Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp was a privately held company headquartered in Malibu, California, USA until it was purchased by Dun & Bradstreet in a $320 million deal that closed in May 2015.[1] The company provided credit and credibility solutions for businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada. The company was formed in July 2010 when it acquired the North American Credit-on-Self division, also known as the Self Awareness Solutions (SAS) operating unit, of Dun & Bradstreet[2] after raising approximately $200M from Great Hill Partners.[3] Internet entrepreneur Jeff Stibel was the chairman and CEO.[4][5]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | Malibu, California 2010 |
| Headquarters | Malibu, California, U.S. |
Key people | Jeff Stibel, Chairman & CEO. |
| Products | Business information |
| Website | www.dandb.com |
History
editIn 2010, Dun and Bradstreet, formed in 1841, spun off assets that merged with newly created Credibility Solutions to form Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp., an independent company focused on credit and credibility solutions for small businesses. The company grew from 8 employees to over 600 after becoming an independent entity in 2010. Dun & Bradstreet said Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. is a 'separate legal entity' that pays D&B royalties for certain intellectual-property rights. These included "a perpetual license to use the D&B brand".[6][7]
In nearly five years, Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. grew drastically, earning many awards including the "Best Places to Work" award for both their Los Angeles office for three consecutive years [8][9][10] and Bethlehem office,[11] 2 Small Business Champion award [12][13] and an EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award[14] for their CEO, Jeff Stibel.
In 2012, it launched an advocacy initiative, Access to Capital, designed to help business owners understand the type of loans available and which may be right for their business. This initiative also included a quarterly survey[15] produced with Pepperdine University[16] and a series of education and matchmaking events across the country.[17] Also in 2012, the company launched its 529 education savings plan initiative with a multiple match,[18] which was discussed in the Wall Street Journal[19] the New York Times[20] and US News.[21] Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp., through this initiative, donated $150,000 to the Santa Monica-Malibu school district in 2013,[22] as well as additional amounts to school districts in Bethlehem,[23] Tucson[24] and Guilford County.[25]
Products and services
editThe firm's products and services[26] include the DUNSFile, which establishes a business's DUNS number and basic credit file, CreditBuilder, which helps businesses monitor and build their credit file, giving them full access to the D&B scores and reports, and the ability to submit trade references to D&B for its acceptance and approval, CreditAdvisor, which allows the businesses to see other companies' reports and receive email alerts when competitors’ scores or ratings change, Credibility Review, which allows businesses to take control of their online presence and CreditSignal, a free product offering which provides companies with alerts, informing them of changes in their D&B credit scores and ratings.
References
edit- ^ "Dun & Bradstreet (DNB) to Acquire Dun & Bradstreet Credibility in $350M Deal". StreetInsider. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ^ "Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. Announces $100M Strategic Acquisition; Company Secures $100M of Additional Financing". MarketWire. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- ^ "Interview with Jeffrey Stibel, Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp". SoCalTech.
- ^ "Remaking Dun & Bradstreet for the Internet Age". Business Week. Archived from the original on 2011-01-25.
- ^ "Management Team". Company Website. Archived from the original on 2011-02-03.
- ^ "Company History". Dun and Bradstreet Credibility Corp.
- ^ Lublin, Joann S.; Loten, Angus (June 20, 2013). "Small Businesses Seethe at Credit Service Using Dun & Bradstreet Name". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "2012 Best Places to Work". Los Angeles Business Journal.
- ^ "2013 Best Places to Work". Los Angeles Business Journal.
- ^ "Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. Named as One of the 2014 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles for Third Consecutive Year = BusinessWire" (Press release). 9 July 2014.
- ^ "The Morning Call Top Workplaces 2014". The Morning Call.
- ^ "Small Business Influencers 2011 Awards: Announcing Final Results". Small Business Trends. 29 August 2011.
- ^ "Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp". Small Business Trends.
- ^ "Congratulations to the 2013 Award Recipients!". EY.
- ^ "Report: 57% of Calif. firms lack money to grow". Orange County Register. 14 December 2011.
- ^ "Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. and Pepperdine Private Capital Access (PCA)". Pepperdine University. 14 December 2011.
- ^ "Access to Capital Events". Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp.
- ^ "Introducing EdAhead, the First Employer-Matched Education Savings Plan, Ever". Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp.
- ^ Driebusch, Corrie (4 September 2013). "Employer Help on a 529 College Savings Plan?". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "A Company Match for College Savings". New York Times. 4 December 2012.
- ^ "Boost 529 Plans Through Employer Contribution Programs". U.S. News & World Report.
- ^ "Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. Launch First EdAhead Donations For SMMEF". Santa Monica Mirror. 22 December 2013.
- ^ "Bethlehem Area School District gifted $30,000 to boost science curriculum". Lehigh Valley Live. 19 December 2013.
- ^ "TUSD seeks help raising $10,000 for science, math programs". Arizona Daily Star. 30 January 2014.
- ^ "Guilford County Schools to get donations from company's new education benefit". Triad Business Journal.
- ^ "Products". Company Website.