Epoch Partners' unique approach to investment banking used technology to provide superior market intelligence to issuers and investors. The company was founded by the triumvirate of Charles Schwab, T.D. Waterhouse, and Ameritrade and had the venture-capital backing of Kleiner Perkins, Benchmark Capital, Trident Capital, and Reuters.

The company's website, Epoch.com, distributed timely, cutting-edge financial research. Between October 2000 and May 2001, the number of companies covered by Epoch's research analysts grew from 20 to more than 50. In the same period, monthly traffic on Epoch.com increased by 20 times, driven by more dynamic coverage and innovative products, such as the Epoch Vendor Matrix.

"An apt moniker in a new millennium: Epoch Partners. While many firms tout their technology, Epoch is the next generation in investment banking. Innovation takes center stage, ratings and price objectives are expressed in descriptive terms rather than statistics, and the Internet serves as the primary vehicle for the dissemination of multimedia research that aggregates timely information through text, video and audio clips."