Oxford Data Plan
Partnering with founders to build the revenue engine in alternative data.
Oxford Data Plan (ODP) is an alternative data provider founded by a former investor who identified gaps in the traditional vendor landscape. Operating within a market long dominated by established incumbents, ODP delivers revenue estimate data to hedge funds, private equity firms, venture capital funds and investment banks, enabling them to make informed investment decisions ahead of public disclosures.
Entering a competitive and concentrated market, ODP positioned itself as a more agile, insight-driven alternative to legacy data providers.
At the point Engage began working with the business, ODP was pre- to early-Series A, with a small founding commercial team and strong product-market conviction, but limited market visibility.
The Challenge
ODP’s early ambition was clear: compete directly with established alternative data vendors and build a credible commercial presence across the US and UK.
However, several structural challenges existed, the market was dominated by two major incumbent players, it had limited employer brand recognition, and there was sensitivity around hiring directly from competitor organisations.
ODP needed to build a revenue function capable of competing against pre-existing vendors while maintaining credibility with institutional investors.
The Solution
Engage began working with ODP on a contingent basis, partnering closely with the CEO, CRO and Commercial Director.
From the outset, the approach was market-led. Engage knew that this search required more than a traditional headhunt, the team needed to identify high-performing sales talent within a niche vendor ecosystem, expanding beyond obvious competitor pools.
With prior experience across alternative data and adjacent intelligence providers, Engage was able to consult with the leadership team, providing a deep understanding of the vendor landscape, knowledge of both established players and emerging niche firms, access to high-performing commercial talent often overlooked due to brand bias, as well as insight into compensation, performance benchmarks and competitor structures.
As trust developed, Engage became embedded in the business. Over a six-to-seven-month period, the commercial organisation expanded from a small founding team to a scaled function of 22 heads, with Engage responsible for 12 placements across the UK and US.
Key hires included:
- Senior full-cycle Account Executives (US)
- SDR's (UK)
- Revenue Operations leadership
- Head of Global Account Management
- Marketing Manager
- Account Manager
Beyond delivery volume, Engage advised on profile calibration, surfacing candidates from adjacent or less obvious backgrounds where performance, cultural alignment and growth mindset outweighed direct competitor logos. This advisory approach enabled ODP to access talent it would not have identified independently.
The Outcome
ODP has grown from early-stage challenger to a commercially structured alternative data provider competing confidently within an incumbent-dominated market.
As a result of consistent delivery, niche expertise and founder-level partnership, the relationship between ODP and Engage has transitioned from a multi-agency contingent engagement to a retained exclusive partnership.
