YPulse, Inc.

What YPulse, Inc. does

YPulse, Inc. is a privately held subscription-based market research firm founded around 2013 and headquartered in New York, with a remote team across the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Colombia, Ecuador, and Argentina. The company specializes in quantitative and qualitative insights on Gen Z, Millennials, and now tweens (ages 8-39), operating the largest purpose-built youth research platform in the space with over 15 billion lifetime datapoints, 50+ million new datapoints annually, 400,000+ annual interviews, and a 1,000+ brand youth-affinity tracker spanning North America and Western Europe.

The core product is a tiered subscription platform (Starter at $1/month, Pro, Prime, Tween Pro, Agency/Enterprise) that delivers daily articles, branded reports, behavioral dashboards, and proprietary brand tracking metrics (coolness, authenticity, relevance, and 20+ indicators). In 2025 the company layered a generative-AI search assistant backed by ~500 million datapoints onto the platform, with a Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration that lets third-party AI clients (Claude, ChatGPT) query YPulse via Deepset for NLP and Snowflake for structured brand data. Custom research is delivered through The Studio / Youth Strategy Studio as project-based engagements for clients such as Spotify, Instagram, and Hello Sunshine, and the 2025-launched Tween Study product line covers 8-12 year olds with four annual reports.

Revenue is generated primarily via recurring subscription contracts sold through a sales-led GTM motion with both self-serve entry-level tiers and enterprise annual plans, supplemented by project-fee-based custom research. Marquee customers include Meta, Amazon, Google, Netflix, Apple, Samsung, Spotify, YouTube, Abercrombie & Fitch, The North Face, Build-A-Bear, Kraft Heinz, and Xbox. Distribution is direct-only (no resellers), with a content-led acquisition engine built on the daily newsletter, Substack, LinkedIn thought leadership, free Pulse Check briefings, and webinars.

Name

YPulse, Inc.

Legal name

YPulse, Inc.

Website

https://ypulse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

YPulse is a private, subscription-based market research firm that delivers syndicated insights, brand tracking, and custom research on Gen Z, Millennials, and tweens to consumer brands and technology platforms across North America and Western Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Research Content: YPulse's primary revenue stream is subscription-based access to syndicated research content. Tiered subscription plans (Starter, Pro, Prime, Agency) provide access to reports, articles, dashboards, AI tools, and brand tracking data. Pricing varies by feature access level and geographic regions included.
2. Custom Research Services: Bespoke research engagements through the Strategic Services team, providing custom solutions for brands requiring specific youth insights, qualitative/quantitative research, segmentation studies, and white papers. Revenue recognized as project-based professional services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

YPulse provides subscription-based syndicated research content and tools that decode Gen Z, Millennial, and tween (ages 8-39) consumer behavior for brands and organizations. The core platform combines daily articles, comprehensive trend and behavioral reports, brand tracking across 1,000+ youth-relevant brands, and an AI-powered search assistant trained on 500 million proprietary datapoints. Additionally, the Youth Strategy Studio delivers bespoke custom research engagements including segmentation, concept testing, and ethnographic studies for enterprise clients.

Product overview

YPulse, Inc. operates a subscription-based syndicated research platform providing strategic insights on Gen Z and Millennials (ages 8-39) to brands and organizations. The core offering consists of the YPulse Platform with Brand Tracking (monitoring 1,000+ brands), AI Assistant for natural-language data queries, and Daily Intelligence newsletters. The company offers tiered subscriptions (Starter at $1/month, Pro, and Prime) plus regional add-ons (Western Europe Agency, North America Agency). The Youth Strategy Studio provides custom research services, while the Tween Study product (launched 2025) extends coverage to 8-12 year olds. Reports span behavioral, trend, and brand topics including Music, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Personal Care & Beauty, and Media Consumption. Gen Z Pulse Check offers free strategic briefings powered by AI.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Studio: YPulse's custom research and strategic services team that crafts solutions to connect brands with Gen Z and Millennial consumers.
• Tweens Hub

Products and services

• YPulse Platform Subscription-based syndicated research platform providing companies and organizations strategic insight on Gen Z and Millennials through daily articles, reports, behavioral data, brand tracking, and AI-powered search.
• Brand Tracking Youth-specific brand tracking service monitoring affinity diagnostics (coolness, authenticity, relevance) for over 1,000 global and local brands among young consumers across North America and Western Europe.
• AI Assistant AI-powered research assistant that places 500 million YPulse datapoints at subscribers' fingertips, answering specific youth-marketing questions via natural-language queries against proprietary research.
• Youth Strategy Studio (The Studio) Custom research division offering bespoke youth-insight solutions including qualitative and quantitative projects, segmentation studies, ethnographic research, concept testing, and thought leadership work for brands.
• Tween Study Research product surveying 8-12 year olds across North America with 1,500 nationally representative respondents per survey, covering behaviors, media consumption, brand influences, and purchasing power through four themed reports per year.
• Daily Intelligence Daily newsletter product providing curated youth culture news infused with YPulse expertise and proprietary data, delivered to subscriber inboxes for $199 per month.
• Gen Z Pulse Check Free 2-3 page strategic briefing revealing drivers of teen, tween, and young adult behavior around a brand or industry, powered by YPulse's proprietary research and specialized AI.
• Report Data Downloads Data file download service providing access to raw survey data tables from YPulse reports with demographic splits including gender, generation, age groups, academic status, race, country, LGBTQ+, and parent status.

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% of 8-12 year olds influence household purchases
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.

• SpotifyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020YPulse partnered with Spotify on an 8-phase research project leveraging quantitative, qualitative, behavioral, and ethnographic methods to understand Millennial and Gen Z Spotify users at scale. The project positioned Spotify as thought leaders within the music industry and won the EXPLOR Award for Excellence in research innovation.
• GolincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYPulse collaborated with Golin on Gen Z research titled 'Fearful or Fearless' exploring generational attitudes and behaviors.
• Instagram (Meta)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYPulse produced the Instagram Gen Z 2022 Trend Report in partnership with Instagram, providing insights into how Gen Z uses the platform.
• ImgursupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerYPulse published 'The Rise of Geek Culture' white paper in partnership with Imgur exploring geek culture among young consumers.
• VevosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerYPulse created a Music Fan Report segmentation study for Vevo analyzing young music consumers.
• Hello Sunshine (Reese Witherspoon)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerYPulse's Youth Strategy Studio partnered with Hello Sunshine and Être to launch 'Sunnie' - a platform decoding Gen Z's secret to happiness. Research involved interviewing 1,000 girls ages 13-18. Findings informed the Sunnie platform content and showed brands how to connect authentically with Gen Z girls.
• ÊtreflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerYPulse partnered with Être and Hello Sunshine for the Sunnie research project exploring Gen Z girls' happiness and joy.
• C&S (formerly Institute for Citizens & Scholars)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYPulse is a partner in C&S initiative to empower 20 million young people aged 14-24 to take civic actions. YPulse provides research insights to support outreach through schools, workplaces, and a 135-member college consortium, targeting 15 million through an online campaign tied to the U.S. semiquincentennial.
• DoSomethingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit partner in C&S civic engagement initiative targeting young people.
• Carnegie Corporation of New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner in C&S initiative to foster civic engagement among Gen Z.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber foundation partner in C&S civic engagement initiative supporting youth participation programs.
• DeepsetcoreTechnology or IntegrationAI search processing partner for YPulse's AI-powered search tool via Model Context Protocol (MCP). Deepset processes natural language queries submitted through the search tool.
• SnowflakecoreTechnology or IntegrationData infrastructure partner for structured brand data queries in YPulse's AI-powered search system. Processes and serves brand-related search requests.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• CivicScience: Real-time consumer polling and brand intelligence platform with API-based insights. An emerging competitor using continuously refreshed consumer polling — a methodology overlap that could pressure YPulse's static-survey cadence.
• Edited: Retail and consumer market intelligence platform specializing in fashion, apparel, and beauty — verticals that overlap with YPulse's strongest client concentration (Abercrombie, Build-A-Bear, The North Face).
• Hotspex: Consumer insights and brand effectiveness research firm with Gen Z/millennial expertise and subscription products. Specializes in advertising effectiveness research — a partial overlap with YPulse's brand affinity and tracking work.

Broad incumbents

• NIQ (NielsenIQ) / GfK: Global consumer intelligence giant offering syndicated brand and shopper research including youth segments. Operates as a broad incumbent with much greater scale, deeper enterprise contracts, and broader geographic coverage than YPulse's youth-specialist focus.
• Forrester Research: Subscription-based enterprise research firm publishing syndicated reports across consumer, marketing, and technology. Serves many of the same CMO-class buyers as YPulse at a substantially broader scope.
• Mintel: Subscription market research publisher covering consumer, beauty, food, and lifestyle categories with dedicated Gen Z and youth consumer reporting. Overlaps with YPulse on subscription content and CPG/retail client base, but covers all ages and verticals.
• Gartner: Enterprise IT/consumer research leader with massive subscription content and advisory relationships. Adjacent competitor for marketing-organization research budgets where YPulse sells youth intelligence.

Direct peers

• Piper Sandler (Taking Stock of Gen Z): Investment bank's research arm that runs the biannual 'Taking Stock With Teens' Gen Z consumer survey. Directly competes with YPulse for youth consumer brand tracking engagements with major apparel, tech, and food clients.
• YouGov: Global consumer research firm with large opt-in panels covering youth and Gen Z segments. Competes with YPulse on syndicated brand tracking and custom research, with comparable subscription offerings and AI search (YouGov Crunch).
• Morning Consult: Subscription-based consumer and political intelligence platform running large-scale daily polls. Directly comparable to YPulse as a tech-enabled, sales-led research firm selling syndicated insights to enterprise brand and media buyers, with an AI-powered research assistant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ypulse
• Xx.com/Ypulse
• Facebookfacebook.com/Ypulse

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about YPulse, Inc.