What Cognism does

Cognism is a London-headquartered, privately held B2B sales intelligence company founded in 2015 that sells contact and company data, intent signals, and workflow tools to sales, marketing, and revenue operations teams. It serves 4,000+ revenue teams globally across enterprise (MongoDB, IBM, monday.com, AVEVA, BearingPoint, Druva, ComplyAdvantage), mid-market (Redgate, SaleCycle, Lead Forensics, YuLife, Coralogix, Openprise), and SMB segments, with particular depth in EMEA where it positions itself as "Europe's most trusted B2B data" and meets GDPR/CCPA requirements through screening against 15 global Do-Not-Call registries and ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and SOC 2 Type II certifications.

The platform is anchored on a proprietary data fusion engine and a premium Diamond Data tier of phone-verified mobile numbers produced through a combination of automated AI verification and a manual research team, with senior-level European contacts refreshed every 30 days across a 440M+ contact database. The product surface spans Sales Intelligence (prospecting with contact data, intent, hiring, funding, and technographic signals), Data-as-a-Service (API and scheduled batch delivery into Snowflake, S3, Google Cloud, Databricks, and SFTP), CRM Enrichment (in beta; governed enrichment workflows for RevOps), Integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics, Bullhorn, Outreach, Salesloft, and Zapier, plus the 2026 Cognism AI feature suite (Research, Smart Personas, AI Search) and the Kaspr self-serve sub-brand acquired in April 2022.

Cognism monetises through per-user subscriptions tiered as Platinum (~ $15,000/year) and Diamond (~ $25,000/year), usage-based Data-as-a-Service pricing, and a freemium Kaspr entry point, with CEO James Isilay self-reporting the company "scaling past $50M ARR" in 2023 and an $87.5 million Series C closed in January 2022 (Viking Global Investors led) to fund US and European expansion. The company has executed three disclosed acquisitions (Mailtasic May 2020, Ricochet.ai December 2020, Kaspr April 2022), maintains 501-1,000 employees, and is privately held by Cognism Ltd. with investors including Viking Global Investors, AVP, Balderton Capital, Blue Cloud Ventures, Swisscom Ventures, Volution, and PeakSpan Capital; a 2026 UK court case reports an alleged governance dispute between founder James Isilay and investors Balderton and AVP.

Name

Cognism

Legal name

Cognism Ltd.

Website

https://cognism.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Cognism is a London-based B2B sales intelligence platform, founded in 2015, that sells phone-verified contact data, intent signals, and CRM enrichment tools to 4,000+ enterprise, mid-market, and SMB revenue teams across EMEA, the US, and beyond.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Sales Intelligence

akta.pro primary industry

Telesales & Inside Sales Outsourcing (B2B/B2C) (BPAAADAE)

Keywords

• B2B sales intelligence
• Contact data verification
• Sales prospecting platform
• CRM data enrichment
• Intent data signals

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription (per-seat) + Credits: Per-user subscription pricing with credits for contact data. Pricing is based on team size, data requirements, and use case. Different packages (Platinum and Diamond) exist with tiered annual access fees.
2. Data-as-a-Service (API / Batch): Data delivery into customer warehouses and tools via API or scheduled batch file delivery into Snowflake, S3, Google Cloud, Databricks, or SFTP. Pricing typically combines access to Cognism data with usage, depending on how data is retrieved and delivered.
3. Tiered Premium Data Packages (Diamond / Platinum): Premium Diamond Data tier (phone-verified mobile numbers) commands higher pricing — annual access fees reported at $15,000 (Platinum) and $25,000 (Diamond), with total contract value $1,500 to $25,000+ annually.
4. Self-Serve Database (Kaspr, acquired April 2022): Cognism acquired Kaspr (April 2022), a self-serve freemium LinkedIn-native prospecting tool serving individual contributors and small teams. Adds a freemium product line.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Cognism is a B2B sales acceleration software company that sells a sales intelligence platform built on a verified European B2B contact and company data asset (including phone-verified "Diamond Data" mobile numbers). Its core offerings combine prospecting contact data, buying signals (intent, hiring, funding, technographics), and CRM enrichment, delivered via a SaaS application, native CRM/sales-engagement integrations, and an API/batch Data-as-a-Service channel.

Product overview

Cognism is a B2B sales intelligence platform with a platform-plus-modules architecture, anchored on a verified European B2B data asset and the proprietary Diamond Data phone-verified mobile numbers. Its four core offerings are Sales Intelligence (prospecting with contact data, buying signals, and the Cognism AI feature suite including Research, Smart Personas, and AI Search), Data-as-a-Service (programmatic delivery of Cognism data via API or scheduled batch into warehouses and internal tools), CRM Enrichment (currently in beta; governed CRM enrichment workflows with field-level rules and a diagnostic dashboard), and Integrations (native connectors to Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics, Bullhorn, Outreach, Salesloft, and Zapier, plus a browser extension). The platform also includes the Kaspr brand (acquired April 2022) for LinkedIn-native self-serve prospecting. Cognism is positioned as a compliance-first, EMEA-focused alternative to broader GTM platforms, with ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and SOC 2 Type II certifications and screening against 15 global Do-Not-Call lists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Diamond Data: Premium phone-verified mobile data asset; contacts verified by a dedicated research team through manual and automated processes.
• Diamonds-on-Demand
• Data-as-a-Service (DaaS)
• CRM Enrichment

Products and services

• Sales Intelligence Core sales prospecting platform that helps B2B revenue teams build target account lists, surface buying signals (intent, hiring, job changes, funding, technographics), and reach decision-makers using phone-verified contact data; serves sales, marketing, and RevOps teams across enterprise, mid-market, and SMB segments.
• Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) Programmatic access to Cognism's verified B2B company and contact data via API or scheduled batch file delivery into Snowflake, S3, Google Cloud, Databricks, or SFTP; supports ICP/TAM building, predictive modelling, data standardisation, and multi-provider unification for enterprise data and RevOps teams.
• CRM Enrichment Governed CRM enrichment product that identifies gaps and outdated records, enriches priority contacts based on ICP and personas, applies field-level overwrite/fill-only/protect rules, and runs continuous enrichment via real-time, scheduled, or one-off workflows; built for RevOps, marketing, and sales operations teams.
• Kaspr LinkedIn-native B2B contact data prospecting platform acquired by Cognism in April 2022, focused on European markets; targets individual contributors and small sales teams with a self-serve freemium model layered on shared Cognism data infrastructure.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3x higher connect rates with phone-verified mobile numbers (versus industry average)
• +11 more outcomes

Named customers45 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability9 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• BBD Perfect StormflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2026Appointed as Cognism's creative agency of record following a competitive three-way pitch. Signals Cognism's investment in refreshed creative capabilities for brand communications (announced Feb 2026 per Campaign).
• KasprflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2022Acquired by Cognism in April 2022 (undisclosed sum). Kaspr is a LinkedIn-native prospecting tool focused on European B2B contact data, founded in 2018. Now operates as Cognism's self-serve/freemium product line targeting individual contributors and small teams; shares underlying data infrastructure with Cognism.
• SalesforceflagshipTechnology or IntegrationNative integration syncing Cognism's B2B data to Salesforce, enabling instant lead routing, real-time enrichment, and CRM record updates. Cognism holds Salesforce Partner status (Salesforce-logo-SF-lightening-partner). Listed as a primary CRM integration on Cognism's website.
• HubSpotflagshipTechnology or IntegrationNative CRM integration with HubSpot allowing high-quality leads to be pushed directly into the CRM, build targeted lists, and power pipeline. Documented in Cognism's integrations help center.
• PipedrivecoreTechnology or IntegrationCRM integration linking Cognism to Pipedrive to add new leads directly into the pipeline and keep contact data updated.
• BullhorncoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Bullhorn recruitment CRM to update candidate and client records, keeping recruitment databases complete and current.
• Microsoft DynamicsflagshipTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 enriching contact and account records and keeping the CRM current.
• SalesloftflagshipTechnology or IntegrationSales engagement integration enabling Cognism contact data to be used directly in Salesloft sequences and prospect list building.
• OutreachflagshipTechnology or IntegrationSales engagement integration connecting Cognism-verified contacts to Outreach sequences, keeping sales engagement on track.
• ZapiercoreTechnology or IntegrationAutomation integration enabling Cognism workflows to be connected to thousands of apps via Zapier for no-code data movement.
• BomboraflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership powering Cognism's intent data layer. Account admins can select from 11,000+ intent topics via Bombora's Company Surge® data. Customers can identify accounts actively researching topics related to their offerings.
• CB InsightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership powering Cognism's sales event triggers (funding rounds, M&A alerts, executive movement). Provides "supporting data" for Cognism's signal layer.
• SnowflakeflagshipTechnology or IntegrationData-as-a-Service delivery destination: Cognism can push structured contact and company data into Snowflake via API or scheduled batch file delivery for use in enrichment, scoring, and routing workflows.
• DatabrickscoreTechnology or IntegrationData-as-a-Service delivery destination: Cognism can deliver data into Databricks environments alongside S3, Google Cloud, and SFTP.
• Google CloudcoreTechnology or IntegrationData-as-a-Service delivery destination alongside S3, Databricks, and SFTP for batch file delivery of Cognism data.
• Data and Marketing Association (DMA)coreOthersIndustry body membership: Cognism is a member of the Data and Marketing Association, supporting its compliance and ethical data practices posture.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ZoomInfo: ZoomInfo is the largest US-headquartered B2B contact data and sales intelligence platform, offering firmographic and demographic data, intent, and conversation intelligence. Cognism explicitly competes head-to-head and runs dedicated 'Cognism vs ZoomInfo' comparison pages; both sell into enterprise sales, marketing, and RevOps teams with a per-seat plus credits model.
• Apollo.io: Apollo.io is a sales intelligence and engagement platform combining a large B2B contact database with sequencing and email automation. Cognism maintains a 'Cognism vs Apollo' comparison page; both target sales-led mid-market and SMB motions with freemium entry points and tiered subscription pricing.
• Lusha: Lusha is a B2B contact data provider with browser-extension-based prospecting and a self-serve, per-credit pricing model popular with individual reps and SMBs. Cognism maintains a 'Cognism vs Lusha' comparison page, and Lockton's SDR publicly switched from Lusha to Cognism — confirming direct overlap in the prospecting data category.
• Seamless.AI: Seamless.AI provides real-time B2B contact and company data with a strong US-centric prospecting motion. Cognism and Seamless.AI are both listed as Market Leaders in the FeaturedCustomers Fall 2025 B2B Contact Databases Customer Success Report, indicating direct head-to-head competition for sales-led GTM teams.

Broad incumbents

• LinkedIn Sales Navigator: LinkedIn Sales Navigator is LinkedIn's flagship sales intelligence product, leveraging first-party LinkedIn profile data for prospecting. It is a broader incumbent platform that overlaps with Cognism in B2B contact discovery, especially among LinkedIn-native users and SMBs — and is listed alongside Cognism in the FeaturedCustomers Market Leader ranking.
• Salesforce (Sales Cloud / Data Cloud): Salesforce is a global CRM and customer data platform incumbent that sells Sales Cloud and Data Cloud as broader workflow suites. While Cognism integrates natively into Salesforce rather than competing directly, Salesforce's own data, enrichment, and Einstein GPT features increasingly overlap with Cognism's CRM Enrichment and DaaS offerings.
• HubSpot: HubSpot offers a CRM, marketing hub, and operations hub that increasingly includes built-in B2B data and AI prospecting features. Cognism integrates natively into HubSpot but competes against its bundled enrichment and contact data capabilities for mid-market and SMB customers seeking an all-in-one platform.
• 6sense: 6sense is a revenue intelligence and account-based marketing platform combining intent data, predictive analytics, and B2B contact data. Cognism partners with Bombora for intent but competes with 6sense in the broader intent-plus-contact data category for enterprise ABM buyers.
• Demandbase: Demandbase is an ABM and B2B advertising platform combining account identification, intent, and contact data. It overlaps with Cognism in the enterprise ABM segment where buyers evaluate account intelligence, intent, and verified contact data side by side.

Emerging players

• Bombora: Bombora is the leading independent B2B intent data co-operative, powering Cognism's 11,000+ intent topics via Company Surge. While Cognism is a Bombora partner and customer-facing channel, Bombora's direct sales motion and account-level intent overlays place it in partial competition for enterprise intent budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Cognism
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Cognism
• Facebookfacebook.com/cognism
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cognism
• Instagraminstagram.com/cognism

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors17 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cognism