eBureau

Founded in 2004 by Gordy Meyer, eBureau established itself as a provider of predictive analytics and information solutions. Meyer, who served as CEO until the company's acquisition, has a history of creating and successfully exiting data-focused businesses, including RiskWise, which was sold to LexisNexis. His experience at Fingerhut in the 1980s, a company ahead of its time in using data for marketing and credit decisions, shaped his approach to predictive scoring and analytics. eBureau secured approximately $43 million in venture capital funding from investors including Redpoint Ventures, Tenaya Capital, and Split Rock Partners.

The company specialized in a rapid model development platform that allowed clients to build and implement bespoke analytic models for credit-risk and anti-fraud applications within days, a process that traditionally took months. This platform utilized patented technologies and vast data assets, including over 50 databases with 300 billion records covering the majority of U.S. adult consumers, to deliver predictive scores. The core of the business was to help clients with new customer acquisition by assessing risk and predicting a consumer's propensity to respond to an offer.

eBureau served a diverse client base across financial services, automotive, telecommunications, and education, helping both B2C and B2B companies. Clients used eBureau's predictive scores to make real-time decisions in areas like lead generation, contact center optimization, and ad targeting. For example, an online university could use the service to predict which prospective students were most likely to enroll and complete their studies. The business model centered on providing these predictive scoring and information services, helping customers to increase profitability, improve efficiency, and reduce fraud-related losses. In October 2017, eBureau was acquired by TransUnion for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition was a strategic move for TransUnion to enhance its analytics portfolio, particularly in fraud prevention, and to integrate eBureau's rapid modeling technology into its Prama platform.

Keywords: predictive analytics, risk management, fraud prevention, credit risk, lead scoring, customer acquisition, data analytics, big data, financial services, information solutions, Gordy Meyer, TransUnion, rapid model development, consumer data, lead generation, marketing optimization, data-driven decisions, B2B analytics, B2C analytics, customer lifecycle management