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ABOUT US

No-Nonsense Intelligence was established in 2021 in Bucharest. We specialize in due diligence, asset searching, corporate research and software solutions designed to enhance open source intelligence research. Our work is conducted using a proprietary software platform with over 2,000 open source intelligence data sources.

We have a global focus, but are particularly well placed to conduct research in China and other Asian countries, as well as in Romania.

founder's profile

Cristopher Uglea

Cristopher specializes in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and big data analytics, focusing on technology-enhanced OSINT and research methodologies. He has extensive experience in asset tracing, business intelligence, and reputational due diligence.

  • Bachelor's Degree in History from the University of Bucharest in Romania
  • Master’s in Global Affairs from the Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing
  • Languages: English, French, Chinese and Romanian
  • Technical skills: big data, relational databases, SQL, Javascript, HTML/CSS, web APIs

Prior to founding No Nonsense Intelligence in 2021, Cristopher was a Director at a top US-listed due diligence firm and a Data Analyst at a top Romanian business intelligence firm.

Case studies

Projects we previously worked on

CASE BACKGROUND

A Client in the entertainment sector had established ties with twelve People's Republic of China (PRC) suppliers. In 2022, a legal conflict led to the termination of the relationship with one of the twelve called Supplier A. Two months later, the Client's sales representatives identified another company ('Supplier B') as a potential replacement for Supplier A. Seeking assurance, the Client engaged our services to verify whether Supplier B had any undisclosed connections to Supplier A.

RESULTS

Using desktop-based research only, we quickly discovered that:

  • Supplier B was a newly formed company, established only a month after the termination of Supplier A.
  • Supplier B’s contact phone in the Chinese corporate registries matched an employee's personal number at Supplier A.
  • A shareholder of Supplier B owned a company operating in a similar industry, and sharing a contact email with Supplier A.
  • The registered address of Supplier B was in the same building as Supplier A.
  • A shareholder of Supplier B had the same name with a shareholder of Supplier , though the link remained unverified because the Client could not supply date of birth/ID number to confirm it.

Upon this evaluation, the Client decided not to onboard Supplier B, due to its undisclosed links to Supplier A.

CASE BACKGROUND

A Client requested an enhanced due diligence report on a state-owned financial company in Europe, which they were considering as a potential partner for a future joint venture. The primary objective was to uncover any potentially damaging information that might attract media attention and damage the Client's reputation following the announcement of the joint venture.

RESULTS

Using desktop-based research, we were able to build a profile of the state-owned entity ('SOE'), complete with:

  • A historical overview detailing the company's establishment in the 1970s under the Ministry of Commerce, its various restructurings, and its current governance under the Ministry of Finance. The corporate structure was illustrated in a detailed chart, showing all corporate vehicles used by the Ministry of Finance to hold shares in the SOE.
  • An analysis of the company’s subsidiaries, partnerships, and primary clients. Notably, one subsidiary was in the process of liquidation, but this was voluntary, not court ordered.
  • A history of all litigation involving the SOE in the past 10 years. This indicated that they all were course-of-business disputes, and did not involve significant sums, bribery or other criminal cases.
  • Information regarding the former CEO who was under investigation for bribery. Public details were sparse, but the media coverage and the court filings implicated the individual alone, and not the company.
  • We identified several instances of adverse media coverage regarding strikes at the SOE. Between 2020 - 2024, employees on minimal wages organized multiple strikes, which garnered significant attention from national and regional news outlets.
  • Other checks against sanction lists and searches for other penalties or exclusions revealed no other notable adverse findings for the SOE.

CASE BACKGROUND

A Client in the technology sector secured a court award worth tens of millions of USD against a publicly-listed Competitor following an intellectual property dispute. The Client asked us to conduct a global asset search, with a particular focus on assets in the US and Europe, to facilitate the enforcement of the award.

RESULTS

We accessed a range of sources, including corporate registries, disclosures from publicly listed companies, property records, patent databases, and databases for luxury assets. We obtained the following information:

  • We discovered substantial real estate assets in the US, owned by the Competitor through its indirect US subsidiaries.
  • We identified high-value assets including a corporate jet, luxury vehicles, and inventory, stored in the US, Europe or in transit.
  • We located intellectual property across multiple jurisdictions, notably several valuable technological patents.
  • We analyzed the Competitor's balance sheet, identifying all relevant cash, investments, and accounts receivable that could be leveraged by our client.

Our investigation also examined the Competitor's liabilities. We looked at other creditors, existing legal claims against the Competitor, and assets encumbered by these liabilities, all of which could influence our Client's ability to enforce the award.

We also examined whether the competitor was engaging in asset diversion tactics such as selling assets to related third parties at below-market prices, transferring assets to offshore entities, restructuring operations into less accessible subsidiaries, or artificially inflating liabilities. Our findings revealed no evidence of such activities.

CASE BACKGROUND

A multinational consulting and investigations firm hired us to build a platform to organize and provide documentation for their extensive collection of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) resources. With a global team of 30 analysts spread across four countries, there was a pressing need for a centralized, accessible solution.

RESULTS

Key steps in our solution included:

  • Custom software system, similar to our Alexandria product: Created an internal webapp that could be accessed globally. The app featured links to OSINT resources and databases, all documented and properly organized.
  • API Integration: Integrated the system with four APIs for people search (1), Internet domain information (2), email address research (3), and phone number investigations(4), using external providers selected by the client.
  • VPN and Research Accounts Setup: Assisted in setting up a VPN and various anonymous research accounts, to ensure maximum security and privacy when conducting online research.
  • Password Manager Implementation: Established a shared password manager for the client's analysts, enabling them to securely and efficiently create, access, or modify research accounts on social media and other platforms.

no-nonsense approach

We can't guarantee that we'll find all the information you require. A lot of times we do, but sometimes the information just isn't public. Our no-nonsense approach is to tell you exactly what tools we use and what information we expect to find.

Interested? We'll give you a step-by-step presentation of our way of doing research, and share our tools with you, free of charge.

Contact us for a demo