After the collapse of Cambridge Analytica in 2018, key figures associated with the firm, including Rebekah Mercer and her family, rebranded their operations under Emerdata Limited. The new entity was designed as a front company to continue the data analytics and political microtargeting work of its predecessors while distancing itself from legal and reputational fallout and avoiding public scrutiny.

Rebekah Mercer's associates, including Alexander Nix and Nigel Oakes, were involved in the creation of Emerdata, which inherited Cambridge Analytica's assets and foreign client relationships. Mercer's prior investments in Cambridge Analytica indirectly supported Emerdata's operations, which may have included foreign funding.