Sidelight and Vema Data Announce Merger

Launching Groundbreaking Platform for Data & Application Spend Intelligence for Financial Institutions

August 19, 2025 | New York

Sidelight, Inc (www.sidelight.io) and Vema Data (www.vemadata.com) today announced their merger, uniting two innovative forces in financial technology to form a single intelligence platform purpose-built to help Asset Managers and Financial Institutions take control of their third-party data and application spend. 

The combined entity will operate under the Sidelight name, introducing a powerful suite of AI-driven tools designed to help asset managers, hedge funds, and financial institutions optimize usage, eliminate waste, and make smarter, evidence-based spending decisions across their Market Data Portfolio. 

“This merger represents a major step forward for financial services firms looking to modernize their vendor strategy,” said Charles Ashwanden, CEO and Co-Founder of Sidelight. “Together with VEMA, we’ve built a unified platform that brings spend, usage, contracts, and value into one intelligent system—making it possible to manage the complex data ecosystems with clarity, speed, and confidence.” 

Sidelight’s team is composed of data and application veterans from eVestment (Nasdaq), Investment Metrics, Vanguard, and PwC. With decades of experience at the intersection of finance, data, and AI, the team brings unmatched insight into the needs of modern financial institutions—and delivers intelligent solutions that drive real savings and strategic impact. 

Alongside the merger, Sidelight is officially launching three core product modules: 

Cost & Subscription Module - A centralized dashboard that replaces manual spreadsheets and fragmented systems. Firms gain full visibility into vendors, contracts, licenses, renewal dates, and actual usage—enabling immediate savings and better subscription governance. 

Contracts AI Module - An AI-powered assistant that allows users to ask natural-language questions about any contract—such as licensing rights, geographic restrictions, or renewal terms—and receive clear, contextual answers in seconds. The module also flags risk, links contract terms to individual users, and integrates seamlessly with compliance workflows. 

Value Module - Provides unmatched visibility into the actual value of each tool in your data & application stack by combining user engagement, qualitative feedback, and peer benchmarks. Firms can confidently rationalize vendors, validate renewals, and align spend with real business impact. 

Sidelight serves Procurement, Market Data, Compliance, Business and Operations teams at Financial institutions across the globe. With its AI-driven insights and user-friendly design, the platform helps firms: 

• Identify underused, overlapping, or outdated data 
• Link contract terms to real usage and user access 
• Accelerate vendor negotiations with actionable intelligence 
• Benchmark costs and value against peer firms 
• Streamline compliance and reduce operational complexity 

Sidelight is now available to organizations in the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and Asia-Pacific regions.  

To learn more about Sidelight, or to request a free trial or personalized demo, visit www.sidelight.io. 

This merger represents a major step forward for financial services firms looking to modernize their vendor strategy. Together with VEMA, we’ve built a unified platform that brings spend, usage, contracts, and value into one intelligent system—making it possible to manage the complex data ecosystems with clarity, speed, and confidence. 
Charles Ashwanden, CEO and Co-Founder of Sidelight.