Persistent acquires Starfish Associates, strengthening its position in AI-powered contact center and unified communications
Persistent Systems announced the intent to acquire New Jersey-based Starfish Associates. This strategic acquisition builds on Persistent’s existing engineering capabilities in the Contact Center and Unified Communications space, expanding its strong AI-driven business transformation capabilities and expertise in driving operational excellence. Known for its cutting-edge Enterprise Communications automation platform, Starfish Associates caters to the world’s largest enterprises including many Fortune 500 companies.
Starfish Associates’ automation platform excels as an intelligent integration hub and workflow engine, facilitating seamless connections across a myriad of business applications and communication systems. It enhances multi-vendor communication management through automation with platforms such as Amazon Connect, Avaya, Cisco, Genesys, and Microsoft Teams. In addition, it integrates with key business applications like ServiceNow, Workday, and Microsoft Active Directory to streamline workflows and operations.
This acquisition brings together Starfish Associates’ innovative platform with Persistent’s leading AI-powered automation capabilities and a strong customer base, enabling significant optimizations, enhanced efficiencies for workflows, and agile responses to dynamic business environments.
Sandeep Kalra, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Persistent:
“Our journey of industry-leading growth continues, fueled by strategic expansion and a deep understanding of our clients’ needs. The integration of Starfish Associates’ platform greatly enhances our unified communications and contact center management offerings as this industry undergoes significant disruption on the back of AI-led innovations. This acquisition paves the way for us to support our global clients to unlock the full potential of these innovations in their contact centers. We are excited to welcome Starfish Associates to the Persistent team and anticipate great success in scaling our operations with Robert, David, and their team.”
Robert Hankin, Co-Founder and Partner, Starfish Associates:
“Since our inception, Starfish Associates has been dedicated to enhancing enterprise management of unified communications and contact centers, always aiming to elevate customer and employee experiences. Joining forces with Persistent presents a new chapter for us, on one hand augmenting our capabilities in integration, automation, and AI-driven contact center transformation, and on the other hand, giving us access to Persistent’s strong customer base.”
David Raanan, Co-Founder and Partner, Starfish Associates:
“Persistent brings unmatched expertise in Digital Engineering and AI automation. Our platforms and solutions align perfectly with Persistent’s strategic objectives, creating robust synergies to propel competitive advantages and streamline operations for enterprises globally.”
Phil Fersht, CEO and Chief Analyst, HFS Research:
“With the acquisition of Starfish Associates, Persistent is positioned to disrupt the Unified Communications and Contact Center markets. The firm’s industry-leading growth and distinct culture make this an exciting proposition to watch as the need for AI-enabled transformation from enterprises demands trusted providers with multi-platform experience in UC and Contact Centers to drive both enhanced customer experiences and operational efficiencies. The synergies between Persistent and Starfish Associates bring immediate benefits to Persistent’s clients and position the firm aggressively in the customer experience market, further highlighting its broad-based AI capabilities.”
