Opera Solutions

Opera Solutions, LLC
Private
Industry
Founded 2004
Founder Arnab Gupta
Headquarters New York/New Jersey United States
Area served
 Worldwide
Number of employees
 500+ (2014)
Website www.operasolutions.com

Opera Solutions, LLC is a technology and analytics company mainly focused on capturing profit growth opportunities emerging from big data.[1] The firm uses a combination of machine learning science, advanced predictive analytics, technology, large-scale data management, and human expertise[2] to build and deliver analytics solutions to large and mid-sized clients in a number of sectors,[3] including financial services, health-care, capital markets, insurance, consumer goods, retail, manufacturing, distribution, and government. Opera Solutions delivers predictive analytics as a service, and offers a number of hosted, cloud-based solutions focused on solving specific business problems, e.g., predicting the behavior of individual consumers, stopping revenue leakage in hospitals, warning of threats to corporate security or brand health, etc. The company also works with a limited number of very large clients to create and deliver more highly customized solutions.[2]

Introduction

Established in 2004 by CEO Arnab Gupta, the firm has 700 employees from over 30 countries,[4] including 200 advanced-degree, award winning scientists.[5] Opera is headquartered in the New York/New Jersey metro area with offices in Jersey City, New York, London, Boston, San Diego, Shanghai, and New Delhi. It is ranked as a top 10 big data vendor that derives 100% of its revenue from big data products and services. As of January, 2012, the company was valued around $500 million.[6]

Funding

On September 14, 2011, Opera Solutions announced that it had raised $84 million[7] in capital that the company says it will use to build and expand their engineering and sales force.[8] The round was led by Silver Lake Sumeru, with participation from Accel-KKR, Invus Financial Advisors, JGE Capital Management, and Tola Capital.[9] In May 2013, Indian outsourcing-service company, Wipro Ltd., agreed to acquire a minority stake in Opera Solutions LLC for $30 million.[10]

Netflix Prize

In 2009 Opera participated in the Netflix Prize, a three-year-long analytics competition sponsored by the U.S. online movie rental company Netflix.[11] Opera was part of "The Ensemble", a three-team consortium that finished second, with model performance tied with the winner. The contest attracted 41,000 teams from 186 countries.[12]

KDD Cup

In 2012 Opera entered the KDD Cup, a well known data-mining competition that attracts industry leaders around the world.[13] Competing against 170 teams, Team Opera Solutions won second place in the Track 2 contest.[14]

Heritage Health Prize

In 2013 Opera participated in the Heritage Health Prize Competition, a two-year national contest fo create breakthrough techniques to improve America’s health care system.[15] Team Opera Solutions was ranked top 5 five out of 1659 participants,[16] but were subsequently disqualified and removed from the leaderboard.

Industry Recognition

Gartner, Inc. recognized Opera Solutions in their Cool Vendors in Analytics, 2013 Report.[17] IDG’s Computerworld Honors Program recognized Opera Solutions Government Services (OSGS) as one of its 2013 Laureates.[18] ESG Global named Opera Solutions as a finalist for Big Data Vendor of the Year for 2012.[19] Opera Solutions was also recognized as a top 100 Big Data social media influencer by Big Data Republic.[20]

Big Data Discourse Series

In April 2011, Opera Solutions began what it calls the "Big Data Discourse Series," a series of discussion events with private sector and government leaders focused on the societal and business impact of Big Data.[21] To date, the series has featured Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker[22][23] and Michael Chertoff,[24][25] the former head of the United States Department of Homeland Security under George W. Bush, as keynote speakers.

Criticism

Opera Solutions was criticised by Ben Goldacre in a Guardian article[26] regarding the 2011 Opera Solutions UK White Paper, "Realising Savings Through Procurement Optimisation",[27][28] which stated that local government is missing the opportunity to save 10–20 per cent on procurement spending because of a lack of spending visibility and insight. Goldacre criticised Opera's report as "astonishing, shameless bait and switch", saying "these figures are all presented out of nowhere". The criticism was in response to the promotion of Opera's white paper by UK Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles MP,[29][30][31][32] as well as the frequent citation of the study in British popular press.[33][34]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Maximizing Return from Data". Bloomberg Businessweek. September 29, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Menninger, David (August 23, 2011). "Opera Solutions Adds Science to Predictive Analytics". Information Management. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  3. ↑ "What We Can Learn from Netflix". Bloomberg Businessweek. September 29, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Big Data Analytics Company Opera Solutions Raises $84M in First-Round Funding". TechCrunch. September 14, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  5. ↑ Lopez, Isacc. "Big Data Big Five". Datanami.
  6. ↑ Berman, Dennis (January 4, 2012). "So, What's Your Algorithm?". WSJ.
  7. ↑ "Data Analytics firm Opera Solutions closes $84M round". VentureBeat. September 14, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  8. ↑ "'Big Data' Firm Raises $84 Million". The Wall Street Journal. September 14, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Opera Solutions nabs $84M for 'Big Data' Analytics". CNET. September 14, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  10. ↑ Thoppil, Dhanya (May 7, 2013). "Wipro to Buy Stake in U.S. Data-Services Firm". WSJ.
  11. ↑ Van Buskirk, Eliot (August 12, 2009). "Netflix Prize: It Ain't Over 'til It's Over". Wired. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  12. ↑ Taylor, Marisa (September 21, 2009). "Winning Netflix Team Draws From AT&T, Yahoo". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  13. ↑ . KDD Cup http://www.kddcup2012.org/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ "Leaderboard 2012". KDD Cup.
  15. ↑ "Heritage Provider Network Health Prize". Heritage Health.
  16. ↑ "Public Leaderboard". Heritage Health.
  17. ↑ Herschel, Gareth. "Cool Vendors in Analytics". Gartner.
  18. ↑ "The Computerworld Honors Program Names 267 Laureates Using IT to Drive Business and Social Change". IDG Enterprise.
  19. ↑ "Ingest to Insight Big Data Vendor of the Year 2012 and 2013 Outlook: Finalists – Cloudera, IBM Opera Solutions". ESG Global.
  20. ↑ Sherry, Saul. "The PeerIndex #BigData100 Announced!".
  21. ↑ "Opera Solutions and Newark Mayor Cory Booker Host Discussion on the Promise of Technology and Open Data in Government". Reuters. April 8, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  22. ↑ Sun, Feifei (April 6, 2011). "5 Questions with Twitter-Savvy Newark Mayor Cory Booker". TIME. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  23. ↑ Reagan, Gillian (April 6, 2011). "Cory Booker pitches Newark as a 'startup' to New York tech scene". Capital New York. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  24. ↑ Valentino-DeVries, Jennifer (June 23, 2011). "Chertoff: 'Rules and Regulations' Complicate Anti-Cybercrime Efforts". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  25. ↑ Goldman, David (July 28, 2011). "China vs. U.S.: The cyber Cold War is raging". CNNMoney. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  26. ↑ Misleading money-saving claims help no one in The Guardian, Friday 24 June 2011.
  27. ↑ "Realising Savings Through Procurement Optimisation" (PDF). www.OperaSolutions.com. June 16, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 11, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  28. ↑ "Realising Savings Through Procurement Optimisation" (PDF). www.badscience.net. June 16, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  29. ↑ "Better buying 'could save councils £10bn'". www.Public Finance.co.uk. June 17, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  30. ↑ "Shining a light on council spending could save up to £450 per household". www.Communities.gov.uk. June 17, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Pickles: councils should join forces to save £10bn". www.LocalGov.co.uk. June 17, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  32. ↑ "Eric Pickles MP: Smarter procurement in local government could save up to £450 per household". Conservative Home. June 17, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  33. ↑ "Council incompetence 'costs every household £452 a year". Daily Mail. June 17, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  34. ↑ "Councils Owe You a 450 Pound Rebate". Daily Express. June 17, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2011.

External links

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