Founded in 1986, our company's roots are in database development for private market investors. In many ways, the Burgiss Group came of age with the private equity industry.

Private i Beginnings

Our roots in private equity go deep.

In 1988, Mitchell-Hutchins, a division of Paine Webber, called with a database problem. Little did we know at the time, but we were about to embark on building one of the world's first private equity database systems and to define the future course of the Burgiss Group.

With this assignment, we began our journey toward what would become a core competency---developing products and services specifically designed for the limited partner investing in alternative assets.

Now, more than 20 years later, we remain one of the largest software providers to the private equity industry. Our solutions have evolved from desktop applications to sophisticated, web-based products and services. Today, we serve hundreds of the largest investors in private equity, who together have invested over one trillion dollars in private market investments.

Once upon a time solely a technology provider, the Burgiss Group is now both a software and financial services company.

1986 : The Burgiss Group is incorporated by a group that includes James Kocis, its President. We initially focus on commercial database and systems development services and database tools.

1987 : Our first commercial product, PlayRight Pro, is introduced. We begin a consulting project with Paine Webber to develop a system to better manage their alternative asset portfolio.

1988-1994 : We introduce and bring to market a variety of software tools for database developers including WaitPlus Pro, ParaLex, ScriptView and TxtView. We continue to support and further develop the DOS-based private equity system developed for Paine Webber, as its use expands to three additional clients. We continue to develop a broader database consulting practice in a wide variety of applications.

1995 : We shift our business strategy to exclusively focus on solutions for limited partners in the private equity market. Long-term clients include AT&T Investment Management Company, CommonFund Capital and the University of Notre Dame.

1997 : Private i, our flagship software product, debuts. Private i 1.0 is a Windows-based database solution designed for investors and investment advisers to manage private equity portfolios. We sign a partnership deal with Mellon Bank to sublicense Private i to its custodial clients. We end the year with 16 clients.

1998 : We develop a business plan and marketing strategy while continuing to build out Private i. Stephen Bruhns joins the team to direct these efforts. The Private i Direct Investments module debuts, which provides functionality to track direct investments in companies. We sign with a second partner, Northern Trust, granting its team the ability to sublicense Private i to its broad base of custodial clients. We look overseas, adding our first non-US clients and building multi-currency support into Private i. We sign on our 40th client.

1999 : Y2K looms large on everyone's horizon. In conjunction with CommonFund Capital, we develop the Private i Fund of Funds module, providing functionality to manage investor-side details in a fund of funds. We complete dozens of Y2K compliance statements and pass through to 2000 with everything running smoothly. At the request of several of our largest clients, we begin work on a data service for tracking the underlying holdings of partnerships.

2000 : Private Informant, our web-based portfolio holdings data service, debuts and marks our expansion into financial services. Our development team turns its attention to creating a custom report writer that integrates with Private i. We sign our 100th client.

2001 : We roll out the Private i Benchmarking module, incorporating the Index Comparison Method (ICM) described by Austin Long and Craig Nickels from their work at the University of Texas. This analytical engine allows users to compare private equity performance with other investable indices. We establish the Private Informant Advisory Board of four early adopter clients. The board's mission is to help set priorities and establish best-in-class processes to ensure the highest quality of information relating to portfolio holdings.

2002 : We merge the domestic and international code bases for Private i to better serve all of our clients. We begin work on a Post Distribution Management module, which allows investors to track public stocks after they have been distributed by the general partner. We open our first international office in Innsbruck, Austria, focused on supporting our European clients. We end the year with 104 clients.

2003 : Private Archivist, a web-based solution that provides access to an archive of partnership financial reports in PDF format, is released. Private i Analyst, a custom report writer for Private i and Private Informant, debuts after nearly three years in development. The Bank of New York signs on to offer Private i and Private Informant to its custodial clients.

2004 : Joseph Fung joins the Burgiss Group as Managing Director of Development & IT. Under his leadership, we begin our internal implementation of Microsoft CRM and begin development of Private i 5, a web-based implementation of our flagship application. Our Private Informant subscriber base grows rapidly as more of our existing clients sign on to this service. By the end of the year, we have 165 clients.

2005: New client growth remains strong. We add new staff in Client Services and Data Services. Our software development team expands significantly as new products enter major project phases. Our first California office opens late in the year. Our custom reporting service grows to serve specialized reporting needs across our client base. Microsoft grants us Gold Partner status, the highest level in their Microsoft Partner program and a first in the private equity industry.

2006 : The Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst ranks the Burgiss Group as the top provider to limited partners in Private Equity. Amid rapid growth, the Private Informant team is expanded and an additional office is added to accommodate the increased number of analysts. Document management services are added. Development and support teams are expanded. The demand for custom Private i and Private Informant reports continues to grow, and Private i Analyst version 2.3 is released. US regional events are held in Pasadena, CA, Chicago, IL and Philadelphia, PA. By the close of 2006, we serve 198 clients.

2007 : Bank of New York and Mellon, two of our strategic partners, merge to form BNY Mellon. This relationship strengthens. We begin our collaboration with Austin Long and Craig Nickels to add more advanced analytics to our product line and do research on the private equity industry. We release Private i FrontOffice, a web-based, virtual deal room for managing due diligence for private offerings. We offer customer training events in Los Angeles, CA, Amsterdam, Netherlands and Sydney, Australia. At year end, we serve 236 clients in 14 countries worldwide.

2008 : After fours years of development, Private i 5 is launched. Both BNY Mellon and Northern Trust adopt Private i 5 as platforms for full-service, alternative asset management programs. We create two new divisions within the Burgiss Group---our Research group, headed by James Bachman, and Professional Services, headed by Ken Harney. Private Informant surpasses the 100 subscriber mark. We host customer events in Boston, MA, Chicago, IL and Stockholm, Sweden. We end the year with more than 100 Private Informant subscribers and a total of 280 clients served by 80 Burgiss Group associates.

2009 : In April, Wiley Finance releases INSIDE PRIVATE EQUITY: THE PROFESSIONAL INVESTORS HANDBOOK, co-authored by James Kocis, President of Burgiss, James Bachman, Director of Research at Burgiss, Austin Long of Alignment Capital and Craig Nickels of Washington University, St. Louis. Customer events are held in New Orleans, LA, Philadelphia, PA and Edinburgh, Scotland. In October we merge our two Hoboken offices to our new corporate headquarters at 111 River Street. As of year end, we are serving over 300 clients and counting. More to come...

 
About Our Name

What about our name? Here's the short story. Back in 1986, our President, Jim Kocis, went on a retreat with a group of entrepreneurs-to-be for a weekend of brainstorming at a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. This cabin was owned by Tom and Nancy Burgiss. Shortly thereafter, he and three others formed the Burgiss Group. You'll find this cabin and pictures of Tom and Nancy at www.breakfastinn.com.