Owl Analytics

Founded in 2012 by Benjamin Webster, William Smith, and Andrew Smith, OWL Analytics has established itself as a specialized data and analytics provider focused on Environmental, Social, and and Governance (ESG) metrics. Initially created to address the subjectivity and discrepancies found in ESG ratings from different research firms, the company developed a big data approach to generate more objective and reliable metrics.

The firm's business model centers on providing data and insights to a diverse institutional clientele, including asset managers, insurance companies, FinTechs, and ESG advisory firms. These clients utilize OWL's data for various purposes, from systematic investment strategies and index development to portfolio analytics and reporting. Revenue is generated through subscriptions and licensing of its data sets, which are available through platforms like the AWS Marketplace and partnerships with firms such as Seneca ESG. In June 2022, the company, then known as Owl Esg, raised an undisclosed amount in a Series A funding round from investors including First Rate, RevTech Labs Capital, and SkyWalker Property Partners.

OWL Analytics' core service involves aggregating data from hundreds of ESG sources, including rating agencies, NGOs, and corporate disclosures, to create consensus scores. This "wisdom of the crowd" methodology aims to reduce subjectivity and produce a more stable market view. The company offers comprehensive coverage of over 25,000 global public equities, with data refreshed monthly to ensure timeliness. Its platform provides scores, ranks, and percentiles across 12 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). To further enhance its offerings, OWL has been developing AI-powered technology to automate the process of gathering data from sustainability reports and other company documents with greater speed and accuracy.

In a significant development for a similarly named but distinct company, OwlDQ, a predictive data quality software provider founded by Kirk Haslbeck in 2017, was acquired by Collibra in February 2021. This acquisition led to the creation of Collibra Data Quality, integrating OwlDQ's machine learning capabilities for detecting data anomalies and automating data quality rules into Collibra's Data Intelligence Cloud. It's important to distinguish between OWL Analytics (now OWL ESG) focused on ESG data, and OwlDQ, which specialized in predictive data quality before its acquisition.

Keywords: ESG data, investment research, sustainability analysis, financial data platform, asset management, ESG ratings, consensus scores, big data analytics, socially responsible investing, portfolio analytics, institutional investors, ESG metrics, alternative data, financial software, data provider, ESG screening, corporate governance, environmental impact, social impact, investment solutions, data aggregation