What Ethos does

Ethos Impact Inc. (operating as Ethos) is a private ESG data and software company founded in 2019 and headquartered in New York, with a Minneapolis presence per its Terms of Use governing law. The company operates an ESG ratings and impact assessment platform covering 300,000+ companies and 250,000+ funds evaluated across 45 causes (including climate action, racial justice, mental health, and gender equality), using a patent-pending methodology that weights ESG factors by industry materiality. Core product modules include Company and Fund Impact Ratings, ESG Screening Tools with 80+ screen types, a fund-holdings analysis engine, an API-enabled Compliance Testing module, Portfolio Analysis, Reporting, corporate ESG Questionnaires with approval workflows, and a free consumer-facing Impact Assessment quiz that produces a personalized Impact Persona for lead generation.

The company serves five distinct segments: financial advisors, asset managers, and asset owners (primary, vertical-driven use cases for values-based investing and ESG mandate compliance), plus corporations and tech platforms (secondary, for ESG disclosure workflows and API-based data embedding). The platform is built around a REST API with SDKs in Python, Node.js, and Ruby, spanning development, staging, and production environments - an architecture explicitly designed for institutional integration and fintech embedding.

Ethos monetizes through quote-based SaaS subscriptions (multi-year enterprise contracts), API access subscriptions, and a freemium tier (free Impact Assessment for individuals, 7-day firm trial). Go-to-market blends product-led growth (the consumer quiz), self-serve trial, direct enterprise sales, and an API-first distribution model. The company has closed approximately $560,000 in disclosed funding across 2021-2022 from sources including CFV Ventures and Growth Strategy Group, maintains GDPR/CCPA/POPIA compliance, and operates with a headcount of 1-10 employees - indicating a very early-stage company whose commercial traction has not yet been publicly validated.

Name

Ethos

Legal name

Ethos Impact Inc.

Website

https://www.ethosesg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ethos Impact Inc. is a private ESG data and software platform providing values-based investing ratings, screening, compliance testing, and portfolio analysis across 300,000+ companies and 250,000+ funds for financial advisors, asset managers, asset owners, corporations, and tech platforms, monetized via quote-based SaaS and API subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Platform Subscription: SaaS platform subscription providing access to ESG ratings, screening tools, portfolio analysis, compliance testing, and reporting. Pricing appears quote-based with enterprise tier targeting financial advisors, asset managers, and institutional clients.
2. API Access: Programmatic API access for firms to integrate ESG data into their own systems. API provides access to companies, funds, causes, metrics, portfolios, compliance, reports, and user management endpoints.
3. Lead Generation: Platform includes lead generation features connecting financial advisors with clients seeking values-based investment options based on their Impact Persona.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ethos provides an ESG data and analytics SaaS platform that delivers impact ratings on more than 300,000 companies and 250,000 funds across 45 environmental and social causes, alongside screening, portfolio analysis, compliance testing, corporate questionnaires, reporting, and a REST API for programmatic access. The offering is targeted at financial advisors, asset managers, asset owners, corporations, and technology platforms, and is complemented by a free consumer-facing Impact Assessment quiz that personalizes ESG preferences and feeds leads to advisor customers.

Product overview

Ethos is an ESG data and analytics platform offering values-based investing tools for financial advisors, asset managers, asset owners, corporations, and tech platforms. The core platform provides Company Impact Ratings (300,000+ companies) and Fund Impact Ratings (250,000+ funds) across 45 causes. The platform architecture consists of core rating products (Company/Fund Impact Ratings, Impact Assessment), analytical modules (ESG Screening Tools, Portfolio Analysis, Compliance Testing), and supporting tools (Reporting, Lead Generation, Questionnaires). All capabilities are accessible via REST API with SDKs in Python, Node.js, and Ruby, enabling programmatic integration for institutional clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Company Impact Ratings ESG impact ratings for over 300,000 companies assessed across 45 causes, enabling financial professionals and investors to evaluate corporate environmental, social, and governance performance relative to specific sustainability themes such as climate action, racial justice, mental health, and gender equality.
• Fund Impact Ratings

Quantifiable outcome

• 300,000+ company impact ratings available
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ACA GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEthos appears to be affiliated with ACA Group, with acaethos.com used as the contact/inquiry domain. ACA Group is a compliance and technology solutions provider for financial services firms, suggesting a strategic partnership for delivering integrated compliance and ESG solutions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• MSCI ESG Research: Leading institutional provider of ESG ratings, screening, and climate data, integrated into MSCI's broader index and analytics platform. Competes with Ethos for asset manager and asset owner ESG data budgets and offers far deeper coverage and brand recognition.
• Sustainalytics: Morningstar-owned ESG and corporate governance research firm providing risk ratings and analytics to asset managers and asset owners globally. Direct competitor to Ethos in ESG data, ratings, and compliance screening, though at vastly larger scale and enterprise focus.
• S&P Global Sustainable1: S&P Global's ESG data, analytics, and benchmarking business serving corporates, asset managers, and asset owners. Comparable to Ethos in providing company and fund ESG data plus compliance and reporting workflows, with much larger enterprise footprint.
• ISS ESG: Institutional Shareholder Services' ESG business providing ratings, screening, and stewardship services to asset managers and asset owners. Overlaps with Ethos' compliance testing and fund screening capabilities, with strong regulatory and proxy advisory ties.
• Bloomberg ESG Data: Bloomberg's integrated ESG dataset embedded in the Bloomberg Terminal for asset managers and asset owners. Directly comparable to Ethos' company and fund rating products, with superior distribution via Bloomberg's global installed base.

Emerging players

• Truvalue Labs: Real-time ESG data and analytics provider (acquired by S&P Global) offering company-level ESG scoring for asset managers. Comparable to Ethos in providing alternative, data-driven ESG scores with API access for institutional clients.
• As You Sow: Nonprofit shareholder advocacy and ESG research organization publishing company ratings on environmental, social, and governance issues for investors. Comparable to Ethos in cause-based company ratings targeting values-aligned investors and advisors.
• Tumelo: UK-based fintech providing values-based and ESG engagement data APIs to wealth platforms, advisors, and asset managers. Comparable to Ethos in API-first distribution and values-based investment preferences, though focused on UK/European wealth platforms.

Direct peers

• Just Capital: Nonprofit and data company ranking publicly traded US companies on stakeholder-driven, values-based criteria for investors and companies. Closely comparable to Ethos in ranking companies against values/causes, with similar US-centric advisor and asset manager customer base.
• Change Finance: Values-based investing platform offering ESG-screened portfolios aligned with social and environmental causes for advisors and retail investors. Closely comparable to Ethos in cause-driven personalization, consumer Impact Assessment-style intake, and advisor lead generation motion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EthosESG
• Facebookfacebook.com/EthosESG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ethos-esg

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ethos