Melbourne's Ackama acquires fellow digital consultancy Common Code for $2.7 million

Melbourne-based digital consultancy Ackama has announced it has acquired software development and digital services specialist Common Code for $2.7 million.

In its announcement, Ackama said the acquisition would better enable it to compete with larger IT players and deliver large scale projects while maintaining its premium software development services. Adding Common Code also bolsters its capabilities in product management, User Experience, cloud-native development and DevOps services.

The combined entity will have 60 total staff, including tech developers, consultants and designers, and is expected to generate revenue of some $11 million, 75 percent of which is realised in Australia. The Common Code brand will continue to operate “for the foreseeable future” and there are no immediate plans to change the teams’ structures as it aims to have a headcount of 100 employees by 2023.

“Ackama is not driven by an obsession for fast growth, but rather sustainable growth with an emphasis on excellence and delivering quality digital services to Aussie socially-focused businesses,” Ackama founder and chief executive Breccan McLeod-Lundy said.

“In the world of tech consultancies, this is a key differentiator that I think makes us and Common Code special partners for organisations.”

Ackama was first founded in 2010 in Wellington, New Zealand as Rabid Technologies by McLeod-Lundy, with co-founder Josh Forde joining as a director shortly after. The web and app developer rebranded to Ackama after expanding into Australia following its acquisition of web developer Squareweave in August 2018. The company specialises in cloud platforms, open-source software and end-user design services.

Common Code was founded in Melbourne also in 2010 by Daryl Anthony, eventually growing into a 30-person consultancy with customers like global renewable energy player Octopus Energy, Ikea, Kogan.com and Cotton On.

Breccan McLeod-Lundy said of Common Code, “When we met over coffee in Melbourne, we instantly realised that we had shared values and vision and that together there was an opportunity to increase our capacity to help communities or businesses create a better world.”

“We are really enthusiastic about starting a new chapter of our story with such a like-minded team.”

The announcement said the two companies have collaborated in a number of customer projects, including The Good Sports programme for the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, headspace (the National Youth Mental Health Foundation), the Victorian Women’s Trust, State Library Victoria, the Victorian Public Sector Commission and the New Zealand Sign Language Dictionary. The companies have also worked together in some undisclosed projects with both the Australian and New Zealand Governments.

Commenting on the acquisition, Common Code’s Anthony said the company found “the perfect partner” in Ackama.

“This is a value partnership that is greater than either company could create on their own and an opportunity to further develop tech communities in other APAC ecosystems,” Anthony said.

“As founder of Common Code I’m proud of the role we’ve played over the last decade and am excited for the role we’ll play in the future with Ackama.”