LeverEdge has been set up by a group of professionals who have spent years assisting people to find information they need which somebody else already knows, when simply asking won't work. There can be many reasons why simply asking won't work: there are too many experts around to know whom to ask – or perhaps the opposite: the expert has left. Sometimes there is no single expert, but the aggregate of knowledge contains the needed answer – but how does one aggregate knowledge from minds in a methodical way, and offer it in a user-friendly manner? Sometimes there are language barriers, or differences of terminology that mask the fact that what is sought and what is known are the same.

Originally we came from the field of archives and libraries, whose fundamental task is to assist a public to find what it needs in large and complex collections. We then demonstrated that the same principles are quite helpful in creating a museum, where divergent teams of professionals collaborate on a large project. Once we felt secure in our ability to harness knowledge and put it to work, it was obvious that the principles are applicable to a wide range of organizations, such as think tanks and research institutions, fundraisers, lobbies, corporate law firms, and large communities collaborating on cultural endeavors. Ultimately, any mid-sized organization in which the knowledge in the minds of members is mission crucial, stands to benefit from using our methodology.