The firm was founded and financed in 1985[1] by Christopher Poll[2] who with John Richardson established Opal as a mainframe fund data service that soon became Micropal as it migrated to the PC.
In 1985, the company consisted of 7 people with a combined vision to bring improved transparency and credibility to fund performance industry [3] From its London base within 3 years it opened its Hong Kong office.
In the USA it expanded through acquisition of Interactive Data Corporation of Des Moines, Iowa and AIM technical analysis system based in Portland Oregon.
In November 1997, The McGraw-Hill Companies, a global publisher purchased Micropal, in order to add the firm to its Standard & Poor's market information brand.
Christopher Poll and other members of the company would also be called upon to offer sound bites on subjects related to the mutual fund industry.