Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P. was founded by Michael Bloomberg with the help of Thomas Secunda, Duncan MacMillan, and Charles Zegar in 1981 and a 30% ownership investment by Merrill Lynch. The company provides financial software tools such as analytics and equity trading platform, data services and news to financial companies and organizations around the world through the Bloomberg Terminal , its core money-generating product. Many customers use only a small fraction of the machines' 30,146 functions. Bloomberg L.P. has grown to include a global news service, including television, radio, the Internet and printed publications.
The Future of StoryTelling Festival (FoST FEST) includes more than 50 hands-on technology demos, virtual-reality (VR) and augmented-reality (AR) exhibits, interactive installations, panel conversations, 360 films, games, live theater performances, and a multiperson VR theater. The inaugural festival took place in October 2016.