Press release
Highlights
- Bain’s PE clients and their portfolio companies have priority access for joint Bain–Deployment Company work
- Bain takes a stake in the OpenAI Deployment Company, launched with 19 global partners, extending a three-year Bain–OpenAI partnership
NEW YORK—May 11, 2026—Bain & Company today announced an investment in the Deployment Company, a new venture launched by OpenAI with 19 global partners. The OpenAI Deployment Company is built to help businesses deploy AI across their most critical operations. The investment extends Bain’s partnership with OpenAI, which has spanned more than three years of joint client work.
Bain and the OpenAI Deployment Company partner on private equity firms and their portfolio companies — a sector where Bain is the global market leader in consulting. Together, they bring OpenAI’s frontier AI technology and Bain’s capabilities in AI deployment, enterprise transformation, and industry strategy.
Rebecca Burack, head of Bain’s global Private Equity practice, said: “Creating value in portfolio companies today takes both strategic insight, real technical capability, and change management. Bain brings deep PE expertise, a track record of creating results, and proven AI and build capability; the OpenAI Deployment Company brings cutting-edge OpenAI technology. Together, we can unlock more value within companies and across portfolios — and return more to investors.”
For portfolio companies, the joint work will focus on top-line growth — through faster product development and improved customer experience — and bottom-line gains from intelligent automation, cost reduction, and supply chain optimization.
Bain is also collaborating with OpenAI to deploy advanced AI capabilities across its market-leading diligence practice, helping PE clients drive value throughout the entire deal cycle from early opportunity assessment through exit.
Chuck Whitten, global head of Bain’s digital practices and capabilities, said: “We’ve already seen the power of our partnership with OpenAI in driving innovation and enabling the companies we work with to realize AI's full potential. Investing in the OpenAI Deployment Company reflects our conviction that neither world-class strategy nor world-class technology alone is enough. We help clients create measurable results by embedding the capabilities and ways of working needed to sustain change at scale. The companies that deploy AI fastest and most effectively will pull away from their competitors, and we intend to make sure our clients are among them.”
The OpenAI Deployment Company investment builds on a Bain–OpenAI partnership first announced as a global services alliance in 2023 and expanded partnership in October 2024.
Brad Lightcap at OpenAI, said: “Bain has been a key partner across our ecosystem. We are excited to be working with Bain to see their investment accelerate both the speed and impact of AI deployment for their enterprise and PE clients.”
Media contacts
To arrange an interview or for any questions, please contact:
Dan Pinkney (Boston) — Email: dan.pinkney@bain.com
Gary Duncan (London) — Email: gary.duncan@bain.com
Ann Lee (Singapore) — Email: ann.lee@bain.com
About Bain & Company
Bain & Company works with leaders worldwide to solve their toughest challenges and deliver enduring results. Since 1973, we’ve partnered with clients, including private equity and portfolio companies, to build the capabilities they need to stay ahead of change and help them redefine their industries. We measure our success by our clients’ success, and we proudly hold the highest levels of client advocacy in our field.
Bain is consistently recognized globally as one of the best places to work. We operate as one global team, uniting strategists, industry and functional experts, technologists, and advisors with a vibrant ecosystem of technology partners.
Notes to Editors
Bain & Company was founded in 1973 and today has 19,000 employees across 67 cities in 40 countries. We have worked with more than two-thirds of the Global 500 and more than 9,000 companies worldwide. Bain has pledged to deliver $2 billion in pro bono consulting to nonprofit, public-sector and charitable organizations by 2035. The firm is consistently recognized as a Leader in major analyst rankings across multiple areas, including digital business, innovation, strategy, experience design, customer experience, and carbon-zero transformation.