Timeline
What began with a belief that businesses could make better decisions with better information has grown into something much bigger — a team of people, technologies and capabilities built to help companies navigate critical moments and create lasting value.
A Better Way to See the Business
A real-world reporting challenge sparks an idea: there has to be a better way to turn complex business data into clear, actionable insight. That idea will eventually become the foundation for Catalyst — and much of what follows.
Where Our Story Begins
MGMT3D takes shape with a different approach to advisory: experienced people working alongside clients, supported by better data and technology.
At the same time, the technology behind EBM Software continues to evolve.
Building on Microsoft
Our Microsoft partnership begins, establishing a technology foundation that continues to support how we build, connect and deliver solutions for our clients today.
Bringing Technology Into the Deal
Diligent is already supporting buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions — bringing faster access to data and deeper analytics directly into the deal process.
It is an early step toward the technology-enabled transaction experience we continue to build today.
Expanding Our Footprint
We open our second office in downtown Chicago, expanding beyond Minneapolis and bringing our growing team closer to clients and partners.
A New Model for Tech-Enabled M&A
Our work with investment banking and private equity partners expands as Diligent becomes central to a more connected M&A process — combining experienced deal teams, underlying business data and powerful analytics.
MGMT3D Becomes Blue Ops
After more than a decade of growth, MGMT3D becomes Blue Ops.
A new name reflecting two ideas that remain central to who we are: trust and execution.
Growing Our Reach
Our footprint expands to Charlotte and Dublin, extending our team across the U.S. and Europe and creating new opportunities to bring together talent, technology and expertise.
A Bigger Home in Chicago
Blue Ops triples its Chicago footprint with a new 28,000-square-foot space overlooking Michigan Avenue — creating a larger hub for our growing team and the next chapter of the business.
Introducing SMITH
SMITH launches, bringing secure, enterprise-ready AI directly into the way people work.
First standalone, then mobile and embedded into our broader technology ecosystem, SMITH puts powerful intelligence closer to the questions and decisions that matter.
Smith Intelligent Layer embeds in Diligent (DiligentIQ)
Nearly a decade after Diligent first began changing how we approached transaction analytics, DiligentIQ launches as the next generation of the deal experience.
Data, analytics, collaboration and AI come together in one connected environment built to help deal teams move from information to insight faster.
Still Growing. Still Showing Up.
Today, our people work across Minneapolis, Chicago, Charlotte and Dublin, bringing together expertise in transactions, finance, data, technology and operations.
A lot has changed since we began. What has not changed is our belief that great businesses deserve great partners — people who understand what drives the business, show up when it matters and care about what happens next.
Some clients come to us for a critical moment. Many stay with us for years.
After more than a decade and hundreds of transactions, we combine seasoned operators with technology built for the full investment lifecycle and hold period. Blue is synonymous with trust, and trust is everything when your most sensitive data and your firm’s reputation are in someone else’s hands. Ops is who we are: a tactical force that gets the job done with precision, speed, and accountability. We move faster because our technology handles what used to take weeks and delivers it in hours.
We go deeper because our people know what the numbers mean. And we stay longer because continuity is how you protect value. When your team hits a problem, we’ve almost certainly solved it before.
Blue Ops was established in
2010
165+
Employees
Global Presence
Minneapolis, Chicago, Charlotte, Dublin, UK
Our Mission
To Be your Most Trusted Partner.
Because we Believe
- Passionately about making it easier to be better
- That the only true proof of our value is found in your results
- That extraordinary value is built on a foundation of experience and trust
- In knowing PE, M&A, and your unique business model inside and out
- In bringing the experience, innovation, and network required to actually implement and execute
- In delivering total, customized solutions across your people, processes, and system
