Growth Catalyst Partners Acquires InspiredMinds!, the World’s Largest Ecosystem of AI Leaders and Innovators

Press Releases

Nov 20, 2024

Acquisition accelerates InspiredMinds! expansion of robust AI community and influential summits into U.S. markets to advance AI for good and responsible innovation

WASHINGTON and LONDON, Nov. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Growth Catalyst Partners, a U.S. based private equity firm focused on investing in information, marketing, and tech-enabled services, today announced the acquisition of U.K.-based InspiredMinds!, a fast-growing, award-winning global technology and science strategy group at the epicenter of the exploding AI and AI healthcare markets. The acquisition is a significant addition to Growth Catalyst Partners’ growing portfolio of niche providers of data and AI leadership services at the forefront of preparing public and private-sector organizations for the challenges and opportunities posed by the supersonic pace of AI adoption and innovation.

“As the most influential and connected AI community in the world, nothing we do is status quo.” – Sarah Porter

Founded as a female-owned business in 2017 by pioneering AI advisor and technology entrepreneur Sarah Porter, InspiredMinds! has developed the world’s largest and most active AI community across 160+ countries, and is a leading and trusted voice in the industry focused on the ethical development of AI. Its global community comprises over 300,000 professionals across the AI ecosystem, including government, policymakers, big tech, academic and researchers, startups, investors and VCs, corporate enterprises, associations and NGOs. InspiredMinds! connects their community through prestigious and large-scale AI summits, including World Summit AI and Intelligent Health, that attract the world’s preeminent leaders driving business and societal transformation through artificial intelligence innovation, application and regulation.

“As the most influential and connected AI community in the world, nothing we do is status quo,” stated Sarah Porter, CEO & Founder of InspiredMinds!. “It is a critical point in time for human-AI collaboration, and with the support of Growth Catalyst Partners, we are poised to supercharge the work of our community, by critically focusing on equitable AI and the opportunities that this presents to our future world.”

To fuel expansion for InspiredMinds! and advance its purpose of fostering inclusive, equitable and safe adoption of emerging technology, Growth Catalyst Partners will integrate InspiredMinds! into the Data Society Group, a U.S.-based platform that develops future fluent workforces through the power of data and AI. InspiredMinds! will continue to operate as an independent company and plans to launch its festival-style AI summits in the United States in 2025.

“InspiredMinds! is a nexus for the brightest minds, industry leaders, and key government entities driving significant insights and innovations in the field of AI and emerging technologies. We are excited to provide a platform to amplify the important work Sarah and her talented team do to empower the rapidly expanding AI universe,” said Connor Dawson, Managing Director of Growth Catalyst Partners. “The highly aligned missions of InspiredMinds! and Data Society Group will be instrumental in guiding the InspiredMinds! launch into the U.S. market working closely with Doug Llewellyn, Data Society Group CEO. We believe the combined business will ultimately become an essential resource for AI and data leaders and their organizations globally.”

“With its influential global reach, InspiredMinds! fills an integral role to inform responsible AI innovation. We’re inspired by Sarah Porter’s leadership in building a high-quality team with a track record of success and strategic impact,” said Doug Llewellyn, CEO of Data Society Group. “Working together, I look forward to connecting, growing and inspiring future leaders as they harness the potential of artificial intelligence across societal sectors.”

About InspiredMinds!
InspiredMinds! is a dominant worldwide force in artificial intelligence and emerging technology. Our global community of 300,000 expert practitioners and thought leaders across 168 countries includes technologists, clinicians, scientists, leaders, innovators, government officials, healthtech professionals, academics, startups, investors, and NGOs. A strategic advisor to the United Nations and European Union, InspiredMinds! is regarded as a dedicated and influential voice shaping global AI policies and initiatives for the betterment of all humankind. The company’s premier AI event brands include World Summit AI (Amsterdam, Netherlands and Doha, Qatar) and Intelligent Health (London, UK and Basel Switzerland), among others. For more information, visit inspired-minds.co.uk/.

About Data Society Group
Data Society Group enables organizations to harness the full potential of data and AI by working with data leaders to crack cultural challenges and develop future fluent workforces. We unlock innovation and radical collaboration through peer-to-peer exchange, best-in-class data literacy assessment and training, and custom data science and AI applications. Our mission: to enable the enterprise from the inside out, providing comprehensive guidance. We support organizations in enabling new skills, mindsets, and ways of working, ultimately fostering a culture of confidence in applying modern data and AI practices. For more information, visit datasocietygroup.com.

About Growth Catalyst Partners
Growth Catalyst Partners is a middle-market private equity firm investing in information, marketing and tech-enabled services businesses. GCP’s strategy involves targeting growth segments of industries and identifying and building market-leading companies with breakout potential. GCP partners with company founders and owners, along with top executives within those industries, and provides capital, proprietary deal origination and operating expertise to the management teams. GCP’s team has deep sector expertise and has led hundreds of transactions and successful investments in services businesses for over 20 years. Since the firm’s founding in 2015, GCP has completed over 110 acquisitions across its industry-leading platform companies. For more information, visit growthcatalystpartners.com.