Global professional services firm Accenture announced today that it has made a strategic investment in ESG measurement platform PulsESG, through its venture arm Accenture Ventures.

Co-founded last year by Silicon Valley software veterans Murat Sönmez and Inderjeet Singh, and launched with $8.5 million in seed financing, PulsESG’s software as a service (SaaS) platform utilizes internal data sources and external systems to help organizations define, measure and report on ESG performance, and address issues around ESG data quality and timelines.

According to co-founder Murat Sönmez, the investment from Accenture “will allow us to scale our platform to new heights as clients navigate the inherent fluidity in ESG analysis.”

Sönmez added:

“With a shift toward real-time ESG reporting becoming standard practice for companies worldwide, we designed this platform to be the ultimate system of record for ESG – one that has the flexibility and modularity required of today’s rapidly transitioning regulatory landscape.”

Accenture and PulsESG will look to build joint product offerings, and PulsESG will join Accenture Ventures’ Project Spotlight, connecting emerging technology software startups with the Global 2000 to fill strategic innovation gaps.

Peter Lacy, Sustainability Services Lead & Chief Responsibility Officer at Accenture, said:

“We believe that every business must be a sustainable business and that fundamentally changes how companies report and disclose financial data. Now, the next step is to deliver on this opportunity to unlock the full value from, and impact of, measuring and managing for sustainability. We look forward to bringing the capabilities from this strategic investment to our clients, alliances and partners to help improve ESG measurement and performance with greater transparency and assurance being sought across stakeholders.”

The announcement is the latest in a series of investments by Accenture to boost its sustainability and ESG-focused capabilities, including recent acquisitions of Munich-based sustainability consultancy akzente , UK-based sustainability consultancy Avieco and sustainability-focused engineering and advisory consultancy Greenfish, as well as an investment last year by Accenture Ventures in ESG data platform Arabesque S-Ray (now ESG Book).

Tom Lounibos, Managing Director of Accenture Ventures

“Our investment in pulsESG not only highlights our commitment to scaling new technologies that help our clients solve critical business challenges, but also reinforces our belief in the importance of using innovation for social good.”