CovergEx sees itself as a leading edge brokerage services and technology fund. One need only look at its recent purchases to get a feel for this. In October, ConvergEx announced a deal to buy Cogent Consulting, a commission management business. The next month it announced a deal to acquire NYFIX's U.S. Transaction Services, which include Millennium, a dark pool. In that same month, it announced a deal to buy NorthPoint Trading Partners, a boutique prime brokerage.

All three deals allow the firm to take on new technology in core areas [1]. But when it comes to the independent research arena, its latest move isn't quite a pure technology play. Instead, it's a good move to acknowledge the demand on the buy-side for access to top industry executives. Its latest service allows sales traders to have direct access to leading executives. Management Access meetings will be limited to a select audience and will feature lengthy Q&A sessions with C-level executives. These sorts of services are must-offers by independents, who face an uncertain future. 

For more:
- here's the release [2]