Planet Systems Group

What Planet Systems Group does

Planet Systems Group (PSG), founded in 1997 in Charlottesville, Virginia by Dean Bedford and now headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic and Novi Sad, Serbia, is a specialized technology and services firm serving the scholarly publishing industry. The company provides peer review management, manuscript administration, publishing workflow support, scientific data validation, publication integrity consulting, platform integration, and training services to scientific societies, academic publishers, and journals — clients named on its site include the American Chemical Society, American Heart Association, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, EMBO, Clarivate, and Silverchair. PSG complements its services portfolio with seven proprietary software products: Awards and Grants, Abstract Archives, Manuscript Archives, PLANet Pro, PLANet Contact IAS, Planet Prodigy, and Team WizZzard, alongside FileMaker-based custom development and cross-platform integration capabilities delivered to a broader enterprise client base.

The firm's technology stack is built on custom web-based applications and cloud platforms (Manuscript Archives runs on AWS with SSO and metadata search), ElasticSearch-powered search, and FileMaker-based solutions, with workflow automation exposed via APIs and integration services. PSG operates a sales-led B2B go-to-market targeting enterprise scholarly-publishing buyers, with revenue generated through two streams: project-based professional services (custom development, implementation, editorial support, training) and recurring software subscriptions/licenses. Pricing is bespoke and quote-based with multi-year enterprise contracts; no public pricing or ARR is disclosed.

The firm employs 193 professionals across its Czech and Serbian hubs (average tenure 8.7 years; 1,681 collective years of experience), is founder-owned with no external institutional investment or disclosed funding rounds, and maintains ISO 27001 certification and GDPR compliance as procurement prerequisites for European enterprise clients.

Name

Planet Systems Group

Legal name

PLANet Systems Group

Website

https://planetsg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Planet Systems Group is a privately held scholarly publishing technology firm providing peer review management, manuscript administration, and custom software services to scientific societies, journal publishers, and enterprise clients worldwide from its Prague and Novi Sad hubs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scholarly Publishing Technology Services

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAGAJAM

Clinical Trial Informatics (EDC/CTMS/eCOA/eTMF)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Life Science Software & Informatics (LIMS/ELN/Bioinformatics)

SECONDARYHLAGAJAC

Scientific Data Management & Data Platforms (SDMS/Data Lakehouse for R&D)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Life Science Software & Informatics (LIMS/ELN/Bioinformatics)

Keywords

• Scholarly publishing services
• Peer review management
• Manuscript administration
• Scientific publishing software
• Publication integrity consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Prague

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services: Custom software development, implementation, and support services for scholarly publishers. Includes peer review consulting, site implementation, training, and ongoing client support. Revenue generated through project-based engagements and long-term client relationships.
2. Software Subscriptions: Proprietary software products including Awards & Grants, PLANet Pro, PLANet Contact IAS, Planet Prodigy, Abstract Archives, Manuscript Archives, and Team WizZzard offered as subscriptions or licenses to publishers and societies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Planet Systems Group provides professional editorial and peer review support services, custom software development (including FileMaker solutions and web applications), and a suite of proprietary software products (PLANet Pro, PLANet Contact IAS, Awards and Grants, Planet Prodigy, Abstract Archives, Manuscript Archives, Team WizZzard) for scholarly publishers, scientific societies, and enterprise clients. The company delivers end-to-end publishing workflow solutions from manuscript submission through peer review, production, awards administration, and archival.

Product overview

Planet Systems Group (PSG) operates as a comprehensive scholarly publishing technology company offering three interconnected portfolio segments: (1) Services encompassing professional editorial support, publishing administration, scientific data validation, peer review consulting, platform integration/migration, publication integrity, training, and client support; (2) Solutions including FileMaker custom development, custom programming, quality assurance, video production, cross-platform integration, design services, and data parsing; and (3) Software Products featuring Awards and Grants, Planet Prodigy, Abstract Archives, Manuscript Archives, Team WizZzard, PLANet Pro, and PLANet Contact IAS. The company's core focus is custom development and implementation of web-based applications for scholarly publishers and societies in peer review and production processes, with a team of 200+ professionals headquartered in Prague and Novi Sad.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Editorial Support Manuscript lifecycle and user profile management service specializing in peer-review workflow technical support to accelerate manuscript processing from submission to decision for scholarly publishers.
• Publishing Administration Expert publishing administration including formatting checks, data validation, manuscript metadata verification, conflict avoidance, author verification, and file integrity checks for scholarly journals.
• Peer Review Consulting and Support Technical expertise resolving issues related to peer-review workflow and production platforms with comprehensive support and multi-channel communication for scholarly publishers.
• Platform Integration and Migration Integration between publishing systems enabling smooth data flow, with managed migration services minimizing downtime and optimizing operations for journals and societies.
• Awards and Grants Intuitive software platform for managing submissions and evaluations for awards, fellowships, and grants with customizable workflows, automated notifications, applicant tracking, reviewer scoring, and reporting capabilities.
• Planet Prodigy Idea management platform for gathering customer feedback, evaluating suggestions, and prioritizing features with voting, scorecard, and roadmap features for organizations.
• Abstract Archives Comprehensive platform for online and hybrid scholarly events providing secure repository for past meetings, ePoster displays, and engagement tools with ElasticSearch-powered search and customizable branding.
• Manuscript Archives Secure, scalable platform for preserving published and non-published manuscripts with advanced metadata search, SSO authentication, and AWS cloud-based storage for scholarly publishers.
• Team WizZzard Workplace gamification application that helps employees remember each other's names through interactive quizzes and team bonding games.
• PLANet Pro Robust project management tool with Kanban boards, task management, subtasking, real-time updates, workflow automation, and time tracking capabilities for team productivity.
• PLANet Contact IAS All-in-one productivity application integrating people, actions, and entities with task planning, team management, email tracking, and accounting features for organizations.
• FileMaker Custom Solutions Development Tailored FileMaker solutions with custom application development, seamless integration, scalable designs, and ongoing support for unique business workflows across industries.
• Custom Programming Personalized software solutions from mobile apps to automation tools with full-stack development, cross-platform support, and robust security for enterprise clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trusted by 1500+ customers worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ViveVitamminorOthersCommunity partnership with ViveVitam focused on fueling passion for health, happiness and making a difference. PSG supports their initiative to build connections and brighter future through acts of kindness.
• Running TogetherminorOthersPSG Running Together initiative promoting fitness and community engagement among team members. Employees participate in marathon running events as part of company culture.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreTechnology or IntegrationAWS provides cloud infrastructure for Manuscript Archives platform, enabling secure, scalable storage that adapts to growing needs of publishers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PLANetSG
• Facebookfacebook.com/PLANetSystemsGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/planet-systems-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/planetsg

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Planet Systems Group