Engineering. Frog incorporated into Capgemini Invent.

See also

• Fortune India 500
• List of companies of India
• Tanla Platforms
• Route Mobile

Notes and References

1. Web site: About Us . Aricent . 2016-05-28 . 2016-03-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160307014502/https://www.aricent.com/about . dead .
2. Web site: About Us. Aricent. May 28, 2016. 27 February 2016. 28 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190128012313/https://www.aricent.com/about/overview. dead.
3. Web site: KKR Current Investments . KKR . 2006-10-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060825033305/http://www.kkr.com/investments/current-invest.html . 2006-08-25 . dead .
4. Web site: Aricent - Sequoia Capital . Sequoia Capital . 2006-10-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20061110065836/http://www.sequoiacap.com/company/aricent/. 10 November 2006 . live.
5. Web site: Aricent Debuts As Communications Software Pure Play . KKR . 2006-10-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061031224639/http://www.kkr.com/news/press_releases/2006/10-26-06.html . 2006-10-31 . dead .
6. https://www.dqindia.com/kv-ramani/
7. News: Flextronics takes over FutureSoft . https://archive.today/20150118023538/http://www.thehindu.com/2004/08/27/stories/2004082703941500.htm . dead . 18 January 2015 . . 27 August 2004.
8. Web site: KV Ramani, Founder, Future Software Pvt Ltd and Ex Chairman, NASSCOM on 'Entrepreneurship and successful business models' . 24 June 2010 . Great Lakes Institute of Management.
9. News: One Great Leap for Frog Design. BusinessWeek. https://web.archive.org/web/20060421132853/http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/apr2006/id20060419_040862.htm. dead. April 21, 2006. 2010-03-04.
10. News: Buyout deal by KKR is India's largest ever . International Herald Tribune . 2006-10-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20061024042626/http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/17/business/kkr.php. 24 October 2006 . live.
11. News: Aricent buys US firm in global market quest . 13 September 2007 . Hindustan Times.
12. Web site: Aricent Announces New Funding from KKR and The Family Office . Aricent . 2008-09-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081009094733/http://www.aricent.com/en/releases/content.press_release/kkr_tfo_investment_2008-09-23.html . 9 October 2008 . dead .
13. Web site: Rebranded to Aricent Group . Aricent . 2011-05-21.
14. News: Aricent opens software center in town - Aricent opens software center in town. Saigon Times. 2015-05-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083833/http://english.thesaigontimes.vn/Home/business/other/15411/. 2016-03-04. dead.
15. Web site: With completion of Aricent acquisition, Altran assumes global leadership in Engineering and R&D Services.
16. News: PM . Indulal . KKR seeks to log out from Aricent, its oldest investment in India . The Economic Times . 2022-03-16.
17. News: Capgemini plans to acquire Altran for 3.6 billion euros. Reuters. 24 June 2019.