Company History

Originally founded in Cambridge, MA, by Jerry Greenberg and J. Stuart Moore, Sapient began as a digital consulting firm specializing in IT innovation. As the Harvard Business Review highlighted, Sapient notably implemented a fixed-time, fixed-price approach to IT consulting projects, separating us from the competition.

As the dot-com boom unfolded, we continued to build our client base and grow our revenue. Digital innovation was at a historic high point, and Sapient was at the forefront of developing digital expertise.

While the dot-com crash saw many businesses shut down their online storefronts and scale back their web investments, we broadened our digital expertise beyond websites and set our sights on expansion. From 1992 to 2000, Sapient saw an impressive revenue growth from $950,000 to more than $500 million. Leaning into a global distributed delivery system, we expanded our company to India, widening our reach and building even stronger software development capabilities.

Sapient acquired Planning Group International. With their global presence and existing digital marketing capabilities, this expansion allowed us to offer a wider range of services to an even wider market at more competitive prices. 

We partnered with Lufthansa to create mobile boarding passes, making them the first airline to use facial recognition for a safer, more convenient experience.

To deepen Sapient’s financial services expertise and transform investment banking, trading and other sectors, we also acquired Derivatives Consulting Group.

Adding The Nitro Group to evolve once again, we became a creative powerhouse, adept at advertising, digital commerce, social media, marketing tech and more. We expanded our geographic footprint and built an even stronger network of digital experts. With a more robust suite of digital-first offerings, Sapient became less vulnerable to large-scale market swings like the dot-com crash at the start of the decade. 

Teaming up with Audi, Sapient brought car dealerships to the next level by building the first digital showroom. Audi brought its 48,000 models to customers everywhere through an entirely digital showroom where customers can configure their dream car while Audi captures data to improve the product and experience over time.

Dunkin’ Donuts recruited Sapient to build the first digital menu boards, which were built to provide increasingly relevant, geo-specific recommendations. We deployed dynamic digital menus in 3,000 locations to sync with point-of-sale systems and keep menu content fresh.

When French communications group Publicis acquired Sapient, the first digital business transformation company was formed. Publicis Sapient combined decades of digital expertise and agility with a now fully global, widely dispersed team of strategists, engineers, creatives and more to help modernize businesses and the public sector.

We brought digital transformation to the LA Metro transit system with North America’s first public mobility platform. Built with the scalability to constantly add new rider features, the TAPforce platform unites transport options across mass transit, bike- and ride-sharing, EV charge points and more.

In partnership with AGTB, we created the first fully digital trade finance bank in mere months. AGTB’s responsive technology architecture is adaptive by nature, and the agile approach we instilled in their culture means improvements are released quickly to meet ever-evolving customer and business needs.

Despite the significant challenges that came with the historic COVID-19 pandemic, it also brought some unique opportunities. People needed digital business transformation in new ways—and from contactless and curbside service to QR codes, virtual conferences and more, Publicis Sapient harnessed technology to help businesses adapt to the social impacts of a global health crisis.

In partnership with French automotive manufacturer Renault, we increased EV adoption by creating the first peer-to-peer home charging network for drivers all across Europe. Even for people who can’t install a home charger, driving an electric vehicle is now much more practical.  

In a joint venture with Tquila, Publicis Sapient launched PS Hummingbird, extending AI offerings and helping businesses create bespoke solutions using Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service.

In collaboration with Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy, we designed and built a transformative vacation home search tool powered by GPT large language models (LLMs) within Azure OpenAI Service. The AI-driven Marriott Homes & Villas search tool brings travelers beyond simple, location-based search to preference- and emotion-driven vacation planning.