Andersen Consulting To Invest In E-Business Ventures

The strategy appears to be in contrast to alliance strategies being pursued by competing consulting firms. Both Deloitte & Touche and KPMG are taking equity stakes in Web integrators and design companies. But executives from those companies say the equity stakes are designed to cement working alliances between the Web service firms and KPMG's and Deloitte & Touche's E-business consulting ventures.

Anderson Consulting, however, said the new unit, called Anderson Consulting Ventures will be separate from the consulting group and will be a pure venture capital play.

Anderson Consulting Ventures will be headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif.