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The letter that opened the company, and the record after it.

News · May 2010

A message from CEO Patrick Comer

To our friends, clients, & partners, Federated Sample is officially live!

The letter

To our friends,

Almost two years ago, my wife and I moved to the New Orleans area to start our family. Frankly, having founded companies in Los Angeles, New York, and London, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Well, strike up the band, New Orleans is on the rise! Yes, the Saints won the Super Bowl but the real story is how the city is pulling itself up by the bootstraps.

Embraced with open arms, urged to get something started, and given the full complement of support that the community, city, & state can provide, we forged our business plan ahead. The difference in launching a new business in New Orleans is that it really matters and makes an instant impact on the community. We aren’t just launching a business; we are a part of rebuilding New Orleans.

My experience is in entrepreneurship, technology, and market research and Jackson Square Group is a perfect combination of all three. In the market research industry, the first phase of the transition of research to online data collection is almost over. Phase two is about maturing the platform and developing efficiencies.

The process of data collection is often cumbersome. Through our technology, JSG automates and efficiently executes a process that had been manual -- and imperfect at best. With so much attention on the challenge of the quality of online research, Jackson Square provides a transparent and open platform for operational success.

I look forward to sharing more about our business with you. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

Yours,
Patrick B. Comer

After the letter

What happened next

  • 2010

    Jackson Square Group is founded

    The company launches in New Orleans with a letter from Patrick Comer and one product: Federated Sample.

  • 2010

    Seed round, ten hires

    Federated Sample starts with $350,000 in seed money and hires ten people in its first year.

  • 2011

    Second round

    More than $2 million raised, with Louisiana’s Angel Investor Tax Credit.

  • 2013

    Scale

    More than 200 supply partners in 65 countries deliver roughly 10 million samples through Fulcrum.

  • 2014

    Fifty people

    The company marks its fourth anniversary with 50 employees.

  • 2017

    Rebrand and a $60M round

    Federated Sample becomes Lucid, raising $60 million led by North Bridge Growth Equity, with 500+ customers.

An 1858 engraving of Jackson Square, New Orleans
Jackson Square in 1858. The company took the square’s name, not its postcard.

The dates after 2010 come from Louisiana Economic Development (2014) and TechCrunch (2017); both are named on the sources page.