When you look at the market research market chronology, you can easily segment it into 3 different phases

1/1990 – 1998

Slow opening of the first Market Research Aggregator, which a clear acceleration after 1996, with the development of the Internet.

2/ 1998 – 2001

The gold year of the funds raising : more than $M 40 are injected by VC in what are then the industry leaders. Most of this money will be waste in large scale recruiting.

3/ 2001 – 2006

Challengers appear on the market. In a first time local aggregator (Ex in France Plusdetudes.com ), then English speaking aggregator, usually translation of local website. Players consolidate their business model, and Direct Marketing and SEO Know how, and publishers get used to work with Internet infomediary. In 2006, 3 new aggregators are launched. Each of them are local declination of challengers websites (China, Spain, France).

The next stage, 2007 and short term future of this industry will be detailed in a coming chapter.

Detailed Chronology

1990

Mr.Rm.Muthukaruppan Chettiar, (M.K.Chettiar) starts Bharat Book Bureau (3B) a company importing technical and management books providing business information to industry, banking and financial institutions.

1996

Steven Goldstein and Michael Angle, former executives of Knight-Ridder's Business Information Services division co-found Data Downlink Corporation. In the same time, Osmin Alavarez launch Publications Resource Group Inc.

1998

Publications Resource Group (PRG, Inc.) launches MindBranch, Inc. During the same year, Marketresearch.com was founded in June 1998 by Robert Granader, and Global Information opens www.infoshop-japan.com

1999

June : Data Downlink Corporation announced today that it has secured $4 million in financing from

  • Flatiron Partners (www.flatironpartners.com)
  • Chase Capital Partners (CCP) (www.chase.com)

Bharatbook Bureau launched www.bharatbook.com

2000

April : Data Downlink Corporation announced that it has secured $11 million in financing from several prominent investors, including :

  • Flatiron Partners (www.flatironpartners.com)
  • Chase Capital Partners (CCP) (www.chase.com)
  • Franklin Capital Corporation (www.franklincapitalcorp.com)
  • BARRA (www.barra.com)

June : MarketResearch.com raised $6 million in its first round of private financing from Axalon Internet Group.

August : Publications Resource Group Inc announced that it's received $18.5 million from

  • Village Ventures Inc.( http://www.villageventures.com/)
  • The Berkshires Capital Investors

MarketResearch.com spend his fund in acquiring Newsletters.com, which became Marketresearch.com backbone

2001

April : MindBranch Inc acquired Intelligex, a New York firm that runs an online marketplace for research buyers and sellers.

May: Ubiquick launched Plusdetudes.com, first French speaking portal aggregator

June Data Downlink Corporation is renamed Alacra. . Its services, including the business search engine formerly known as Portal B™ and its flagship database service, .xls, were refined and repackaged.

2002

January : Alacra secures $4 M in third round Financing. The participants in the round were Barra, JP Morgan Partners, Flatiron Partners and Franklin Capital.

July - MarketResearch.com, Inc. Acquires MindBranch, Inc

September - Ubiquick launches Allbizreport.com, English version of Plusdetudes.com - Global Information launched www.giikorea.co.kr

2003

- Dynamic technologies GmbH launches Market-studie.de Until 2006, 7 new global aggregators will open.

2007

March : Ubiquick launched Reportlinker (www.reportlinker.com), first aggregator including public report directory

April : MarketResearch.com acquired Thomson Business Intelligence (TBI) Market Research (Profound(R)) Service.