What MFour Data Research does

MFour Data Research is a private U.S. consumer intelligence company headquartered in Irvine, California, operating the largest opt-in first-party consumer panel in the United States through its proprietary Surveys On The Go® mobile app. The company tracks 100 million-plus consumer and shopper journeys across 4 billion-plus monthly behavioral signals spanning purchases, website visits, location, app usage, surveys, and ChatGPT conversations. Its core technology stack includes GeoValidation® (GPS-verified location intelligence), OmniTraffic® (connected consumer data), and MFour Studio™ (the unified data platform that consolidates behavioral and survey data into eight report types). DANI™, the company's AI-powered market research assistant, accepts natural language queries and autonomously generates boardroom-ready reports such as Consumer Journey Analysis, Cross Shopping, and Leakage reports. Additional products include iOOH™ (out-of-home ad attribution), vSurveys+™, vTracker+™, and Instant Audiences.

The company serves Fortune 500 brands across consumer packaged goods, retail, technology, telecommunications, entertainment, quick-service restaurants, and education verticals, with named customers including Samsung, Disney, Walmart, Target, Amazon, Pepsi, Lowe's, AT&T, Microsoft, Google, Keurig Dr Pepper, Papa Johns, Duke University, and Ritual. Revenue is generated through four streams: MFour Studio SaaS subscriptions (self-serve tier at $100/month plus enterprise contracts), custom full-service survey projects, data licensing of connected consumer data streams, and iOOH attribution services. Go-to-market is hybrid, combining enterprise direct sales (Legacy division and OOH Vertical) with a self-serve product-led growth motion on the MFour Studio platform. All data collection operates under MFour's Fair Trade Data® methodology requiring 100% opt-in consent, fair panel compensation, and exclusion of third-party data and scraping.

Founded circa 2001 (with one source dating founding to 2010), the company employs 51-100 people and operates as an independent, privately-held entity with no disclosed parent company or institutional ownership structure. The most recent disclosed funding was a $5 million round in April 2017 led by NewRoad Capital Partners. Executive leadership includes Founder and CEO Chris St. Hilaire, COO and co-founder Jeff Harrelson, CTO Aaron Wepler, CFO Rob Chrone, CRO Brian Morin (appointed January 2026), and Chief Innovation Officer Alex Colao.

Name

MFour Data Research

Legal name

MFour Data Research, Inc.

Website

https://mfour.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

MFour Data Research operates the largest opt-in first-party U.S. consumer panel via its Surveys On The Go mobile app, delivering connected consumer journey analytics across 4B+ monthly behavioral signals to Fortune 500 brands in CPG, retail, tech, telecom, and entertainment through its MFour Studio platform and DANI AI assistant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Market Research Software

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer Experience (CX) & Voice of Customer (NPS/CSAT, Journey Research) (MPAAALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral & Neuroscience Research (Biometrics, Eye-Tracking, Neuromarketing) (MPAAALAN), Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) & BI (HDAEAMAG)

Keywords

• Consumer market research
• Behavioral data analytics
• Mobile consumer panel
• AI-powered insights
• First-party consumer data

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. MFour Studio SaaS Subscription: Cloud-based data platform subscription providing access to behavioral analytics, DANI AI assistant, and report generation. Self-serve tier at $100/month with enterprise pricing for full-service deployments.
2. Custom Survey Projects: Full-service market research projects including location-triggered surveys, trackers, OOH ad measurement, brand lift studies, directed shop, IHUT, and video diaries. Pricing varies by methodology and sample requirements.
3. Data Licensing: Licensing of connected consumer data streams including ChatGPT conversations, location data, app usage, web behavior, and receipt-level purchase data. Data linked to same consumer's demographics and survey responses.
4. iOOH Attribution: Full-funnel attribution solution for out-of-home advertising linking ad exposure to consumer actions. Revenue from campaign measurement and attribution services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MFour Data Research operates a mobile-first consumer intelligence platform combining a proprietary opt-in consumer panel (Surveys On The Go) with behavioral data collection and AI-powered analytics. It delivers connected consumer journey insights across 4B+ monthly behavioral signals — including ChatGPT conversations, location visits, app usage, web browsing, and receipts — through its MFour Studio SaaS platform and DANI AI assistant to enterprise brands and agencies.

Product overview

MFour Data Research is a consumer insights platform powered by the Surveys On The Go® proprietary mobile app, the largest opt-in first-party consumer panel in the U.S. The core platform, MFour Studio™, integrates 4B+ monthly behavioral signals spanning purchases, web visits, location, app usage, ChatGPT conversations, and survey responses. The AI-powered assistant DANI™ processes natural language queries to deliver autonomous, boardroom-ready reports. The portfolio includes OmniTraffic® Consumer Data (GPS-verified foot traffic), vSurveys+™ and vTracker+™ (validated survey methodologies), iOOH™ (full-funnel out-of-home attribution), and Instant Audiences (behavior-driven audience segmentation). All products are supported by behavior-triggered survey capabilities that deploy surveys at the point of emotion based on observed consumer behaviors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MFour Studio: AI-powered market research platform for consumer behavior analytics and insights
• DANI
• Surveys On The Go
• OmniTraffic
• iOOH
• GeoValidation
• ChatRank

Products and services

• MFour Studio Cloud-based SaaS data platform that brings together survey data, behavioral data, and AI analytics. Features eight report types (Consumer Journey Analysis, Cross Shopping, Leakage, Audience Profiling, Persona Enrichment, LLM Convo Signals, Competitive, and Survey Analysis) accessible via self-serve subscription or enterprise deployment.
• DANI AI market research assistant accepting natural language queries to autonomously fetch data, run analyses, and deliver boardroom-ready reports across billions of behavioral events. Sold as part of the MFour Studio subscription.
• Surveys On The Go

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.3x Purchase Intent for Samsung using location-triggered surveys
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TPS EngagecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2023Partnership to enhance ROI tracking in digital out-of-home advertising. Combines MFour's behavior-verified location data with TPS Engage's OOH technology platform. Enables advertisers to measure out-of-home campaign effectiveness with verified consumer behavior metrics.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Numerator: Numerator is a direct competitor offering omni-channel consumer panel data, receipt-level purchase insights, and behavioral analytics to CPG and retail brands. Both companies compete on first-party panel size, receipt capture, and connecting advertising exposure to verified purchase outcomes.
• Placer.ai: Placer.ai provides GPS-verified foot traffic analytics, location intelligence, and competitive cross-shopping insights. Direct overlap with MFour's GeoValidation® and OmniTraffic® offerings for retailers, QSR, and OOH advertisers seeking location-based attribution.
• Foursquare: Foursquare (including Foursquare Insights and Pilgrim) provides location data, foot traffic attribution, and audience analytics. Competes with MFour on GPS-verified visit data and consumer movement insights for retailers and OOH advertisers.
• Similarweb: Similarweb provides digital market intelligence including website traffic, app usage, and consumer behavior analytics. Comparable to MFour's web behavior tracking and app intelligence offerings, serving similar brand and agency customers.
• Dynata: Dynata operates one of the world's largest first-party consumer panels, providing survey-based market research data and audience solutions. Comparable to MFour on panel-based consumer insights and survey data licensing to brands and agencies.

Broad incumbents

• Kantar: Kantar is a global market research incumbent serving CPG and retail clients with survey-based insights, ad effectiveness, and brand tracking. Comparable to MFour in customer base (CPG/retail) and use cases (consumer journey and advertising measurement), but relies more heavily on traditional panel methodology and is broader in scope.
• Nielsen: Nielsen is a global measurement and data analytics incumbent serving CPG, retail, and media with audience measurement, consumer panel, and ad effectiveness solutions. Comparable in customer base and consumer insights use cases, with much broader global footprint and deeper enterprise relationships than MFour.
• Ipsos: Ipsos is a global market research firm offering consumer insights, brand tracking, advertising research, and behavioral analytics. Comparable to MFour on survey-based consumer research and brand measurement for enterprise customers, though larger scale and broader methodology mix.
• Comscore: Comscore provides digital audience measurement, consumer behavior data, and advertising analytics across digital, mobile, and cross-media. Comparable to MFour on behavioral analytics and consumer journey measurement, with overlapping customers in retail, CPG, and media.

Emerging players

• Sensor Tower: Sensor Tower specializes in mobile app usage data, digital advertising intelligence, and audience insights. Overlaps with MFour on app usage intelligence and behavioral analytics for brands and agencies, though with less location and survey depth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about MFour Data Research