Artificial intelligence is transforming businesses across industries, and companies are investing heavily to strengthen their AI capabilities. In a major development, EXL has announced a definitive agreement to acquire iMerit, a leading provider of AI data solutions and human-powered model development services. The deal, valued at up to $310 million, is expected to enhance EXL’s enterprise AI offerings and help organizations build more accurate, reliable, and scalable AI solutions. Alongside this strategic acquisition, EXL has also received a major sustainability award, highlighting the company’s commitment to responsible business growth.
EXL Signs Agreement to Acquire iMerit
Global data analytics and AI company EXL has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire iMerit in a transaction valued at up to $310 million. Under the agreement, EXL will pay $170 million upfront, with an additional up to $140 million tied to performance-based earn-outs and incentive payments over the next two years. The acquisition is expected to close during the third quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
The acquisition supports EXL’s strategy of expanding its enterprise AI capabilities as businesses increasingly adopt generative AI and large language models to improve operations and customer experiences.
iMerit Brings Advanced AI Expertise
Founded in 2012, iMerit specializes in AI data annotation, AI model training, evaluation, reinforcement learning, and human feedback services. The company helps technology businesses develop and improve foundation models, large language models, and multimodal AI systems through high-quality data and expert human intelligence.
A key part of iMerit’s offering is its proprietary Ango Hub platform, which combines AI-assisted workflows with expert human review to deliver scalable and accurate AI data solutions. The company also has a global workforce of specialists with expertise across industries including healthcare, financial services, autonomous mobility, public sector, and technology.
Acquisition Strengthens EXL’s Enterprise AI Platform
Following the acquisition, EXL plans to integrate iMerit’s Ango Hub platform and AI expertise with its existing AI platforms, including EXLerate.ai, EXLdata.ai, and EXLdecision.ai. The combined capabilities will enable organizations to build, train, evaluate, and deploy enterprise AI applications with greater accuracy, governance, and efficiency.
The integration will also strengthen EXL’s ability to support clients throughout the AI lifecycle, from data preparation and model development to deployment and continuous optimization.
Leadership Shares Their Vision
EXL Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rohit Kapoor said the acquisition strengthens the company’s commitment to helping organizations build trusted enterprise AI solutions. He said combining EXL’s deep industry expertise with iMerit’s specialized AI capabilities will help clients move AI initiatives from experimentation to production while maintaining quality, accountability, and reliability.
Radha Basu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of iMerit, said both companies share a common vision of building responsible, high-quality AI. She added that joining EXL will allow iMerit to expand its impact by combining its AI expertise with EXL’s global client relationships and industry knowledge.
EXL Receives Sustainable Organization Award 2026
Alongside expanding its AI capabilities, EXL has also been recognized for its commitment to sustainability. The company recently announced that it received the Sustainable Organization Award 2026 from UBS Forums at the 8th Edition Sustainability Summit & Awards held in New Delhi.
EXL shared the recognition on LinkedIn, describing the award as a reflection of its continued commitment to responsible growth and climate action. The company said the recognition reinforces its efforts to embed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles into its business strategy while delivering long-term value to clients, employees, and communities.
The recognition adds another milestone for EXL in 2026, highlighting the company’s focus on advancing enterprise AI while maintaining responsible and sustainable business practices.
Looking Ahead
The acquisition of iMerit marks an important step in EXL’s long-term growth strategy. By adding advanced AI model training, evaluation, reinforcement learning, and human-in-the-loop expertise, EXL is strengthening its ability to deliver enterprise-grade AI solutions across multiple industries.
As organizations continue to increase investments in generative AI, the combined strengths of EXL and iMerit are expected to help businesses develop AI systems that are more accurate, scalable, and ready for real-world enterprise applications. The addition of the Sustainable Organization Award 2026 further reflects EXL’s balanced approach to innovation and responsible business, positioning the company for continued growth in the evolving AI landscape.
