The lang cat

What The lang cat does

The Lang Cat is a UK-based financial services insight and communications consultancy headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, founded in 2010 by Mark Polson. The company serves three primary customer segments — financial advisers (IFAs), investment platforms, and financial services firms — through an integrated offering that combines subscription technology, proprietary research, and professional services. Its core technology product, Analyser, is a cloud-based SaaS platform that supports platform and MPS suitability due diligence at both firm and client level, providing a repeatable process to evidence client suitability; a complementary Regulatory Tracker product extends into ongoing regulatory monitoring. The business generates revenue through three streams: subscription access to the Analyser platform and proprietary reports, professional services including research, PR and communications, and regulatory and public affairs consulting, and sales of research publications such as the annual State of the Platform Nation and quarterly Platform Market Scorecard. Pricing is not publicly disclosed.

The go-to-market is sales-led and UK-focused, combining direct digital sales of Analyser subscriptions with field-based professional services engagement. Demand generation is anchored on flagship events (Catwalk annual conference and HomeGame regional series), content marketing (blog, newsletter, podcast, YouTube), and earned media coverage, including two HeadlineMoney PR Agency of the Year awards in 2024 and 2026. A proprietary adviser panel of 1,300-1,600 members underpins the company's market intelligence and is a central differentiator versus generalist competitors. Named enterprise relationships include Irish Life, illustrating cross-sell from PR through to consultancy. The Lang Cat Ltd is a privately held Scottish-registered company with no disclosed external investors, parent company, or M&A activity.

Name

The lang cat

Legal name

The Lang Cat Ltd

Website

https://langcatfinancial.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Lang Cat is a UK financial services consultancy offering a subscription due diligence SaaS (Analyser), market intelligence reports, and PR, regulatory, and bespoke research services to financial advisers, platforms, and financial services firms across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Services Communications & Research

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Fieldwork & Data Collection (Online Panels, CATI/CAPI, Fieldwork) (MPAAALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Real-Time Market Data Feeds & Terminals (FSAFAIAA)

Keywords

• Financial services research
• Investment platform analytics
• Platform due diligence
• Financial PR communications
• Regulatory affairs consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Services (Analyser): Subscription-based access to the Analyser platform providing due diligence tools, platform market scorecards, and industry reports.
2. Professional Services: Research and consultancy engagements, PR and communications services, and regulatory/public affairs consulting for financial services clients.
3. Reports and Research Publications: Market intelligence reports including State of the Platform Nation and quarterly Platform Market Scorecards.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Lang Cat is a financial services insight and communications consultancy that sells subscription access to its Analyser SaaS platform (platform and MPS suitability due diligence), regulatory tracking tools, and recurring research reports (State of the Platform Nation, Platform Market Scorecard). It also delivers bespoke Research & Consultancy, PR & Communications, and Regulatory & Public Affairs services to UK financial advisers, platforms, and asset managers. Its market intelligence is powered by a proprietary 1,300-1,600-strong adviser panel.

Product overview

The lang Cat is a financial services insight and communications consultancy offering a suite of products and services. The core offering consists of Analyser (a subscription-based platform for platform and MPS suitability and due diligence), Regulatory Tracker (a regulatory monitoring tool), and Research & Consultancy services including published reports such as State of the Platform Nation and Platform Market Scorecard. The company also provides PR & Communications and Regulatory & Public Affairs advisory services. Research capabilities are powered by a proprietary adviser panel of approximately 1,300 members. The products operate as complementary tools within The lang Cat's ecosystem, with Analyser serving as the primary technology platform and reports/trackers providing ongoing market intelligence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Analyser: Platform and MPS suitability and due diligence tool for financial advisers
• Regulatory Tracker
• State of the Platform Nation
• Platform Market Scorecard

Products and services

• Analyser

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of advisers needed to apologise to at least one client on behalf of a platform in the last 12 months, 91% of advisers impacted daily by poor platform service

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ParmenionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on white paper research titled 'The Impact of Poor Service', providing research findings about platform service standards and adviser experience. The research revealed that 88% of advisers needed to apologise to clients on behalf of platforms and 91% are impacted daily by poor service delivery.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fundscape: UK platform market data and analytics provider tracking platform inflows/outflows, directly comparable to the Platform Market Scorecard product.
• Boring Money: UK financial services research and insight consultancy serving providers and advisers, overlapping on primary research, panels and communications.
• The Wriglesworth Consultancy: Specialist UK financial services PR and communications agency, competing directly on media relations and marcomms for financial firms.
• MRM: UK marketing, reputation and money communications agency for financial services clients, a direct PR/comms competitor.
• NextWealth: UK research and consultancy firm focused on the financial advice and wealth market, competing directly on adviser-panel-driven insight and consultancy.
• Platforum: UK platform and fund distribution research house providing platform market analysis and rankings, squarely overlapping with The Lang Cat's platform-market reporting.
• Defaqto: UK provider of financial product ratings and due-diligence/research tools for advisers, directly overlapping with The Lang Cat's Analyser platform and adviser-facing market intelligence.

Broad incumbents

• Lansons: Established UK financial and corporate communications agency with a large financial services practice, overlapping on PR and public affairs but broader in scope.
• Morningstar: Global investment data, research and ratings provider whose fund/platform data and due-diligence tools overlap with Analyser but as part of a far larger portfolio.

Emerging players

• Consumer Intelligence: UK financial services market insight and data provider using consumer/panel research, overlapping with The Lang Cat's research and benchmarking work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thelangcat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-lang-cat
• Xx.com/thelangcat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The lang cat