Addresscloud secures investment from Kester Capital / Dow Jones' OPIS Acquires Eco-Movement - Asymmetrix Newsletter #84
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In this week’s newsletter we share our thoughts on two recent Data & Analytics transactions, selected from the hot takes published on our subscription platform:
Location intelligence and geospatial technologies provider for the insurance sector Addresscloud secured investment from Kester Capital;
Dow Jones’s energy data business, OPIS, acquired Eco-Movement, a provider of EV charging station data.
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Addresscloud secures investment from Kester Capital
Private location intelligence and geospatial technologies provider for the insurance sector Addresscloud is private no more.
In a competitive process run by Douglas Bentley at Grant Thornton, Kester Capital have won out.
In Asymmetrix’s earlier profile of Addresscloud for subscribers we highlighted how CEO Mark Varley founded the company after working at RSA Insurance, where he saw first hand how poor quality data was leading to mispriced risk, particularly for flooding and subsidence.
Recent years have seen the rise of property which traditional insurers have deemed “uninsurable” - particularly in regions in the US with high catastrophe risk.
This gap represents an opportunity for insurers to write policies if they can access more granular data to make their decisions. Accurate location data is a critical component here – zip code or postcode level data is not good enough; it needs to be accurate to the level of the property itself.
Addresscloud’s data fills this need.
Asymmetrix expects therefore that US expansion will be a critical focus for the business. Addresscloud launched its first North American product, covering over 150m US properties, enriched with FEMA, NOAA, JBA Risk, and third-party hazard data, in early 2024.
Kester’s funding should help to drive further product development and expand the sales team.
As this strategy unfolds we expect Addresscloud to attract the interest of US sponsors, and strategics in the Property & Casualty space like Verisk, Moody’s and Nearmap.
The price paid was not disclosed, but subscribers to Asymmetrix’s platform have access to our EV estimate in the aformentioned profile.
Dow Jones Subsidiary OPIS Acquires Eco-Movement
Last week, Dow Jones announced that its energy data business, OPIS, acquired Eco-Movement, a provider of EV charging station data. Eco-Movement collects data on charging station locations and real-time availability. Its clients include charge point operators, automotive OEMs, map providers, among other stakeholders. Dow Jones had previously invested in the company’s Series A round in 2022.
Asymmetrix provide revenue estimates for Eco-Movement’s revenue to be in the range of $3-7m; OPIS’ overall revenue increased 11% to $278m in the last fiscal year.
Even if Eco-Movement traded at an above-average revenue multiple, the total cost of the tuck-in was minimal. The acquisition underscores a key strategic priority undertaken by Dow Jones, despite the deal itself likely not breaking the bank for OPIS / Dow Jones.
In recent years, Dow Jones and CEO Alma Latour have laid out a vision of the business in which it becomes more than a media and news company led by its Wall Street Journal and Barron’s brands. The company’s strategy is to build on its brand and reach to become a leading diversified information services business providing data, research and news content across different verticals.
As its consumer-oriented news business is largely a “professional” clientele, Dow Jones is looking to leverage the convergence of consumer and business personas in its user base to grow its B2B subscription revenue; Latour has branded this target segment as B2P, or Business to Professional.
To wit, the business has acquired three businesses in the past two years to further this strategy, excluding Eco-Movement:
WorldECR in 2024;
Dragonfly Intelligence in 2025;
Oxford Analytica in 2025.
In fiscal year 2024, in a first for the company, more than 50% of Dow Jones profitability was driven by its B2B segment; the company’s B2B products have renewal rates greater than 90%. In August 2025, the company reported a 10% increase in professional information services business revenue. With results already bearing fruit and its consumer subscriptions declining, it’s no wonder the company is keen to double down on high-margin subscription products.
To date, the company has stood up its Energy and Risk & Compliance products. Up next may be verticals where it already has a foothold, such as its WSJ Pro premium subscription and membership products, which include Pro Bankruptcy, Pro Private Equity, Pro Central Banking, Pro Venture Capital and Pro Cybersecurity.
Asymmetrix considers Dow Jones an emerging strategic acquiror and expects the company to pursue more acquisitions in earnest going forward.
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