Version 1
Management consulting and AI digital transformation since 1996
Founded 1996 | Dublin, Ireland | 3000+ employees
enterprise-automationworkflow-integrationtask-automation
What is Version 1?
Version 1 was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with additional offices in London, New York, and Chicago, and 3,000+ employees. The firm provides management consulting, managed services, and software development, and positions itself as a leader in AI and digital transformation, partnering with global organizations to adopt AI technology.
Version 1 works primarily with clients in Fintech, Retail, Healthcare sectors. Its primary differentiator is: Dublin headquarters gives it a distinct Irish/UK/US multinational footprint among this roster's large consultancies.
Version 1 tech stack and services
AWSAzure
| Service area |
|---|
| Enterprise Automation |
| Workflow Integration |
| Task Automation |
Version 1 pricing
Short answer: Version 1 uses a retainer, dedicated team pricing approach. Minimum engagement starts at $60K.
| Engagement model | Typical range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Retainer | Monthly rate; not public | Ongoing AI engineering |
| Dedicated team | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
| T&M | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
Version 1 does not publish a public rate card. Contact them directly via their website to get project-specific pricing.
Version 1 pros and cons
| Advantages | Things to consider |
|---|---|
| +28+ years of management consulting and digital transformation history | -Large-firm structure means less boutique-style senior-partner attention on smaller engagements |
| +3,000+ employees support sizeable multi-national enterprise programs | -AI agent-specific case studies are less prominent than its broader management-consulting portfolio |
| +Dublin HQ with London/New York/Chicago offices suits transatlantic enterprise buyers |
Version 1 vs alternatives
How Version 1 compares to the other top AI Agent consultancies.
| Company | Best for | Key difference | Rating | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tensorway | Teams needing senior agent advisory, no big-consultancy overhead. | 100% of advisory and delivery staff are senior AI engineers — no junior bench, no strategy-to-build handoff | 4.8 | Full comparison |
| Vstorm | Mid-market and enterprise buyers, boutique advisory with named... | Verified enterprise client roster (Mercedes-Benz, Intel) despite a small advisory team | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| West Monroe | Enterprises wanting a proven consultancy with a public... | Publicly launched its own agent product (WestMonroe.ai) as proof of applied capability, not just advisory slides | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| Neurons Lab | Enterprises needing AI opportunity discovery before building. | Full-lifecycle advisory model starting at use-case identification, not just implementation | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Stride Consulting | Regulated industries — compliance-aware agent advisory. | Explicit advisory focus on agentic AI for regulated/compliance-heavy environments | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Tribe AI | Enterprises wanting a curated network of AI advisors. | Platform-plus-network advisory model sourcing specialists per engagement rather than a static bench | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| RTS Labs | Enterprises stuck at pilot stage, needing production ROI. | Explicit pilot-to-production advisory focus with named architecture/guardrails methodology | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Thoughtworks | Large enterprises, multi-cloud agent governance advisory. | Named agent governance product (Agent/works) purpose-built to run and oversee enterprise AI agents | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Rearc | Enterprises wanting engineering-first advisory, not slide decks. | Engineering-driven identity — advisory work is delivered by the same team that builds, not handed off | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Hakkoda | Buyers wanting IBM-backed stability for AI advisory. | IBM acquisition (April 2025) adds enterprise backing and cross-sell into IBM's broader AI portfolio | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Xebia | Enterprises wanting AI advisory plus internal training. | Combines AI-first advisory with a formal training arm, useful for buyers who need internal capability building alongside delivery | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Blue Orange Digital | Data-heavy buyers, AI advisory boutique with consulting backing. | Backed by Oliver Wyman, a top-tier management consultancy, giving strategic advisory credibility beyond a typical AI boutique | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Kanerika | Data-heavy enterprises, advisory tied into existing BI pipelines. | Named, production-deployed internal agent suite (Karl, DokGPT, and others) beyond generic advisory decks | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Grid Dynamics | Large enterprises needing public-company scale and global delivery. | Publicly traded (Nasdaq: GDYN) with 4,500+ engineers — unmatched scale and financial transparency in this roster | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Data Reply | Buyers wanting specialized data-AI advisory, publicly-traded backing. | Backed by publicly traded Reply group (17,000+ employees) while operating as a focused, smaller specialist division | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| Slalom | Enterprises wanting a large, diverse consultancy with AI... | Global AI upskilling program (since 2024) reflects deliberate internal investment in agent-era capability, not just marketing | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| Intuz | Buyers wanting proven, documented production agent deployments. | Reports 100+ enterprise agent deployments already in production across three named framework stacks | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| Signity Solutions | Cost-conscious buyers wanting genuine AI-first advisory. | Documented evolution from web development to AI-first agentic advisory, with MLOps as a distinct capability | 3.6 | Full comparison |
| LeewayHertz | Buyers wanting Hackett Group-backed AI advisory stability. | Now backed by The Hackett Group's consulting and benchmarking resources following its 2024 acquisition | 3.6 | Full comparison |
| Netguru | Digital product companies, proven internal-agent case study. | Publicly documented internal production agent (Omega) as proof of applied advisory-to-delivery capability | 3.6 | Full comparison |
| Azilen Technologies | FinTech, HRTech, manufacturing buyers — vertical-specific agent advisory. | Explicit vertical focus across FinTech, manufacturing, and HRTech rather than horizontal generalism | 3.6 | Full comparison |
| Matellio | Enterprises wanting AI advisory within software modernization. | US-HQ enterprise software firm with true multi-country delivery (UK, France, Germany) beyond a single offshore hub | 3.5 | Full comparison |
| Quytech | Buyers wanting agentic AI plus computer vision/AR, one... | Broader AI portfolio spanning agentic AI, computer vision, and AR/VR beyond agents alone | 3.5 | Full comparison |
| Master of Code Global | Brands wanting conversational AI advisory, named consumer-brand references. | 20+ years of conversational AI specialization with named enterprise consumer brands (T-Mobile, Burberry) | 3.5 | Full comparison |
| GeekyAnts | Product teams wanting AI-agent advisory within custom builds. | 18+ years of product engineering combined with an active internal AI-agent R&D program (Geekathon) | 3.5 | Full comparison |
| Innowise | Buyers wanting large-scale offshore delivery with an AI... | 3,500+ person full-cycle software firm with a dedicated internal AI Hub, not a small AI-only shop | 3.4 | Full comparison |
| Publicis Sapient | Global enterprises needing a top-tier brand with proprietary... | Three named proprietary AI platforms (Sapient Bodhi, Slingshot, Sustain) built specifically for agentic transformation | 3.4 | Full comparison |
| Persistent Systems | Enterprises wanting a publicly-traded, audited partner at scale. | Publicly traded (BSE/NSE) with 24,000+ employees and 35 years of digital engineering history | 3.4 | Full comparison |
| EPAM Systems | Global enterprises wanting the largest public engineering-consultancy bench. | Gartner-recognized GenAI consulting leader with 64,000+ employees, the largest single firm in this roster | 3.3 | Full comparison |
| Endava | Enterprises wanting a publicly-traded UK consultancy for AI... | Publicly traded (NYSE: DAVA) with a UK headquarters, useful for EU/UK-anchored enterprise buyers | 3.3 | Full comparison |
| Zensar Technologies | Enterprises wanting a governance-focused AI platform, conglomerate-backed. | Named proprietary agentic platform (ZenseAI.AgentMesh) with an explicit governance focus | 3.3 | Full comparison |
Version 1 FAQ
What is Version 1?
Management consulting and AI digital transformation since 1996
How much does Version 1 charge?
Version 1 uses retainer, dedicated team pricing. Minimum engagement starts at $60K. A discovery call is required to get project-specific quotes.
What tech stack does Version 1 use?
Version 1 works with AWS, Azure. Primary industries served include Fintech, Retail, Healthcare.
Is Version 1 right for enterprise?
Enterprises wanting an Ireland/UK-anchored consultancy for AI transformation. 3000+ team size. Key consideration: Large-firm structure means less boutique-style senior-partner attention on smaller engagements.
What are the best Version 1 alternatives?
The best alternatives to Version 1 depend on your use case. Top options are:
- Tensorway: 100% of advisory and delivery staff are senior ai engineers — no junior bench, no strategy-to-build handoff
- Vstorm: verified enterprise client roster (mercedes-benz, intel) despite a small advisory team
- West Monroe: publicly launched its own agent product (westmonroe.ai) as proof of applied capability, not just advisory slides
Compare Version 1 with other AI Agent consultancies
Version 1 vs Tensorway Version 1 vs Vstorm Version 1 vs West Monroe Version 1 vs Neurons Lab Version 1 vs Stride Consulting Version 1 vs Tribe AI Version 1 vs RTS Labs Version 1 vs Thoughtworks Version 1 vs Rearc Version 1 vs Hakkoda Version 1 vs Xebia Version 1 vs Blue Orange Digital Version 1 vs Kanerika Version 1 vs Grid Dynamics Version 1 vs Data Reply Version 1 vs Slalom Version 1 vs Intuz Version 1 vs Signity Solutions Version 1 vs LeewayHertz Version 1 vs Netguru Version 1 vs Azilen Technologies Version 1 vs Matellio Version 1 vs Quytech Version 1 vs Master of Code Global Version 1 vs GeekyAnts Version 1 vs Innowise Version 1 vs Publicis Sapient Version 1 vs Persistent Systems Version 1 vs EPAM Systems Version 1 vs Endava Version 1 vs Zensar Technologies