RelSci: Relationship Discovery & Much More
Jinfo Blog

By Michael Levy

Abstract

Michael Levy highlights the key attributes of RelSci, relationship capital management and discovery tool for users such as fund raisers, wealth managers and other business professionals.

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One of the problems with newly launched information services is they often look good, but feel like a limited function beta when you begin using the service.

In the rush to market, a pretty user interface is slapped on top of a wobbly service while the company figures out its value proposition and looks for VC funding. Users are left to figure out how the service works and hope their questions are addressed in basic FAQs and a quickly slapped together user guide.

A Robust & Stable Service

When I first saw Relationship Science (RelSci) last summer at the Sales 2.0 show, I expected that it would suffer from similar maladies.

Fortunately for the 350 clients already using RelSci, the company has received $90 million in funding allowing them to launch a robust, stable service that addresses the question, "How do I reach the top execs at ABC company?"

Not only is the user interface well thought out (it has a black and red scheme that reminded me of the MIT Technology Review and Bloomberg websites), but it has broad "relationship capital management" content and functionality and well-designed graphical tools for representing relationships.

Content is deeply hyperlinked allowing the user to quickly mouse over any organisation, executive, or transaction and view a "baseball card" overview. Of course, they can also drill down to any of these profiles.

Online Profiling & Mapping Physical Meetings

Along with relationship discovery, the service also supports company and executive profiling, list building, donor research (fundraising), investor research, and alerting.

It even offers a tool for identifying additional meetings when visiting a city.

Complex Calculations

Due to early funding, the company was able to license top tier content from FactSet, Morningstar, LexisNexis, GuideStar, and Noza and build out one million organisational profiles and three million executive profiles. Although the company does not use the term "big data", they are loading large, dynamic datasets into their platform and extracting relationships between people and institutions.

Leverage Personal Relationships

The product is a natural fit for equity investors, wealth managers, consultants, lawyers, fund raisers and other business professionals focused on leveraging personal relationships.

Editor's Note: Full Review

RelSci has a host of interesting features. The full FreePint Report: Product Review of RelSci is now available to those with a FreePint Subscription.

Articles in series:

• RelSci: Introduction and Contact Details
• RelSci: Sources, Content and Coverage
• RelSci: Technology Part 1 - Search
• RelSci: Technology Part 2 - User Interface; Integration; Mobile Access; Help
• RelSci: Value, Competitors, Development & Pricing

Full report (PDF) contains all of the above content, in a convenient package for reference and sharing:

• Product Review of RelSci

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