Cogent says that it provides qualitative profiles and comprehensive financial and statistical analytics for a range of hedge fund formats, including Limited partnerships and LLCs, SICAVs/UCITS and Unit trusts, Funds of hedge funds and CTA programs/composites.

In a recent update, Cogent says that it has over 850 funds signed up so far, encompassing a broad cross-section of the market with the Pacific Rim and European managers surprisingly well represented. Commodity trading advisors and managers running emerging markets and highly specialized long-only strategies are also very well represented.

CogentHedge.com says that as a community it leans heavily toward the fund of funds, family office and endowment officers and the serious individual investor.

Cogent says it is working to develop the support tiers of the website. Attention had previously been solely focused on perfecting the financial engine and database structure. Going forward, Cogent says it intends to develop its capability to offer information of value to its community. With the assistance of several law firms with a strong presence in the alternative investment area Cogent is building a library of legal memoranda and descriptive texts dealing with issues of particular relevance to you.

The CogentHedge.com database is a free online resource, although the site intends eventually to charge the professional investor to download its database for use in third-party financial analysis toolboxes such as Pertrac.