What Maven does

Maven Research, Inc. is a San Francisco-based knowledge logistics platform founded in 2008 by Mark Platosh (CEO/CTO) and Wyatt Nordstrom that operates one of the world's largest expert networks, connecting organizations with a global pool of more than 500,000 vetted professionals across 220 countries and 200+ industries. The company's core offering is the MavenX enterprise platform, which combines machine learning-driven matching with human-guided curation to connect clients to experts for consultations, surveys, consulting projects, and market research. The platform supports tier-based usage pricing (OnDemand at $150/30min), subscription plans ($1,250-$1,750/month), and enterprise contracts with dedicated customer advisors, serving Fortune 500 clients including IBM, Pepsi, Siemens, NASA, GM, Sanofi, Home Depot, and Schneider Electric.

Maven's product portfolio has expanded beyond its core external expert marketplace to include Maven Validated Market Research Panels (B2B research with 1M+ verified professionals), OpenITM (an Internal Talent Marketplace module enabling organizations to surface expertise within their own workforce), and Human-in-the-Loop AI Training services that supply domain experts for RLHF, active learning, and model validation work with AI/ML teams. Technology assets include proprietary semantic search, taxonomic mappings, compliance screening (99% completion rate), and an AI-powered project authoring tool. Revenue streams combine usage-based expert interviews, recurring subscriptions, B2B panel transaction fees, internal marketplace licensing, consulting project fees, and HITL AI training services.

The company employs 11-50 people across headquarters in San Francisco and regional operations including a Head of European Operations, operates with only $3M of disclosed external funding (a $1M seed in 2010 and a $2M Series A from SuRo Capital in 2012), and is #1 ranked expert network on G2. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales for Fortune 500 accounts with a self-service digital platform for mid-market and SMB, supported by content marketing, SEO, PR, and a referral-driven community growth model.

Name

Maven

Legal name

Maven Research, Inc.

Website

https://maven.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Maven Research operates a global expert network platform connecting enterprises with 500,000+ vetted professionals across 220 countries for on-demand consultations, market research, and AI training services. The company serves Fortune 500 clients in healthcare, consumer goods, industrial, and VC/PE verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Expert Network Platform

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

End-to-End MLOps & ML Platform Suites (HDAAABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Model Deployment, Serving & Inference Platforms (HDAAABAF)

Keywords

• Expert network services
• Knowledge marketplace
• Market research panels
• Expert consultation platform
• Internal talent marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Expert Interviews: Tier-based pricing for telephone consultations with experts. Tier 1 starts at $150/30min with additional charges for longer durations. Includes expert honoraria, call recording, transcription, and reporting options. Full service adds 20%, urgent requests add 25%.
2. Subscription Plans: Shared Credits subscription at $1250/month providing flexible access with 40-70% savings vs OnDemand, by-the-minute rates, and dedicated customer advisor. Unlimited plan at $1750/month for unfettered annual access with simple budgeting and named seat licenses.
3. Internal Talent Marketplace (ITM): Beta pricing for organizations to onboard workforce for internal collaboration. Free for 0-50 users, $15/month per user for 50-499 users, with Standard, Premium, and Enterprise tiers ranging from $1-15/user/month depending on organization size.
4. B2B Market Research Panels: Validated B2B sample recruiting with A La Carte ($250 project setup) and Prepaid options. IDI pricing from $500-$2,500 per interview, with prepaid packages starting at $10,000/year for by-the-minute pricing.
5. Consulting Projects: Extended consulting engagements ranging from hours to several months with specific deliverables in support of defined objectives. Pricing varies based on project scope, expert seniority, and duration.
6. Online Surveys: Quantitative and qualitative insights from targeted experts via electronic surveys. Supports double-blinded environments for sensitive market research.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Maven operates a knowledge logistics platform that connects organizations with a global network of 500,000+ vetted professionals across 220 countries and 200+ industries for expert consultations, market research, and consulting engagements. Through its MavenX platform, the company delivers expert interviews, online surveys, consulting projects, validated B2B market research panels, an internal talent marketplace, and human-in-the-loop AI training services. Pricing ranges from $150/30-minute on-demand interviews to $1,750/month unlimited enterprise subscriptions.

Product overview

Maven operates as a knowledge logistics platform offering a unified portfolio of products centered on the MavenX enterprise platform. The core offerings include the Expert Marketplace / Maven Knowledge Marketplace (connecting organizations with over half a million vetted professionals globally for expert consultations and advice), the MavenX Internal Talent Marketplace (OpenITM) for internal knowledge sharing and collaboration, and Maven Validated Market Research Panels (B2B Panel) for quantitative and qualitative market research. Supporting Knowledge Services include Online Surveys, Expert Interviews, Consulting Projects, Conjoint Analysis, and Talent Management, while Solutions encompass the Client Discovery Program, Virtual Roundtable, Research & Analysis, Workshops & Seminars, and Innovation Challenge offerings. AI-powered capabilities include AI-Powered Expert Search (using AI-generated keywords and visual profile matching), AI Training / Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) services for model training and validation, and machine learning-driven expert matching. Pricing tiers include On Demand Interviews (starting at $150/30min), Shared Credits subscriptions ($1,250/month), and Unlimited plans ($1,750/month). The platform leverages machine learning combined with human-guided matching to connect organizations with relevant expertise on demand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OpenITM (Open Internal Talent Marketplace): Internal talent marketplace platform enabling organizations to discover and share knowledge among employees
• MavenX
• Maven Validated Market Research Panels
• Human-in-the-Loop AI Training

Products and services

• MavenX Enterprise Platform Enterprise-grade knowledge logistics platform that combines machine learning expert matching with human-guided curation, scheduling, compliance, and reporting to connect organizations with vetted professionals for faster decision-making.
• Expert Marketplace (Global Expert Network) Global marketplace connecting knowledge seekers with over half a million vetted professionals across every industry for expert advice and consultations via peer-to-peer networking technology.
• Internal Talent Marketplace (OpenITM) Open Internal Talent Marketplace platform enabling organizations to discover hidden expertise within their workforce, connect employees with mentors, and facilitate knowledge sharing through gamified community participation with configurable incentives.
• Maven Validated Market Research Panels (B2B Panel)

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% cost reduction compared to traditional consulting firms
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BroadBranch AdvisorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic collaboration offering combined services for market research and strategic advisory. Partnership allows Maven to offer enhanced strategic consulting capabilities alongside its expert network services, while BroadBranch gains access to Maven's validated research panel and expert matching capabilities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Guidepoint: Guidepoint operates one of the largest global expert networks, serving consulting firms, investment professionals, and corporations with expert consultations, surveys, and research projects. Its offerings directly compete with Maven's MavenX expert marketplace, surveys, and consulting projects, and both target similar Fortune 500 and financial services customers.
• Dialectica: Dialectica is an expert network connecting professionals with industry experts for paid consultations, primarily serving consulting, private equity, and corporate strategy clients. Its product model - phone-based expert interviews with similar pricing tiers - directly parallels Maven's expert interview service.
• Capvision: Capvision is a global expert network with a large roster of industry professionals serving consulting, investment, and corporate clients with primary research services. It competes directly with Maven's expert marketplace and consulting project offerings across geographies, particularly in Asia and Europe.
• NewtonX: NewtonX is a tech-forward expert network that uses proprietary algorithms to source and verify experts for B2B research, directly competing with Maven's ML-driven matching and B2B panel services. Both companies target enterprise consulting and corporate strategy teams seeking high-quality, verified expert insights.
• Tegus (now part of AlphaSense): Tegus is a primary research platform combining expert transcripts with an expert network for investment professionals. While buy-side focused, its expert call model and B2B research panel offering overlap meaningfully with Maven's B2B panel and expert interview services.
• GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group): GLG is the largest and most established expert network platform globally, directly competing with Maven by connecting professionals and executives with industry experts for consulting-style engagements. Both companies serve Fortune 500 enterprises for primary research, due diligence, and strategic insights, with similar expert-interview and project-based offerings.
• AlphaSights: AlphaSights is a leading global expert network serving investment, consulting, and corporate clients with on-demand access to industry experts. Its service model, target customers (private equity, consulting, corporate strategy), and product offerings (expert calls, surveys, consulting projects) directly overlap with Maven's expert marketplace and knowledge logistics services.
• Coleman Research (Erebus): Coleman Research (now operating as Erebus) is a direct competitor in the expert network space, providing primary research and expert consultations to hedge funds, private equity, and consulting firms. Its service offering and target customer base closely mirror Maven's MavenX platform and knowledge logistics suite.

Emerging players

• Tandem Global (Quality Control): Tandem Global is an emerging expert network offering on-demand expert consultations for consulting and investment clients. While smaller in scale, its service model and target customer base overlap with Maven's expert marketplace, particularly in the strategy and due diligence segments.
• Source Global Research: Source Global Research provides B2B research and expert-driven insights focused on the professional services industry. While its primary research model is closer to a research firm than a marketplace, its expert network and consulting-firm client base overlap with segments of Maven's customer roster.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mavenres
• YouTubevimeo.com/user15896983
• Facebookfacebook.com/mavenres
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maven-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 Maven