HaystackID Acquisition FAQ
1. Announcement Overview
1.1 What is the purpose of the acquisition of Inspired Review and Envision Discovery by HaystackID?
As HaystackID is a specialized eDiscovery services firm that helps corporations and law firms find, listen, and learn from data when they face complex, data-intensive investigations and litigation, the acquisitions of Inspired Review and Envision Discovery allow for the immediate and integrated mobilization by HaystackID of computer forensics, eDiscovery, and document review experts and services to accelerate and deliver quality outcomes to customers at a fair and reasonable price. These combined services include:
- Forensics First℠ Services that help customers find data.
- Early Case Insight℠ Services that help customers listen to data.
- ReviewRight® Services that help customers learn from data.
As part of acquisition support, HaystackID also announced the formation of Haystack Holdings, a private equity-backed holding company, via a significant investment from management, Knox Capital, ORIX Mezzanine & Private Equity, and Maranon Capital, L.P.
With the acquisitions and investment, all three companies will become part of Haystack Holdings. HaystackID and Envision Discovery will fully integrate and operate as HaystackID. InspiredReview will continue to operate as a separate business unit and serve partners and customers under the Inspired Review brand.
The geographical, operational, and offering synergies of the combined companies will immediately serve and benefit more than 500 of the world’s leading corporations and law firms from North American and European locations.
Additionally, HaystackID’s combination of expertise and executional excellence coupled with a culture of white glove customer service should immediately make it the alternative legal services provider that is big enough to matter but small enough to care.
1.2 What is the high-level integration timeline for the acquisition of Inspired Review and Envision Discovery by HaystackID?
Public Announcement of Acquisitions (April 2018) : The announcement of the acquisitions to media, industry analysts, and the initiation of communications to customers and partners.
Operational and Workforce Integration (2Q 2018): With the announcement of the acquisition, HaystackID and Envision Discovery will begin the process of operational and workforce integration to optimize efficiencies. While operating as a separate business unit, Inspired Review will be positioned to increase support of its own customer base as well as HaystackID under the InspiredReview brand. Both companies will be positioned to support customers and partners from sixteen locations with direct access to international markets. Locations include:
- Boston, MA (Headquarters and Operations Center)
- New York, NY (Review Center, Operations Center, Forensics, and Sales Office)
- Washington, DC (Operations Center)
- Raleigh, NC (Operations Center)
- Chicago, IL (Operations Center)
- Miami, FL (Review Center)
- Houston, TX (Operations Center)
- Los Angeles, CA (Forensics and Sales Office )
- San Diego, CA (Forensics and Sales Office)
International
- Toronto, Canada
- Paris, France
- Frankfurt, Germany
Organizational Leadership Integration (2Q 2018): As an owner-operated eDiscovery services company, the combined companies will have an expanded leadership team that increases the breadth and depth of industry experience that can be applied to enhance customer and partner engagements with HaystackID and InspiredReview. Key Leaders at HaystackID and Inspired Review will remain in place with the following notable additions:
- CEO Hal Brooks: Moving into this role with Haystack Holdings after serving previously in the role of CEO for Envision Discovery.
- CRO Mike Bryant: Supporting HaystackID as an operating advisor from Knox Capital in the role of Chief Revenue Officer, responsible for the revenue generation across Forensics First, Early Case Insight, and Review Right offering workstreams.
- CMO Rob Robinson: Joining Haystack Holdings in the newly created role of CMO with a focus on driving company and offering awareness, demand generation, and value creation efforts for HaystackID and Inspired Review.
2. HaystackID and its Offerings
2.1 Who is HaystackID?
Founded in 2010 and based in Boston, Massachusetts, HaystackID is a specialized eDiscovery services firm that helps corporations and law firms find, listen, and learn from data when they face complex, data-intensive investigations and litigation. With an earned reputation for mobilizing industry-leading computer forensics, eDiscovery, and attorney document review experts, HaystackID’s Forensics First, Early Case Insight, and ReviewRight services accelerate and deliver quality outcomes at a fair and predictable price.
Based on successful company growth since 2010, HaystackID, as of today, today is serving more than 500 of the world’s leading corporations and law firms from North American and European locations. HaystackID’s combination of expertise and executional excellence coupled with a culture of white glove customer service make it the alternative legal services provider that is big enough to matter but small enough to care.
2.2 What is the offering portfolio framework for HaystackID?
With the acquisition of Inspired Review and Envision Discovery, HaystackID will expand its offering portfolio to support three core investigation and litigation workstreams that include:
- Forensics First℠ Services that help customers find data. (HaystackID)
- Early Case Insight℠ Services that help customers listen to data. (HaystackID)
- ReviewRight® Services that help customers learn from data. (Inspired Review)
These core workstreams include offerings from HaystackID and Inspired Review. Examples of these services include:
Forensics First Services
- Computer Forensic Collections and Analysis
- Computer Forensic Expert Witness Testimony
- ESI Identification, Collection and Preservation
- ESI Triage Services
- Data Discovery Consulting and Management (Compliance, Information Governance, Computer Forensics)
Early Case Insight Services
- ESI Ingestion and Processing
- ESI Assessment and Analytics
- ESI Hosting
- Managed Services
- Legal Discovery Consulting and Management
Review Right Services
- Performance-Based Task to Talent Contract Attorney Alignment
- Secure Remote Review Service
- Managed Document Review
- Foreign Language Review and Translation
- Legal Review Consulting and Management (Technology-Assisted Review, Review Management, Review Assessment)
These services are enabled and augmented by a combination of best-of-breed and proprietary technologies to support customer and partner requirements.
Examples of these technologies include:
Core Software Platforms
- ReviewRight® (Inspired Review) : Proprietary software and database designed to streamline the assessment and selection of document review contract attorneys.
- Virtual Document Review℠ (Inspired Review) : Proprietary software, processes, and protocols to enable secure remote review to maximize review flexibility and performance.
- Relativity : Industry-leading eDiscovery and review hosting platform.
- Nuix : Industry-leading compliance and eDiscovery platform.
- Brainspace : Industry-leading analytics platform.
Core Software Enablers
- DataThresher: Proprietary interface designed to streamline culling in industry leading eDiscovery processing and analytics platforms. (Interoperability with Relativity and Brainspace)
- Electronic Common Technical Document (eCTD) Review Module: Proprietary review module designed to preserve the integrity and security of files being considered as part of complex regulatory reviews typically associated with FDA audits, investigations, and reviews. (Interoperability with Relativity)
- PlainView: Proprietary digital assistant that reduces customer processing costs through ease of access to ESI.
- Relativity Cellebrite Integrator: Proprietary tool that streamlines fact harvesting of unstructured data formats from mobile devices and enables extracted data to be searched, reviewed, and produced within an industry standard review and document production workflow.
- Technology-Enhanced Review (Inspired Review): Proprietary combination of technology and processes designed to streamline technology-assisted review and predictive coding.
3. Operational Questions
3.1 What procedures will change for support and billing for the services provided by Inspired Review?
Current procedures for all support and business requests will remain in place as Inspired Review will continue to be operated as a separate and standalone business unit within Haystack Holdings.
3.2 What pricing and contractual terms will change for Inspired Review customers?
Current contracts and pricing agreements will remain in effect for all Inspired Review customers. Over time, pricing may be adjusted favorably for customers to reflect the greater portfolio of product, service, and professional service offerings available from HaystackID. Contractual and pricing communications will be proactively initiated by assigned account managers before any changes to ensure comfort and continuity with any adjustments or updates.
3.3 Will the services provided by Envision Discovery continue to be supported by HaystackID?
Yes, all services provided by Envision Discovery will continue to be supported and expanded as part of the HaystackID offering portfolio.
3.4 What procedures will change for support and billing for the services provided by Envision Discovery?
Current procedures for all support and business requests will remain in place until customers are notified by their account managers of changes in procedures or contacts. Over time Envision Discovery customers can expect a controlled migration of systems and contacts into a consolidated business and support organization administered as part of HaystackID. However, all planned changes will be communicated to customers before any actual change to ensure service and business continuity.
3.5 What pricing and contractual terms will change for Envision Discovery customers?
Current contracts and pricing agreements will remain in effect for all Envision Discovery customers. Over time, pricing may be adjusted favorably for customers to reflect the greater portfolio of product, service, and professional service offerings available from HaystackID and Inspired Review. Contractual and pricing communications will be proactively initiated by assigned account managers before any changes to ensure comfort and continuity with any adjustments or updates.
3.6 Organizational Branding Integration
HaystackID seeks to complete the consolidation and updating of all external content and communications regarding the Envision Discovery acquisition as soon as practicable and no later than the end of the third quarter of 2018. This branding integration will focus on representing the expanded capability of the HaystackID to help customers find, listen, and learn from data as part of investigations and litigation.
Inspired Review will continue to operate under the Inspired Review brand.
4. Acquisition and Investment Communications
All HaystackID customer requests for computer forensics, legal discovery and legal review services can be addressed through current HaystackID account managers by contacting HaystackID at 617-422-0075 or at [email protected].
All Envision Discovery customer requests for computer forensics, legal discovery and legal review services can be addressed through current Envision Discovery account managers by contacting Envision Discovery at 919-926-3200 or at [email protected].
All Inspired Review customer requests for legal review services can be addressed through current Inspired Review account managers at 646-308-1375 or at [email protected].
All media, analyst (financial and industry) requests for comment or information can be directed to Rob Robinson, CMO, HaystackID at 512-934-7531or [email protected].