This is a topic that is of deep interest to me, as someone who works in the finance and tech space. I think the key is not to think about how to replicate the BBG Terminal experience - but how to chip away at things that it does well. The IM part is key and theres a consortium of big banks and others who are trying to replace that with their own IM network. Im open to discussing ideas with people in this forum - let me know if there is any interest.