ReportLinker is a technology company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers obtain industry data upon which to base decisions and strategies for their businesses. For a flat, monthly fee it provides access to public and private reports, and serves up the search results in an easily understandable and structured way. With links to the latest reports and slideshows and insights from top research analysts, using ReportLinker is like having your own dedicated research team.
“We link to over 10,000 trusted sources and administer a database comprising 24 million searchable tables, figures and data sets,” says CEO and co-founder Benjamin Carpano. “We put sales forecasts, production data, the latest market trends and statistics from more than 5,000 industry sectors at the fingertips of our subscribers and use advanced search algorithms to find the information they truly need.”
Sorting the wheat from the chaff in a way that adds real value for its subscribers is the secret to ReportLinker’s success. “A lot of the information we collate is freely available to anyone with internet access,” says Mr. Carpano. “However, by using our service, subscribers can take a lot of the legwork out of finding it.”
Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time, making the costs for the service flexible and transparent. A glance at ReportLinker’s balance sheet is proof enough that plenty of users find its service indispensible. Turnover in 2015 broke the ten million EUR mark and further growth is expected in the future.
A team of 50 employees ensures that the platform functions properly at all times. “Over half of our staff are IT engineers,” says Mr. Carpano. “We are a company that lives by technology. Our award-winning market research solution is able to find, filter and organize the latest industry data and eliminate irrelevant results to provide real value for our clients.”
Mr. Carpano founded ReportLinker with Nicolas Bombourg in 2007. As CEO he is in charge of operations and product development while co-founder Nicolas Bombourg is in charge of business development in his position as Vice President Sales.
In 2011, the company launched a new version of its platform that enabled even more targeted searches. “In 2015, we realized that our technology could benefit other companies with their own data to manage and began to offer data management solutions,” explains Mr. Carpano. “Today we work with business clients, banks, insurance companies and the French Ministry of Finance as well as universities and colleges.”
ReportLinker is headquartered in Lyon, France, but also has offices in the UK, Germany, Hong Kong, the US and Australia. Foreign clients account for around 70% of turnover with 50% of clients based in Europe and a fifth based in North America.
“We are currently focusing on expanding our activities in the Asian market, which at the moment accounts for 5% of turnover,” says Mr. Carpano. “The remaining 10% is generated from clients in South Africa and Australia.”
As a technology-based company, ReportLinker is constantly moving forwards. It has numerous projects in the pipeline, of which perhaps the most important is artificial intelligence. “AI is a big subject for research in many fields,” explains Mr. Carpano. “In our case, we want to use intelligent software to prepare the search results in such a way that they act as a form of consultancy for the client and not just a set of figures and statistics. It means that we will not just be providing raw data but also drawing the relevant conclusions.”
One conclusion is clear – a brave new world awaits; one in which computers do not just compute, they also think.
