If you sell or buy data for investment research, the alternative data conference you pick decides whether you leave with a pipeline or a bag of lanyards. Most fintech and data events are built for scale: big halls, crowded expo floors and keynote stages. BattleFin events are built for a different outcome: qualified conversations between alternative data providers and the hedge funds, asset managers and institutions that buy from them.
Here is what sets BattleFin Discovery Day apart from other alternative data and AI events, and why both sides of the market keep coming back.
Built for one market: alternative data and AI in investing
BattleFin does one thing: connect the people who create alternative data and AI tools with the people who use them to make investment decisions. Generic fintech conferences split attention across payments, crypto, banking tech and wealth platforms. At a BattleFin event, nearly every person in the room either sells data and AI solutions to the buy side or buys them.
That focus changes the quality of every conversation. Buy-side attendees come from hedge funds, asset managers, private equity firms and corporates with active data budgets and mandates. Providers range from established vendors expanding their client base to emerging firms looking for first traction and honest product feedback.
BattleFin also lives on both sides of the data workflow. Since acquiring the Exabel alternative data platform, the company runs events and a data analytics platform, so the team understands how datasets are actually evaluated after the handshake.
Curated 1:1 meetings beat hallway luck
At most industry events, your best meeting depends on catching the right portfolio manager between sessions. BattleFin removes the luck by pre-arranging one-to-one meetings matched on interest, relevance and use case.
For data providers, that means:
A compressed sales cycle. Meet several qualified buyers in one day instead of chasing first calls for months.
Live market feedback. Hear how buyers view your coverage, pricing, delivery format and competitive position.
Trust, built in person. Data is a trust business, and a face-to-face conversation does what a cold email cannot.
For data buyers, curation saves time too. Instead of walking an expo floor, you see a shortlist of datasets and AI tools relevant to your strategy, with time to ask hard questions.
The structured meetings are only half of it. As our Discovery Day London 2026 recap put it, much of the value happens between sessions: the introductions and unexpected conversations that continue long after the event.
Value before and after the event
Most conferences end when the badge comes off. BattleFin supports providers year-round through the Alternative Data Academy, a free library of practical guides for selling data to the buy side.
Providers can prepare for Discovery Day with resources such as:
How to Sell Alternative Data to Hedge Funds, a guide for new data providers
How to Build a Repeatable Sales Process for Alternative Data, from finding buyers to qualified pipeline
3 Powerful Ways to Package Alternative Data to Attract More Buyers
3 Ways Alternative Data Providers Can Extract Value from BattleFin Events
BattleFin also creates stages for providers to be discovered. The MSCI × BattleFin Alternative Data Provider Showcase Competition is open now, with applications due December 4.
AI content that goes past the hype
Many events now add an "AI track" of generic keynotes. At BattleFin, AI is discussed where it meets real data and real investment workflows.
Discovery Day London 2026 ran under the theme "Leveraging Alt Data in an AI-Driven World." Sessions covered building AI agents with Anthropic, how AI is rebuilding the investment research stack, and AI models evolving into autonomous research assistants.
The agenda paired AI with live dataset use cases: Kpler on forecasting refiner earnings before the print, JATO on automotive retail insights, and S&P Global on a $5.3 trillion tech capex supercycle. Panels landed on a practical message: AI speeds up data cleaning, coding and signal generation, but human judgment and rigorous post-cost testing still create the edge.
That is the difference between hearing about AI and leaving with ideas you can test on Monday.
BattleFin vs. typical industry events
| BattleFin Discovery Day | Typical fintech or data conference | |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Alt data and AI providers plus institutional buy-side data buyers | Broad mix across fintech, banking, vendors and media |
| Meetings | Pre-arranged 1:1s matched on use case | Unplanned hallway and booth encounters |
| Buyer intent | Attendees actively sourcing new data | Mixed: learning, browsing, recruiting |
| AI content | Applied to datasets and investment workflows | Broad keynotes and trend talks |
| Outcome focus | Pipeline, trials and deals | Brand awareness and visibility |
| Support beyond the event | Alternative Data Academy guides, Exabel platform, showcase competitions | Usually ends when the event does |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative data conference for data providers? BattleFin Discovery Day is built specifically for alternative data providers who want to meet institutional buyers. Curated 1:1 meetings put providers in front of hedge funds, asset managers and other data buyers with active budgets.
Who attends BattleFin events? Alternative data providers, AI and technology solution vendors, and buy-side professionals from hedge funds, asset managers, private equity firms and corporates.
How are BattleFin events different from other fintech conferences? BattleFin focuses on one market, alternative data and AI for investing, and pre-arranges one-to-one meetings instead of relying on chance networking.
Do BattleFin events cover AI? Yes. Recent agendas covered AI agents for research, how AI is reshaping the investment research stack, and how to test AI-generated signals responsibly.
When is the next BattleFin event? The next event is Discovery Day Miami, January 20–22, 2027.
The bottom line
Plenty of events will sell you a booth. Few will put you across the table from a buyer who is actively sourcing data like yours. BattleFin combines a focused alternative data and AI audience, curated meetings, applied AI content and year-round provider education into one alternative data conference built for outcomes.
Ready to meet the buyers who matter? Reserve your place at Discovery Day Miami, January 20–22, 2027, and explore the Alternative Data Academy to prepare.