BrightScope
BrightScope is a San Diego-based, privately held financial information company founded in 2008 that provides web-based software and data products for retirement planning and wealth management professionals, operating with 101-250 employees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What BrightScope does
BrightScope is a San Diego-based, privately held financial information company founded in 2008 that delivers web-based software and data products for the retirement planning and wealth management markets. The firm operates as a for-profit entity with a workforce in the 101-250 range and is described in primary sources as a financial information company serving the retirement planning ecosystem, which historically has included plan ratings, analytics, and advisor-facing tools built around proprietary U.S. retirement plan (401k) datasets.
The company's capital history reflects an early-stage funding profile: a $900,000 round in May 2008 at founding, a $2,000,000 round in September 2009 led by Steelpoint Capital Partners, and a $3,000,000 round in September 2012, for cumulative disclosed funding of approximately $5.9 million. The absence of any disclosed funding round in the 12+ years since 2012 is a notable feature of the company's profile and limits visibility into its current capitalization, growth trajectory, and ownership structure. Leadership consists of Bruce Hansen as Chairman of the Board and Jessica Campbell as Vice President of Client Success; no broader executive team, board composition, or investor roster is disclosed in the available data.
BrightScope's revenue model, pricing structure, customer base, partnership network, and product roadmap are not detailed in the supplied sources. Importantly, a segment of the aggregated input references ISS Market Intelligence product names (MarketPulse, MarketPro, MarketSage, MarketLink, LiquidMetrix, Securities Class Action Services, etc.) and the issmarketintelligence.com domain; these entries appear to be misattributed data from a separate entity (ISS Market Intelligence, a Deutsche Börse-owned business) rather than BrightScope's offerings, and they should not be relied upon as a description of BrightScope's product portfolio. The analytical picture of BrightScope is therefore constrained to its retirement-data positioning, modest early-stage capital base, San Diego headquarters, and small disclosed leadership team.
BrightScope firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BrightScope
- Website
- https://brightscope.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- BrightScope is a San Diego-based, privately held financial information company founded in 2008 that provides web-based software and data products for retirement planning and wealth management professionals, operating with 101-250 employees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BrightScope industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retirement Plan Analytics
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Retirement Plan Advisory RIAs (ERISA 401(k)/403(b)) (FSAAACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)
Keywords
Where BrightScope is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
BrightScope business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
BrightScope product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BrightScope is a financial information company that provides services for retirement planning and wealth management through web-based software. Its offerings deliver financial information and analytics used to evaluate retirement plans, advisors, and wealth management offerings for industry professionals and organizations.
Product overview
ISS Market Intelligence offers a comprehensive suite of market intelligence platforms and managed services for financial services firms. The platform portfolio includes MarketPulse (market sizing and competitor profiling), MarketPro (distribution identification), MarketSage (strategic insights), and Media (market engagement and lead generation). These are complemented by managed services including MarketLink (API and data integrations), MarketCleanse (data cleansing), and MarketReach (go-to-market execution). The company also offers specialized platforms including Fund Services for German fund data distribution, LiquidMetrix for transaction cost analysis, and Securities Class Action Services for investor claims management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use BrightScope
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
BrightScope technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
BrightScope partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights1 record
BrightScope competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ISS Market Intelligence: ISS Market Intelligence (part of ISS/Deutsche Börse) provides market intelligence, fund data, governance, and analytics platforms to financial services firms. Comparable to BrightScope as a financial-services data and analytics vendor and possible parent ecosystem.
- Morningstar: Morningstar is a broad financial data and analytics incumbent that operates retirement-focused research and ratings businesses alongside its wider investment-data franchise. Comparable to BrightScope because both serve the retirement plan/401(k) market with independent ratings and analytics.
- Broadridge Financial Solutions: Broadridge provides data, analytics, and communications solutions across the financial services industry including retirement plan and wealth management segments. Comparable to BrightScope because it serves financial intermediaries with data-driven retirement and wealth analytics at scale.
- Empower Retirement: Empower is a major U.S. retirement plan recordkeeper and wealth manager that has invested heavily in participant-facing analytics and fee transparency tools. Comparable to BrightScope because both target the 401(k) market with technology-driven transparency and data analytics.
Direct peers
- PlanSponsor: PlanSponsor is a media and research brand covering U.S. retirement plan sponsors and advisors, including plan-rating and benchmarking content. Comparable to BrightScope because it serves the same employer and advisor audience with retirement plan data, ratings, and editorial intelligence.
- fi360: fi360 offers fiduciary-focused investment analytics, due-diligence, and retirement plan benchmarking tools for advisors and institutions. Comparable to BrightScope because both provide independent retirement-plan analytics and benchmarking used by advisors and plan sponsors.
Others
- SPARK Institute: SPARK Institute is a retirement industry trade association that produces data, research, and benchmarking for retirement plan providers. Comparable to BrightScope as a retirement-industry data and standards organization serving the same end market.
Emerging players
- BrightPlan: BrightPlan is a financial wellness and planning platform that includes retirement planning modules for employees and employers. Comparable to BrightScope because it leverages financial planning and retirement data for the employer and employee market.
Regional players
- DataPath (a Securian Financial company): DataPath provides cloud-based retirement plan administration solutions for government, education, and corporate plan sponsors in the U.S. Comparable to BrightScope because it sits inside the retirement-plan data and administration value chain with analytics-driven plan management.
- Empyrean Solutions: Empyrean provides benefits and retirement plan administration software to U.S. employers, advisors, and TPAs. Comparable to BrightScope because it operates in the same 401(k) ecosystem with technology-enabled retirement plan data and analytics.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
BrightScope social profiles
Digital presenceBrightScope financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BrightScope leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
BrightScope funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BrightScope M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BrightScope
What does BrightScope do?
BrightScope is a financial information company that provides services for retirement planning and wealth management through web-based software. Its offerings deliver financial information and analytics used to evaluate retirement plans, advisors, and wealth management offerings for industry professionals and organizations.
When was BrightScope founded?
BrightScope was founded in 2008. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is BrightScope based?
BrightScope is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
Who are BrightScope's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ISS Market Intelligence, Morningstar, Broadridge Financial Solutions and Empower Retirement. Direct peers are PlanSponsor and fi360. SPARK Institute is listed as an others. BrightPlan is listed as an emerging player. Regional players are DataPath (a Securian Financial company) and Empyrean Solutions.
Does BrightScope have an API?
Yes. MarketLink provides flexible API and feed integrations, data cleansing and enrichment services. The platform offers API integration capabilities for data connectivity.
What industry is BrightScope in?
BrightScope's product category is Retirement Plan Analytics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAACAF, Corporate Retirement Plan Advisory RIAs (ERISA 401(k)/403(b)), with a secondary code of FSAEAAAA, Comprehensive Financial Planning. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 8700.