Coleman Research

Coleman Research

Type	Private
Industry	Financial Services
Founder	Kevin Coleman
Headquarters	New York City, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Kevin Coleman (CEO) Jeffrey Geisenheimer (CFO)
Services	Expert network; Primary research
Number of employees	200-250
Website	www.colemanrg.com

Established in 2003, Coleman Research is an expert network that specializes in providing its clients with access to industry expertise. The firm connects clients with experts through various services such as one-on-one call consultations, hosted webinar events, and industry surveys. Coleman's clients include private equity firms, hedge funds, mutual funds, consulting firms and other investment management firms. Headquartered in New York, the firm also has offices in Beijing, Boston, Gdansk, Hong Kong, London, Raleigh and San Francisco with more than 200 employees worldwide.

Recognition

In its most recent ResearchFocus® report, Integrity Research recognized Coleman Research as The Top Global Generalist Expert Network,^[1] citing Coleman's strong match quality, cost effectiveness, speed of matching, and depth of coverage. In addition, in 2009 Coleman Research was named a Best Place to Work by Crain's New York Business Review.^[2]

Origins

Kevin C. Coleman founded Coleman Research in 2003,^[3] Before founding Coleman, Kevin was Vice President of Sales and a member of the management team at Multex, a global financial information provider that went public in 1999 and was purchased by Reuters in March 2003.^[4] He has a BA from University of Colorado and an MBA from the FW Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College.

In 2010, Kevin Coleman was a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award^[5] in New York City. The award recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate extraordinary success in business innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their communities.

Business Model

Coleman Research provides clients with access to its community of information providers (experts) through a variety of services and charging clients a fee for each interaction.^[6]

The network itself is "made up of professionals of every type including scientists, doctors, consultants, professors, directors, and more. These high level professionals are able to offer the deepest insight into an industry and impart the most accurate and pertinent information on investors that are always keen to receive this level of data."^[7]

Services Provided include:^[8]

• One-on-One Calls: Consultations with industry experts to help evaluate research across any sector or industry.
• In-Person Meetings: A meeting with a Coleman expert at a client's office, at a conference, or for private on-site tours.
• Hosted Events: Online web events or roundtables that feature Coleman's top experts and are moderated by Coleman's sector analysts.
• Added Insights: Administration of short surveys and questionnaires, gathering of data from across multiple sources, leveraging expert knowledge in research papers, sourcing store visit reports, building out comprehensive reviews, etc.
• Expert Surveys: Coleman uses experts in and beyond its network for custom panel surveys across any sector or industry.
• Trackers: A survey series monitoring product trends and key market indicators through a panel survey of industry experts.
• Executive Placements: This service allows clients to engage with a Coleman expert for short-term or long-term industry projects.
• Speaker Services: Coleman makes its subject-matter experts available as speakers for client dinners and major conferences.
• Expert Witness Services: Coleman makes its experts available to attorneys that seek experts in connection with myriad legal matters.

Compliance Framework

Coleman's experts agree to Coleman's Standard Terms and Conditions and complete Coleman's confidentiality training, through which they agree not to disclose confidential material or non-public information. To be eligible to consult with clients, experts must have agreed to the Terms and Conditions and completed training within the past year. Coleman screens potential expert candidates to assess their eligibility. For example, experts are prohibited from consulting on projects where the subject matter is their current employer. Other restrictions may apply based on industry and class of expert on a case-by-case basis.^[9]

Coleman-Specific Policies include:^[10]

• A Restricted Companies Database: Coleman maintains a database of company policies that affect their employees' ability to participate in expert consultations. This information is fully integrated with Coleman's proprietary technology platform and regularly updated.
• Legal and Compliance Department: Coleman's compliance program is managed by its internal attorneys and compliance professionals.
• Feedback & Review: After each consultation, experts and clients have an opportunity to provide feedback.

Compliance Technology:^[11]

• Compliance Platform: Coleman operates a custom-built compliance platform that is integrated with its proprietary workflow software to gather and maintain compliance information.
• Client Oversight: Compliance professionals can access Coleman's client site to manage expert interactions.
• Customizable Rules: Coleman's system is flexible, which permits clients to customize their compliance settings.

References

Further reading

• "Integrity Publishes Comprehensive Report on Expert Networks" Integrity Research Associates, March 2, 2008
• "Linking expert mouths with eager ears", The Economist, June 16, 2011.
• "Gerhson Lehrman Group: Managing Risks" by Boris Groysberg, Paul M. Healy, and Sarah L., Harvard Business Review Case, February 5, 2012