Truth Be Told A new virtual marketplace takes the subjectivity out of valuing a business.

For entrepreneurs who have ever wondered what their companies are really worth, Peter J. Leitner has an answer--actually, he has several answers. Leitner is founder and CEO of Princeton, New Jersey based Numeria Management LLC, the world's first "Prediction Market" for valuing businesses and corporate assets. By aggregating the work of several independent and competing analysts, Numeria provides business owners with the most objective market-based valuations possible. Because traditional business appraisals are highly subjective (and can be unduly influenced by company executives), Numeria strives to provide a more transparent and holistic approach.

"We turned the whole process upside down," says Leitner, 42. "By putting a marketplace between the analyst and the client, it serves as a buffer so analysts can seek and provide objective information, and clients have an opportunity to hear the truth." Numeria's revealing process can also provide insight into what would make the business stronger and more valuable.