At BattleFin's two-day conference in New York last week, 150 alternative-data companies jockeyed for the attention of data buyers from hedge funds like Credit Suisse's QT Fund, ExodusPoint, Millennium, and Third Point. As hedge funds seek out new ways to beat the market, they're increasingly looking to alternative-data providers that offer obscure insight into companies not found in filings and earnings calls. The once under-the-radar role of data buyer has become more important than ever because they control the purse strings for a $7 billion industry. Click here for more BI Prime stories. Roberto Jedreicich gets to the point.