Cognira
Cognira is a private Atlanta-based SaaS company that sells PromoAI, an AI-powered promotion management platform used by mid-to-large retailers to plan, optimize, and measure promotions across planning, optimization, effectiveness, and vendor collaboration workflows.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersAtlanta, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Cognira does
Cognira, Inc. is a private Atlanta-based software company (HQ at Two Midtown Plaza, 1349 W Peachtree St NW) that builds PromoAI, a SaaS promotion management platform used by mid-to-large retailers to plan, optimize, and analyze promotions. The platform is sold to grocery, pharmacy, omnichannel, and fashion/apparel retailers through direct enterprise sales with quote-based annual subscriptions, and named customers include Weis Markets, Brookshire Brothers, Schnucks, Cub Foods, and Rite Aid. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the company reports 101-250 employees with no disclosed venture funding, parent company, or M&A history.
PromoAI consists of four modules — Promotion Planning, Promotion Optimization, Promotion Effectiveness, and Vendor Collaboration — underpinned by transformer-based time series forecasting models, proprietary cannibalization and halo effect models (the latter co-developed with Kennesaw State University), and granular SKU-store-week forecasts that incorporate discount type, offer mechanics, display type, and placement. A homegrown AI agent called Cora, expanded in June 2026, adds contextual understanding of retail concepts and dynamic discovery workflows to the platform, while a granted US patent on AI-driven lifecycle forecasting for new products — using image and text attribute extraction for items with no sales history — broadens the technology base. The Vendor Collaboration module introduces a retailer-vendor deal portal that links merchants directly with suppliers for funding, terms, and approvals.
Cognira monetizes via annual SaaS subscriptions priced per customer requirements and scale, supported by an enterprise field-sales motion initiated through a 'Request a Demo' CTA on cognira.com. The company has been featured in Fortune and the Financial Times, recognized by Gartner, and has appeared on the Inc. 5000 list. Its geographic footprint is concentrated in North America (USA only), with a multimodal content marketing engine spanning blog, guides, whitepapers, an ROI calculator, and active presence on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
Cognira firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cognira
- Legal name
- Cognira, Inc.
- Website
- https://cognira.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Cognira is a private Atlanta-based SaaS company that sells PromoAI, an AI-powered promotion management platform used by mid-to-large retailers to plan, optimize, and measure promotions across planning, optimization, effectiveness, and vendor collaboration workflows.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cognira industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retail Promotion Management Software
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (54181), Media Buying Agencies (541830), General Merchandise Retailers (455), Advertising Agencies (541810), Media Buying Agencies (54183)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pricing, Revenue Management & Promotion Optimization (HDAAAHAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Market, Shopper & Category Insights / Research Services (CRAOAOAI), Category Management & Assortment Strategy Services (CRAOAOAA)
Keywords
Where Cognira is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Atlanta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cognira business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- PromoAI SaaS Subscription: Cognira generates revenue through SaaS subscription licensing of the PromoAI platform. The platform provides end-to-end promotion management capabilities including planning, optimization, execution, and analytics. As a B2B enterprise software solution with demo-driven sales motion, pricing is quote-based and tailored to retailer scale and requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise SaaS pricing (custom quote-based) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Cognira product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cognira sells PromoAI, a unified AI-powered promotion management SaaS platform that enables retailers to plan, optimize, execute, and analyze promotions. The platform combines demand forecasting, halo/cannibalization modeling, what-if scenario simulations, and vendor collaboration to reduce unprofitable promotions and improve promotional sales and margins.
Product overview
Cognira offers PromoAI, a unified AI-powered promotion management platform designed for retailers. The platform integrates four core modules: Promotion Planning (centralized calendar and workflow management), Promotion Optimization (AI-driven forecasting and offer design), Promotion Effectiveness (post-event analytics and attribution), and Vendor Collaboration (deal submission and vendor portal). PromoAI also includes Cora, a proprietary AI agent that provides contextual assistance for promotion planning. The platform leverages machine learning models for demand forecasting, cannibalization/halo effect modeling, and prescriptive recommendations across omnichannel retail environments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- PromoAI Unified AI-powered promotion management platform for retailers that spans planning, optimization, effectiveness measurement, and vendor collaboration. Used by enterprise grocery, FMCG, and omnichannel retailers to forecast demand, model cannibalization and halo effects, optimize offers, and analyze post-event promotional performance.
Quantifiable outcome
- Increase in promotional sales for customers
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Cognira
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cognira technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability8 records
Feature5 records
Cognira partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Kennesaw State University (KSU)coreCognira partnered with Kennesaw State University to develop a halo/affinity effect model that allows for inclusion in broader forecasting methodologies. This partnership enables identification of when a promoted product causes consumers to purchase another product (halo effect) vs. when customers trade between similar products (cannibalization), providing more accurate promotional forecasting and inventory planning capabilities.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cognira competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- RELEX Solutions: RELEX Solutions provides unified retail planning software including promotion optimization and forecasting, directly competing with PromoAI in grocery and broader retail verticals.
- Precima: Precima (a WNS company) delivers retail trade promotion intelligence and category analytics used by grocery and consumer goods retailers, overlapping directly with Cognira's promotion optimization and vendor collaboration modules.
- Impact Analytics: Impact Analytics offers AI-driven demand forecasting, pricing, and assortment/promotion planning for retail, with grocery as a core vertical — closely comparable to PromoAI's forecasting and optimization scope.
- Aislelabs: Aislelabs offers AI-driven retail analytics including demand forecasting and promotion optimization for retailers, with comparable predictive analytics and SKU-level forecasting capabilities.
- ToolsGroup: ToolsGroup delivers retail demand forecasting and inventory/promotion planning software, providing AI-driven promotional planning and replenishment capabilities comparable to Cognira's offering.
- DemandTec: DemandTec (now part of Acoustic/IBM ecosystem history) provides price, promotion, and markdown optimization solutions for retailers, historically a direct competitor in promotion analytics.
Broad incumbents
- SAP: SAP's retail merchandising suite (incl. SAP CAR and Customer Activity Repository) embeds promotion planning and analytics within a much broader ERP/retail platform, competing on bundled scope and incumbent footprint.
- Oracle Retail: Oracle Retail's merchandising and planning cloud includes promotional pricing, forecasting and optimization modules within a broader enterprise retail platform — a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities.
- Blue Yonder: Blue Yonder (Panasonic) provides retail planning, demand forecasting, and supply chain solutions with embedded promotional planning, competing with Cognira's planner-forecaster capabilities at large retailers.
- NielsenIQ: NielsenIQ provides retail measurement, market and shopper insights, and promotion analytics (formerly Nielsen promotion optimization), broadly covering categories where Cognira also operates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cognira social profiles
Digital presenceCognira financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cognira leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Cognira funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cognira 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 Cognira
What does Cognira do?
Cognira sells PromoAI, a unified AI-powered promotion management SaaS platform that enables retailers to plan, optimize, execute, and analyze promotions. The platform combines demand forecasting, halo/cannibalization modeling, what-if scenario simulations, and vendor collaboration to reduce unprofitable promotions and improve promotional sales and margins.
Is Cognira a public or private company?
Cognira is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cognira founded?
Cognira was founded in 2015. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Cognira based?
Cognira is headquartered in Atlanta, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cognira make money?
One revenue line is on record: promoAI SaaS Subscription.
Who are Cognira's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are RELEX Solutions, Precima, Impact Analytics, Aislelabs, ToolsGroup and DemandTec. Broad incumbents are SAP, Oracle Retail, Blue Yonder and NielsenIQ.
Does Cognira have an API?
Yes. API integrations with ERP, POS, pricing, and marketing systems for execution alignment and workflow automation. The platform connects to enterprise systems to enable role-based access, cross-team collaboration, and automated alerting for inconsistencies or approval bottlenecks.
What industry is Cognira in?
Cognira's product category is Retail Promotion Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAHAB, Pricing, Revenue Management & Promotion Optimization, with a secondary code of CRAOAOAI, Market, Shopper & Category Insights / Research Services. Its NAICS code is 54181 and its SIC code is 7311.