iMapData

In 1982, long before data became the new oil, Diane and Laurence DeFranco founded iMapData. The company started as a geographic information system (GIS) data collection and visualization provider, building the foundational layers of what would become a critical tool for both government and private sectors. For years, it steadily built its capabilities in geospatial analysis. A significant turning point came in the 2010s. The company attracted institutional investment, raising a total of $20.8 million over several funding rounds, with a key $15 million investment in 2012 from Frontier Capital. This capital injection signaled a new phase of growth, allowing iMapData to expand its sophisticated data analysis and visualization tools. The final chapter of its independent story was written in December 2015. In a strategic move, iMapData merged with a younger tech company, PlanetRisk, and took on the PlanetRisk name. This wasn't a simple acquisition but a fusion of iMapData's established situational awareness capabilities with PlanetRisk's big data analytics. iMapData's CEO, Paul McQuillan, continued as the CEO of the newly combined entity, signaling the value of its leadership and technology in the merger. The move aimed to create a powerhouse that could transform complex data into the actionable intelligence needed in an increasingly complex world.