Rediscovery

What Rediscovery does

Re:discovery Software, Inc. is a privately held, founder-led collections management software company headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1988 by software engineer David L. Edwards at the request of archaeology teams from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and Poplar Forest, the company built its flagship Proficio platform to catalog and track objects, provenance, appraisals, locations, exhibits, loans, and condition information across museums, archives, libraries, and archaeological sites. The system is implemented on Microsoft's .NET platform in C# against SQL Server, with embedded support for domain taxonomies including Nomenclature 4.0, the Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT), and ITIS, and is offered in both on-premise and cloud-hosted deployment models.

Over thirty years, Re:discovery has assembled a differentiated footprint spanning enterprise cultural institutions (e.g., Mount Vernon, Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown Rediscovery, MOHAI, Biltmore Estate, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Saint Louis Science Center), universities (University of Cincinnati, Washington and Lee, Florida Museum of Natural History), nonprofits (National Trust for Historic Preservation, DAR, Sealaska Heritage Institute), and federal agencies, most notably a 1997 National Park Service contract under which a custom ICMS variant has managed 300+ sites for over two decades. The company is a GSA Schedule contract holder, supporting direct federal procurement.

The business model is a hybrid of one-time license, recurring subscription (Proficio Cloud), optional annual technical-support plans, and professional services for training, customization, and data conversion. Pricing is concurrent-user-based, with a discounted Proficio Elements tier starting at $975 for up to five concurrent users targeting smaller historical societies and museums. Distribution is direct via phone, web demo requests, and a client Google Group community; webinars and recorded tutorials sustain post-sale engagement. Re:discovery markets itself as the leading independent provider nationally and globally for this niche, but discloses no revenue figures and has no identified external equity backing.

Name

Rediscovery

Legal name

Re:discovery Software, Inc.

Website

https://rediscoverysoftware.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Re:discovery Software provides Proficio, an integrated collections management software platform for museums, archives, libraries, and archaeological sites. Founded in 1988 in Charlottesville, Virginia, the company serves cultural institutions across the United States and Canada through direct enterprise sales and government contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Collections Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJAMAJ

Digital Archives, Libraries & Institutional Access Platforms

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Digital Publishing Platforms (E-books & Online Articles)

SECONDARYEDAEAGAE

Library Collections & Cataloging Services (Acquisitions, Metadata, Circulation)

Education/Education Facilities & Support Services/Library, Media Center & Learning Space Operations

Keywords

• Collections management software
• Museum software
• Archive management
• Archaeological records
• Digital asset management

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlottesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses (Desktop): One-time license purchase or subscription model for Proficio or Proficio Elements installed on local computer or network. Priced by concurrent user count.
2. Cloud Subscriptions: Subscription-based web browser access to Proficio or Proficio Elements hosted by Re:discovery. Includes automatic backups, updates, and support.
3. Technical Support Plans: Monthly support plans for clients with coverage. Optional yearly technical support plan with updates and upgrades included. Hourly/per-incident support available for non-plan clients.
4. Training Services: On-site or web-based training classes, monthly introductory webinars, special topic webinars, and recorded training tutorials. Webinar training included with support plans.
5. Customization and Conversion Services: Data conversion services (automated for simple cases, custom quotes for complex conversions), system customization, and implementation services.
6. Proficio Elements Package Sales: Proficio Elements includes Collections Module, Library & Archives Module, images & multimedia, training webinar classes, upgrades and updates. Starting at $975 for up to 5 concurrent users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Re:discovery Software develops and sells Proficio, an integrated collections management software platform for museums, archives, libraries, and archaeological collections. The system tracks object descriptions, provenance, appraisals, locations, exhibits, conditions, loans, and accessions across multiple catalog types (Art, History, Natural History, Hierarchical Archives, Reference Library, Archaeology). It is sold as desktop-installed software licenses or cloud-hosted subscriptions, with modular variants including Proficio Elements (small institutions), Proficio Cloud, Proficio for the Web, Proficio Mobile, and the ICMS variant for the National Park Service.

Product overview

Re:discovery Software offers Proficio, a comprehensive collections management software platform with modular architecture. The core Proficio system includes Collections, Library & Archives, and Archaeology modules for managing art museums, historical museums, archives, libraries, and archaeological sites. Proficio Elements is a scaled-down version for smaller institutions. Additional offerings include Proficio Cloud (hosted web access), Proficio for the Web (public-facing portal), Proficio Mobile (device access), and ICMS (a NPS/DOI-specific variant). The system supports local installation, cloud hosting, or hybrid deployment options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Proficio: Complete collections management software solution for museums, archives, libraries and archaeological collections with full-featured modules for collections, archives, and archaeology management.
• Proficio Elements
• Proficio Cloud
• Proficio for the Web
• Proficio Mobile

Products and services

• Proficio

Quantifiable outcome

• Sealaska Heritage Institute made 900+ ethnographic objects and 150 archival collections searchable online
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers27 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• PreservicacoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021Preservica, the world's most trusted cloud archiving and active digital preservation platform, partnered with Re:discovery to provide an integrated collections management and digital preservation solution. The collaboration enables libraries, museums, government institutions, and corporate organizations to meet preservation mandates for valuable records and historical assets.
• National Park ServiceflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997In 1997, the National Park Service selected Re:discovery Software to develop their custom ICMS (Integrated Collections Management System) to manage more than 300 sites across the country. This federal government contract established Re:discovery as a premier provider for government cultural heritage management.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationProficio is built on Microsoft's .NET platform using C# and SQL Server databases. Microsoft partnership ensures compatibility with current Windows technologies and enterprise systems.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gallery Systems (TMS - The Museum System): Closest direct competitor in museum collections management software. TMS serves large art and cultural museums with similar object cataloging, loans, and exhibition tracking workflows—overlapping almost entirely with Proficio's core market.
• Axiell Group: Global collections management vendor covering libraries, archives, museums, and schools with products like Axiell Arena and EMu. Competes directly with Proficio across Re:discovery's primary verticals, especially in Europe and the U.S.
• PastPerfect Software: Leading collections management software for small-to-mid-sized museums and historical societies—directly competing with Proficio Elements. Targets the same small-institution segment Re:discovery pursues with its Elements tier.
• WillowTree / EmbARK (KB Solutions): EmbARK is a long-standing direct competitor in museum collections management, offering object cataloging, loans, and exhibitions software to similar museum and archive customer profiles.
• Adlib Information Systems: Library, archive, and museum information management software vendor, particularly strong in European cultural heritage and special collections markets. Overlaps with Re:discovery's Library & Archives Module on MARC, circulation, and finding aids.

Regional players

• Vernon Systems (eHive / Vernon CMS): Australia/New Zealand-based collections management vendor with global reach through eHive online cataloging. Comparable product-market fit in museums and cultural heritage, serving similar use cases as Proficio in different geographies.

Emerging players

• CollectiveAccess: Open-source collections management framework used by museums, archives, and oral history projects. Competes on flexibility and cost, particularly appealing to smaller or technically sophisticated institutions evaluating Proficio.
• Modes (Museum of London / Modes Users Group): Open-source collections management system developed for the Museum of London and used by museums internationally. Represents a free, community-driven alternative to Proficio for institutions with implementation capacity.

Others

• Preservica: Strategic technology partner of Re:discovery since 2021 providing cloud-based digital preservation. Functionally adjacent rather than directly competitive; partner ecosystem signals overlap in target buyer (cultural heritage CIOs) and complementary product roadmaps.

Broad incumbents

• OCLC: Library cooperative and major provider of cataloging, metadata, and library management services (WorldCat, CONTENTdm). A broader incumbent in the library/archives information space where Re:discovery's Library & Archives Module also competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rediscoverysoftwareinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/re-discovery-software-inc.

Compliance1 record

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&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Rediscovery