Emporia Research
Emporia Research is a B2B market research platform that recruits LinkedIn-verified professionals from ~800M records for surveys, interviews, and expert consultations, serving consulting firms, private equity, enterprises, and research agencies via its mrxCore, Polis, and Levada products.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Emporia Research does
Emporia Research operates a self-serve B2B market research platform that recruits LinkedIn-verified professionals from a database of nearly 800 million professional and firmographic records, addressing the fraud and quality issues endemic to traditional research panels (cited as up to 40%). Founded in July 2020 by former Goldman Sachs engineers Michael Hess (CEO), Jake Roeland (CTO), and Mark Hannan (CDO), the company pivoted from an EdTech origin to B2B research in May 2021 and operates a three-product ecosystem: mrxCore (a customer-facing audience platform with AI survey builder and qualitative scheduling), Polis (a LinkedIn-verified participant portal), and Levada (a supplier-side audience allocation tool). Supporting capabilities include Pori fraud detection, Digital Twin synthetic respondent agents, and Briefd AI news briefings. The platform combines AI accelerators across the research workflow with GDPR and CCPA compliance and operates without an open API by design.
The company monetizes through a hybrid model: subscription SaaS for mrxCore, managed research services for clients lacking internal capacity, and transaction-based supplier monetization via Levada. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market blends product-led growth (free survey builder, self-serve sign-up via Polis) with enterprise field sales supported by a VP of Strategic Accounts & Partnerships and multiple VPs and Directors of Client Solutions. Named enterprise customers include Gong (sales technology) and Xero (accounting software); consulting firms, private equity, market research agencies, and large enterprises are the primary segments. The company is incorporated as Emporia Learning Inc. in Delaware, with headquarters in Austin, TX and operational roots in New York.
As of 2024-2026 the team numbers roughly 60 globally, spanning from Kenya to the Philippines with significant offshore project delivery. The company raised over $6 million in venture financing in March 2024 and has continued product launches including B2B Audience Actions (December 2024), the Polis Discover Studies expansion (March 2026), and a healthcare vertical partnership with Definitive Healthcare (April 2026). It won "Best New Product Innovation in Research" in November 2023.
Emporia Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Emporia Research
- Legal name
- Emporia Learning Inc.
- Website
- https://emporiaresearch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Emporia Research is a B2B market research platform that recruits LinkedIn-verified professionals from ~800M records for surveys, interviews, and expert consultations, serving consulting firms, private equity, enterprises, and research agencies via its mrxCore, Polis, and Levada products.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Emporia Research industry classification
Industry- Product category
- B2B Market Research Software
- NAICS
- Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- B2B / Industrial Market Research (MPAAALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- B2B SaaS & Enterprise Personalization (CRM, Sales, Support) (HDAAAGAJ)
Keywords
Where Emporia Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Emporia Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Platform Subscription - mrxCore: SaaS platform subscription for B2B audience access, survey building, and project management. Includes Verified B2B Audiences, DIY Data Collection, and Managed Services tiers
- Polis Participant Portal: Participant-facing platform monetized through respondent recruitment for research clients. Professionals earn rewards for participating, Emporia facilitates and takes a margin
- Levada Supplier Tools: Audience allocation tooling for suppliers to manage traffic across projects. No platform fees - posted CPI is what suppliers earn, implying transaction-based take rate
- Custom Research Projects: B2B expert network and custom research engagements sourced through the platform for consulting firms, enterprises, and agencies
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | DIY Platform Access with free survey builder |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise Platform - Full mrxCore Access |
| Professional services/ project-based | Multi-year contract | Managed Services - Expert-Led Research |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Emporia Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Emporia Research operates a B2B market research platform built on nearly 800 million LinkedIn-verified professional and firmographic records, providing advanced audience targeting, AI-powered survey building, qualitative scheduling, and fraud detection. The platform spans three interconnected products: mrxCore for customer research teams, Polis as the LinkedIn-verified participant portal, and Levada as supplier-side audience allocation tooling. The company enables verified B2B research without traditional panel fraud or expert network costs.
Product overview
Emporia Research operates as a B2B market research platform with a modular ecosystem comprising three core products: mrxCore (audience sourcing and survey platform for customers), Polis (LinkedIn-verified participant portal), and Levada (audience allocation tooling for suppliers). The platform also includes Pori (fraud verification) and Briefd (AI-powered industry news briefing). Built on nearly 800 million professional records with LinkedIn verification, Emporia combines AI accelerators, fraud detection models, and quality-scoring systems to deliver verified B2B audiences for research without panel fraud.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- mrxCore: B2B data collection and audience engagement tool built on nearly 800 million professional and firmographic records. Provides Advanced B2B Targeting, Survey Builder, and Qualitative Scheduling.
- Polis
- Levada
Products and services
- mrxCore A B2B data collection and audience engagement tool for consulting firms, enterprises, market research agencies, and private equity firms. Provides advanced B2B targeting over 800 million professionals across 200+ attributes, AI-powered survey builder, qualitative scheduling with calendar management, and fraud detection for verified research respondents.
- Polis A participant portal for verified professionals to participate in paid B2B market research surveys, interviews, and focus groups with trusted brands. Features LinkedIn OAuth identity verification, recommendation algorithm matching projects to professional experience, and a digital rewards wallet with 2,000+ redemption brands.
- Levada A supplier portal for panel operators and B2B audience owners to route qualified respondents to high-paying surveys, expert interviews, and paid research actions. Includes URL manager, project dashboard, performance tracking, and a smart-matching engine that improves fit by title, industry, seniority, and geography.
Quantifiable outcome
- Traditional research panels have fraud rates as high as 40%; Emporia's LinkedIn verification and Pori fraud detection significantly reduces this
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Emporia Research
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Emporia Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature8 records
Emporia Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Definitive HealthcarecoreEmporia Research enhanced healthcare targeting capabilities through collaboration with Definitive Healthcare, leveraging healthcare market data and insights. The integration enables precise recruitment of healthcare professionals based on organizational role, affiliations, prescribing behavior, and credentialing. Researchers can target executives, administrators, IT leaders, and NPI-verified clinicians beyond traditional specialty-based targeting.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Emporia Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Prolific: Online participant recruitment platform with verified respondents for academic and commercial research. Closely comparable to Emporia's Polis in self-serve model, verification focus, and target buyer (research teams), though focused more on academic and consumer use cases.
- NewtonX: B2B expert research and knowledge platform with verified professionals and AI-driven sourcing. Directly competes with Emporia for verified B2B expert access and consulting-grade research projects, with similar self-serve plus managed services model.
- Respondent.io: Research participant marketplace connecting researchers with vetted professionals and consumers for surveys and interviews. Closely comparable to Polis in participant recruitment and Emporia's broader self-serve B2B research workflow.
- Cint: Market research technology and audience exchange platform powering sample procurement for research buyers. Directly comparable to Emporia on the sample/audience supply side, though operates a panel-exchange model rather than verification-first model.
- Dynata: One of the world's largest first-party research data and panel providers serving enterprise research buyers. Competes with Emporia on B2B sample access and research project execution, with significantly larger scale and broader channel partnerships.
- GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group): Largest expert network serving consulting firms, investment managers, and corporate clients with B2B expert consultations. Direct competitor to Emporia on verified B2B expert access for consulting, PE, and enterprise research — the legacy player Emporia positions against.
- AlphaSights: Global expert network serving consulting, investment, and corporate strategy clients with B2B expert interviews. Closely comparable to Emporia on the expert network side for consulting and PE use cases.
- Guidepoint: Expert network and primary research platform serving consulting, private equity, and corporate clients. Direct peer on B2B expert access and custom research engagements.
- Tegus: Expert research platform combining an expert network with a primary research database of transcribed expert calls. Comparable to Emporia for investment, consulting, and corporate strategy research, with a complementary content/transcripts offering.
Broad incumbents
- Qualtrics: Enterprise experience management and survey platform with broad research, customer experience, and employee engagement capabilities. Overlaps with Emporia on the survey and B2B research buyer side, but operates at much larger scale across many verticals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Emporia Research social profiles
Digital presenceEmporia Research compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Emporia Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Emporia Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Emporia Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Emporia Research M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Emporia Research
What does Emporia Research do?
Emporia Research operates a B2B market research platform built on nearly 800 million LinkedIn-verified professional and firmographic records, providing advanced audience targeting, AI-powered survey building, qualitative scheduling, and fraud detection. The platform spans three interconnected products: mrxCore for customer research teams, Polis as the LinkedIn-verified participant portal, and Levada as supplier-side audience allocation tooling. The company enables verified B2B research without traditional panel fraud or expert network costs.
Is Emporia Research a public or private company?
Emporia Research is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Emporia Research founded?
Emporia Research was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Emporia Research based?
Emporia Research is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Emporia Research make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Platform Subscription - mrxCore is the primary driver. The others are polis Participant Portal, levada Supplier Tools and custom Research Projects.
Who are Emporia Research's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Prolific, NewtonX, Respondent.io, Cint, Dynata, GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group), AlphaSights, Guidepoint and Tegus. Qualtrics is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Emporia Research have an API?
No public API is recorded for Emporia Research.
What industry is Emporia Research in?
Emporia Research's product category is B2B Market Research Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAALAA, B2B / Industrial Market Research, with a secondary code of HDAAAGAJ, B2B SaaS & Enterprise Personalization (CRM, Sales, Support). Its NAICS code is 54191 and its SIC code is 8742.