What’s in a name?
By now, either through social media, like the #dontbethatjumper initiative, in person at the Parachute Industry Association, or by glancing at any of the several emails sent from Merit (formerly Sigma) congratulating you on the merits you were issued by the US Parachute Association, you’re sure to have come across Sigma (now Merit), the one-stop digital credential verification platform.
Well, simply put, Sigma is now Merit, and the only thing that has changed is the name.
An official document released by Merit explains rebrand in simple terms: “Think of Federal Express becoming FedEx—it’s a natural evolution that adopts how people talk about the service and the company.”
The focus of Merit has always been on “merits.” As a primary facet of the company’s platform, these “merits” are the means by which an individual’s skills, achievements, and accomplishments can be officially verified and recognized.
Instead of proof of qualifications in the form of email certificates, stacks of paper, or plastic cards, Merit utilizes a secure digital platform and “merits.”
Merit provides an easy way to issue, verify, and track individual user credentials for participating organizations. Merit has forged a meaningful partnership with the skydiving industry with many key stakeholders like the United States Parachute Association, wingsuit training schools, many international drop zones, and gear manufacturers providing specific equipment ratings.
Prior to Merit, ratings and credentials were issued through divergent disparate information streams, Merit digitally connected them all, creating one comprehensive data pool to draw from.
What does the rebrand mean for you?
For those skydivers out there who had trouble distinguishing the UPT tandem skydiving equipment set up “Sigma” from the company issuing your digital licenses, USPA credentials, and certifications, the change from Sigma to Merit should help keep the two straight!
We sat down with Dylan Avatar who serves as the Industry Manager Lead for Merit to find out what the rebranding would entail. As the Industry Manager Lead, and as an active skydiver himself, Dylan wanted to assure those in the skydiving community that the change from Sigma to Merit is just a rebrand.
For jumpers who completed their Burble/Sigma integration, everything will remain the same. There is no major change to the fundamental service being provided, no need to re-confirm your account, and no big fuss. It’s only the name that’s being changed.
And as it was prior to the re-brand, so it shall be after: the focus of Merit will continue to be on expanding its offerings and benefiting the skydiving industry as a whole.
