View source for Applied Predictive Technologies

{{Short description|American software company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Applied Predictive Technologies
| logo = Applied Predictive Technologies logo.svg
| location = [[Arlington, Virginia]], [[United States]]<ref name="busweek">{{cite web
| title = Applied Predictive Technologies, Inc.: Private Company Information
| url = http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=428083
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081227040816/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=428083
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = December 27, 2008
| publisher = [[BusinessWeek]]
| accessdate = 18 September 2009
}}</ref>
| foundation = {{Start date and age|1999}}<ref name="busweek" />
| founder = {{unbulleted list|[[Jim Manzi (political commentator)|Jim Manzi]]|([[Chairman]])<ref name="aptmanagement">
{{cite web| title= APT Management| url= http://predictivetechnologies.com/docs/company/management.cfm| accessdate= 18 September 2009| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20091016080839/http://www.predictivetechnologies.com/docs/company/management.cfm| archivedate= 16 October 2009| url-status= dead}}
</ref>|Anthony Bruce|([[CEO]])<ref name="aptmanagement" />|
Scott Setrakian|([[Managing Director]])<ref name="aptmanagement" />}}
| key_people =
| industry = [[Software as a service]]
| num_employees = 600
| homepage = {{URL|https://mastercardservices.com/en/solutions/test-learn}}}}
'''Applied Predictive Technologies''' ('''APT''')  is an American software company that produces [[test and learn]] software used for [[business analytics]]. The company was founded in 1999, and was acquired by [[Mastercard]] in 2015.<ref name="FT">{{cite web
| title = Financial Times
| url = http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ce421e4c-d590-11e0-9133-00144feab49a.html#axzz1frRzTTsA
| accessdate = 7 December 2011
}}</ref>
==History==
APT was founded in December 1999<ref name="Bloomberg profile">{{cite web |title=Applied Predictive Technologies |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/800757Z:US#xj4y7vzkg |work=Bloomberg News |access-date=June 1, 2023}}</ref> by business consulting executives [[Jim Manzi (political commentator)|Jim Manzi]] ([[Oliver Wyman]]), Anthony Bruce ([[McKinsey & Company]]), and Scott Setrakian ([[Oliver Wyman]]).<ref name="vbmagmay06">{{cite web| last = Hayes| first = Heather B.| title = 2006 Fantastic 50: Applied Predictive Technologies| date = May 2006| url = http://www.gatewayva.com/biz/virginiabusiness/magazine/yr2006/may06/fan50_apt.shtml| accessdate = 18 September 2009| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080627192817/http://www.gatewayva.com/biz/virginiabusiness/magazine/yr2006/may06/fan50_apt.shtml| archivedate = 27 June 2008}}</ref> Manzi had the initial idea for APT in 1988 when he thought of a test he could apply to a bank and its branches.<ref name="WaPo Oct2013">{{cite news |title=APT has a legion of geeks that help analyze data so companies can make better decisions |last1=Heath |first1=Thomas |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/apt-has-a-legion-of-geeks-that-help-analyze-data-so-companies-can-make-better-decisions/2013/10/17/e2ad1cce-359c-11e3-be86-6aeaa439845b_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 18, 2013 |access-date=June 1, 2023}}</ref> He explained to ''The Washington Post'' that "a lot of the work I was doing as a consultant was very repetitive. I realized how much of it could be put into a software model.”<ref>McCarthy, Ellen. "Applied Predictive Technologies Makes Consulting Automatic." ''The Washington Post'' 20 August 2001. E5. Print.</ref> In September 2001, the company signed its first client. It expanded, and in 2006, Accel-KKR acquired a majority stake in APT with a $54 million investment, and in 2013, [[Goldman Sachs]] invested $100 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2277726/what-does-goldman-sachs-usd100m-investment-in-apt-mean-for-big-data-analytics|title = What does Goldman Sachs' $100m investment in APT mean for big data analytics?|date = 27 June 2013}}</ref><ref name="WaPo Oct2013"/> Mastercard acquired APT for $600 million in 2015.<ref name="WaPo April2015">{{cite news |title=What does Ballston firm have that drew $600 million from MasterCard? |last1=Heath |first1=Thomas |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/what-does-ballston-firm-have-that-drew-600-million-from-mastercard/2015/04/30/197c5642-ef5b-11e4-8abc-d6aa3bad79dd_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 30, 2015 |access-date=June 1, 2023}}</ref>
==Software==
APT (now [[Mastercard]]) produces [[test and learn]] software for business analytics.<ref name="hbr">{{Cite news| last = Davenport| first = Thomas H.| title = How to Design Smart Business Experiments| newspaper = [[Harvard Business Review]]| date=February 2009}}</ref>
In February 2011, APT was awarded a patent that protects its core analytic technology for designing an in-market test and on matching test stores to control stores.<ref>{{cite web| title = United States Patent No. 7,895,072| url = http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=9&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=20110222.PD.&s2=%28VA.ASST.%29&OS=ISD/02/22/2011+AND+AS/VA&RS=ISD/02/22/2011+AND+AS/VA| date = 22 February 2011| accessdate = 9 February 2012}}</ref> One of the company's patents was invalidated in 2020 by the US district court.<ref name=":1">{{cite web| title = MEMORANDUM DECISION| url = https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.utd.115695/gov.uscourts.utd.115695.129.0.pdf| date = 25 November 2020| accessdate = 23 December 2020}}</ref>
Commercial applications of APT's Test & Learn software have included food companies evaluating effects of new items on sales of existing products,<ref name="CNBC2017">{{cite news |title=Meet the man helping companies like Wawa and McDonald's make winning decisions using big data |last1=Wells |first1=Nick |last2=Chemi |first2=Eric |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/16/the-man-helping-wawa-and-mcdonalds-make-winning-decisions-using-big-data.html |work=CNBC |date=August 16, 2017 |access-date=June 29, 2023}}</ref> as well as whether a promotional discount would be offset by increased sales of other products.<ref name="BBC2015">{{cite news |title=From pizzas to cocktails the data crunching way |last1=Wall |first1=Matthew |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-33892409 |work=BBC |date=August 18, 2015 |access-date=June 29, 2023}}</ref> The software has also been used non-commercially to analyze the effectiveness of a 911 diversion program for mental health related calls the city of [[St. Louis, Missouri]] launched in 2021.<ref name="STLPR2022">{{cite news |title=St. Louis mental health diversion programs helped residents and saved the city $2.6M |last1=Lippmann |first1=Rachel |url=https://news.stlpublicradio.org/law-order/2022-02-17/st-louis-mental-health-diversion-programs-help-people-and-save-money |work=St. Louis Public Radio |date=February 17, 2022 |access-date=June 29, 2023}}</ref>
==Litigation==
APT filed a lawsuit against the company MarketDial in June 2018 alleging that MarketDial's co-founders stole trade secrets that they had access to while working as consultants, and that the company infringed on a patent held by APT. The patent infringement claim was dismissed by a judge in November 2020, along with claims of [[civil conspiracy]] and fraud.<ref name="Bloomberg Law June2018">{{cite web |last1=Yasiejko |first1=Christopher |date=June 29, 2018 |title=Mastercard Claims Ex-Contractor Stole Secrets, Infringes Patent |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/mastercard-claims-ex-contractor-stole-secrets-infringes-patent |access-date=April 7, 2023 |work=Bloomberg Law}}</ref><ref name="Law360 April2023">{{cite web |last1=Jackson |first1=Jasmin |date=April 11, 2022 |title=Judge Trims MasterCard Unit's IP Suit Over Analytics Software |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1482576/judge-trims-mastercard-unit-s-ip-suit-over-analytics-software |access-date=April 7, 2023 |work=Law360}}</ref>
In April 2024,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Utah tech company wins six-year legal battle — for now. The startup says they defeated ‘Goliath.’ |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/business/2024/09/11/salt-lake-startup-marketdial/ |access-date=2024-09-11 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> the presiding judge granted<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 August 2024 |title=Applied Predictive Technologies, Inc. v. MarketDial, Inc. et al; Filing 689 |url=https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/utah/utdce/2:2019cv00496/115695/689 |website=Justia}}</ref> MarketDial's request for summary judgment. According to Bloomberg Law:
"[Judge] Parrish concluded APT fell well short of explaining what particular elements of its documents were not widely ascertainable or establishing how each had independent economic value as a secret.
“'Summary judgment was Plaintiff’s chance to put its cards on the table and make an argument, rather than simply string-cite exhibits and insist that from the mosaic of exhibits a trade secret might emerge at trial,' Parrish wrote. 'Simply stated, this court will not do APT’s job for it by mining its trade secrets from the raw materials, dusting off known information and techniques, and preparing its case for submission to the jury.'
"She also expressed 'grave doubt' that APT had shown the information claimed as a trade secret was improperly acquired or used."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jahner |first=Kyle |date=13 Aug 2024 |title=Mastercard Unit Failed to Define Trade Secrets, Utah Court Says |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com./tech-and-telecom-law/mastercard-unit-failed-to-define-trade-secrets-utah-court-says |access-date=14 Aug 2024 |website=Bloomberg Law}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Test and learn]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[https://www.mastercardservices.com/en/solutions/data-networks/test-learn Official website]
[[Category:Software companies based in Virginia]]
[[Category:Privately held companies based in Virginia]]
[[Category:Software companies established in 1999]]
[[Category:Companies based in Arlington County, Virginia]]
[[Category:1999 establishments in Virginia]]
[[Category:Defunct software companies of the United States]]
[[Category:2015 mergers and acquisitions]]