Jupiter Communications was founded in 1986, a tiny firm which published a newsletter and occasionally organized a conference. By 1999, Jupiter Communications had become a business power. Now that the speed of technological changes has accelerated beyond the capacity of most businesses to understand it, Jupiter Communications is a valued ally to companies trying to work in the Internet economy.

Hard data in a soft field

Unlike many companies who seem to speculate idly upon the best method for Internet success (portals? community? e-commerce?), Jupiter (an ancient firm in Internet time) has a store of quantitative data and primacy research from which to draw. To illustrate, the firm was one of the first to pick America Online as the winner over online competitors Prodigy and CompuServe at a time when this was an unpopular theory.

Jupiter predicts growth for itself

Jupiter's predictions for itself may prove wise as well. In April 1998, Jupiter opened its first branch office in London in order to tap the nascent European online market. (Jupiter, no doubt drawing from its own superior research, has predicted the European online market will grow to 37.5 million homes by 2003.) The company underwent further expansion in 1999, and established a west coast presence by opening a San Francisco office in January 2000. Jupiter also made headlines at the end of the millennium with an October 1999 initial public offering.

In the new millennium, Jupiter has remained intent as ever on keeping its options open. In May, the company partnered with Hikari Tsushin Capital, a Japanese technology and communications service provider, in a deal designed to provide Jupiter with a local presence in Tokyo to sell its research and advisory services. The agreement will give Jupiter access to thousands of new customers in the emerging Japanese e-commerce market. The company also acquired Internet research and consulting firm Internet Research Group as well as Net Market Makers, a source for information and market education, for an aggregate consideration of approximately $50.6 million in cash and common stock. Jupiter also joined forces with Keynote and Inside.com to provide advanced performance measurements for its clients and build extended content-charing communities.