The Transparency Company

What The Transparency Company does

The Transparency Company, operating under the brands "Ask Transparency" and "TrueReview," is a SaaS provider founded in 2020 by Curtis Boyd that monitors online business listings to identify, dispute, and remove fraudulent or policy-violating reviews, primarily on platforms such as Google Maps. The company serves three customer segments: small and medium businesses (fewer than 10 locations) seeking reputation protection, multi-location enterprises (10+ locations) requiring scaled auditing, and government agencies and regulatory bodies that need audit-grade evidence and fraud scoring for compliance and enforcement work. The company is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, and as of 2025 operates as a subsidiary of Insight Integrity, with Maury Blackman serving as co-founder and CEO.

The company's core technology is a proprietary review authentication engine that combines custom-trained large language models with machine learning systems purpose-built for fake-review detection. Reviews are evaluated across three pillars (Businesses, Contributors, and Reviews) using over 20 core authenticity metrics and more than 40 distinct fraud-detection metrics, producing a proprietary Review Health Score and supporting daily automated auditing with disputes queued within 24 hours. Flagship product capabilities include the TrueReview Certification (a first-of-its-kind compliance certification tied to the FTC Ruling 16 CFR Part 465 and the DMCC Act 2024), Competitor Intelligence, Impression Insights, Lead-Gen Scam Exposure, and a Transparency Portal for customer access.

The company monetizes through per-location, tiered annual subscriptions priced at $45, $125, and $300 per location per month for the Reveal, Illuminate, and Integrity tiers respectively, with one-time setup fees of $500 to $1,500 and annual billing offering up to 20% savings versus monthly billing. SMB plans are sold self-serve via the company website, while enterprise and institutional customers (including government agencies) are sold through consultative direct sales with personalized demos and dedicated account management. In December 2025, parent Insight Integrity acquired GatherUp and Grade.us, two established reputation management platforms, and is integrating them with The Transparency Company's AI verification technology to broaden the platform's distribution and product footprint.

Name

The Transparency Company

Legal name

The Transparency Company

Website

https://askfortransparency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Transparency Company (branded as Ask Transparency and TrueReview) is a SaaS platform that uses custom-trained LLMs to detect and dispute fake online reviews for SMBs, multi-location enterprises, and government regulators. It sells per-location subscription tiers and offers a first-of-its-kind TrueReview Certification for regulatory compliance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Review Authentication Software

NAICS

Business Service Centers (56143), Public Relations Agencies (54182), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Marketplace & E-commerce Trust & Safety (Listings, Sellers, Reviews) (BPAAALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Policy Operations, Appeals & Case Management (Disputes, reinstatements, escalations) (BPAAALAM), Public Communications, Transparency & Open Government (BPAIAAAH)

Keywords

• Online review monitoring
• Fake review detection
• Reputation management software
• Review authentication
• Business listing compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

El Segundo

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Plans: Tiered subscription model with three plans (Reveal, Illuminate, Integrity) priced per location per month with annual commitment. Includes one-time setup fees. Revenue is recurring and scales with number of business locations monitored.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Transparency Company operates a SaaS platform (branded as Ask Transparency / TrueReview) that monitors business listings on platforms such as Google Maps to identify, score, dispute, and remove fake or policy-violating reviews. It sells tiered subscription plans (Reveal, Illuminate, Integrity) plus a standalone TrueReview Certification program and provides audit-grade evidence for regulatory compliance. Its core value is automated, AI-driven review verification combined with competitor intelligence and dispute management for businesses and government agencies.

Product overview

The Transparency Company operates a unified SaaS platform called Ask Transparency (also branded as TrueReview) that provides AI-driven review verification and reputation management services. The platform consists of three subscription tiers (Reveal, Illuminate, and Integrity) offering escalating levels of review analysis, competitor monitoring, and automated dispute capabilities. All plans include TrueReview Certification, the company's proprietary verification badge program. Core technology features include the Review Health Score, Impression Insights, Competitor Intelligence, Lead-Gen Scam Exposure, and Review Enforcement capabilities. The platform is accessible via the Transparency Portal web interface.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TrueReview Certification First-of-its-kind certification that validates a business's commitment to authentic customer reviews and adherence to industry and regulatory standards, including FTC Ruling (16 CFR Part 465) and DMCC Act 2024. Includes a TrueReview Certified badge for display on the business's website and communications to build customer confidence.
• Transparency Portal (TrueReview SaaS Platform) Customer-facing SaaS web portal that delivers AI-driven review verification, daily listing audits, competitor intelligence, automated dispute processing, and TrueReview Certification management. Targets SMBs, multi-location enterprises, and government/regulatory institutions to identify fake reviews, score authenticity, and enforce takedowns on platforms such as Google Maps.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70%+ consumer distrust in online reviews due to fake submissions
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Insight IntegritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2025Insight Integrity acquired GatherUp and Grade.us reputation management platforms and is integrating The Transparency Company's AI-driven review verification technology to bolster reputation management and fraud detection capabilities. The integration leverages The Transparency Company's proprietary review authentication technology as part of a broader platform strategy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Birdeye: Birdeye is a leading multi-location reputation management and customer experience platform that helps businesses generate, monitor, and respond to reviews across Google, Facebook, and other sites. It is directly comparable because it competes for the same multi-location and SMB customers and offers overlapping review monitoring and listing management capabilities.
• Podium: Podium is a customer communication and reputation platform built for local businesses, with strong review management, messaging, and lead conversion functionality. It competes directly with The Transparency Company for SMB and multi-location customers that need to manage reviews on Google and other listings.
• Reputation.com: Reputation.com is an enterprise reputation management platform that monitors, analyzes, and responds to reviews and social media at scale for multi-location brands. It is directly comparable because it targets the same enterprise/government-like customer segments with similar review listening, scoring, and reporting workflows.
• ReviewTrackers: ReviewTrackers is a review management and customer feedback analytics platform that aggregates reviews from multiple sources and provides insights for multi-location businesses. It is directly comparable to The Transparency Company's review monitoring and analytics capabilities for the enterprise segment.
• Chatmeter: Chatmeter is a multi-location reputation and local SEO platform that monitors listings, reviews, and social presence for enterprises. It is directly comparable because it serves the same enterprise and multi-location customer base with overlapping listing accuracy and review analysis capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Yext: Yext is a digital presence platform that helps enterprises manage listings, reviews, and knowledge across hundreds of publishers and platforms. It is broadly comparable as a larger incumbent operating in the same enterprise reputation and listings management space with overlapping capabilities.
• Trustpilot: Trustpilot is a global consumer review platform that connects businesses and consumers through verified reviews. It is broadly comparable because it sits in the same online review ecosystem and addresses similar authenticity and trust concerns, though its primary business model is review hosting rather than authentication.
• Bazaarvoice: Bazaarvoice is a large-scale user-generated content and ratings-and-reviews platform serving enterprise retailers and brands. It is broadly comparable because it operates in the online reviews ecosystem with overlapping content authenticity and moderation needs.
• PowerReviews: PowerReviews is an enterprise ratings-and-reviews platform for retailers and brands, with content moderation and authenticity features. It is broadly comparable because it addresses review authenticity and moderation at scale within the same online review category.

Others

• GatherUp: GatherUp is a reputation management and customer feedback platform acquired by Insight Integrity (the parent of The Transparency Company) in December 2025. It is closely related because it is now part of the same integrated platform, providing review solicitation and management capabilities that complement The Transparency Company's authentication engine.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/realreviewsonly
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheTransparencyCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/askfortransparency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-transparency-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/askfortransparency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Transparency Company