Abacus Data

What Abacus Data does

Abacus Data is a privately held Canadian market and public opinion research firm operating from Ottawa, Toronto, and Halifax. The company provides full-service research to a horizontal client base spanning businesses, associations and unions, government and public sector entities, and non-profit organizations. Its core offering combines quantitative methods (national omnibus polling, custom online and telephone surveys) with qualitative methods (focus groups, in-depth interviews, online research communities), supplemented by specialized services such as stakeholder audits, usage and attitudes studies, campaign measurement, and content creation/amplification. The firm conducts weekly interviews with thousands of Canadians, positioning itself as a continuous public opinion data provider rather than an ad hoc project shop.

The company's go-to-market is sales-led and direct, with no self-serve platform, public pricing, or software product; engagements are quoted based on scope. Revenue derives from two primary streams: custom market research projects and shared-cost national omnibus polling. Brand visibility is amplified through media partnerships, most notably as the official pollster for the Toronto Star and a recurring partner with The Logic on economic polling. The firm is founder-led (David Coletto, Founder, Chair & CEO), with a senior commercial and research leadership bench including a President, CRO, EVP, and multiple VPs of Insights. Recent strategic activity (2025-2026) shows deliberate vertical expansion into clean energy, healthcare AI, pension research, and inclusion-focused studies, leveraging the polling infrastructure to serve adjacent, well-funded research buyers. Industry compliance includes CRIC Accredited Agency membership, ESOMAR standards adherence, and ISO 20252:2019 alignment.

Name

Abacus Data

Legal name

Abacus Data

Website

https://abacusdata.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Abacus Data is a privately held, Ottawa-based Canadian market and public opinion research firm serving businesses, associations, government, and non-profits through weekly polling, custom surveys, qualitative research, and media-anchored public opinion tracking across offices in Ottawa, Toronto, and Halifax.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research and Public Opinion Polling Services

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Qualitative Research (Focus Groups, IDIs, Ethnography) (MPAAALAE)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Public opinion polling
• Qualitative research
• Survey research
• Consumer insights

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Market Research Services: Fees for bespoke research projects including custom surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews, stakeholder audits, and campaign measurement services tailored to specific client needs.
2. Omnibus Polling Services: Cost-effective national omnibus surveys that allow multiple clients to share the cost of polling Canadians on various issues, providing efficient access to public opinion data.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Abacus Data is a full-service market and public opinion research agency that delivers custom and omnibus surveys, qualitative research (focus groups, in-depth interviews, online research communities), stakeholder audits, usage and attitudes studies, and campaign measurement to businesses, associations, unions, non-profits, and government across Canada. The firm combines rigorous qualitative and quantitative methods with storytelling to translate findings into actionable insights for decision-makers.

Product overview

Abacus Data is a full-service market and public opinion research agency that offers a suite of research products and services rather than a unified software platform. The core offering consists of research methodologies including National Omnibus Polling, Qualitative Research, and Custom Survey Design, complemented by specialized services such as Stakeholder Audits, Usage and Attitudes Studies, and Campaign Measurement. Additional offerings include Content Creation and Briefing services. All services are delivered through qualitative and quantitative research methods including online surveys, telephone surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and online research communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Omnibus Polling

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Joint research partnership to conduct the 2026 Canadian Retirement Survey polling 2,000 Canadians and 803 healthcare workers on pension plans and talent competition in healthcare.
• QueerTechminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026Partnership to release the Inclusive AI Development Research Report based on a survey of 100 Canadian AI product developers about LGBTQ+ inclusion in AI products.
• Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) and Canadian Grasslands CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2026Partner in the 'Secret Life of Grasslands' public awareness campaign to conserve Canada's native grasslands.
• Canadian Medical AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2026Conducted survey of 5,001 Canadians on AI usage for health information and trust in AI-generated medical advice.
• Clean Energy CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2025Partnership to conduct a 3,000-person survey in Greater Toronto/Hamilton Area and Metro Vancouver regions identifying clean technology adopter groups.
• Toronto StarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial pollster for the Toronto Star, conducting regular political and public opinion tracking for the newspaper.
• The LogiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to poll Canadians on key economic issues as federal political parties prepare for elections, tracking attitudes on affordability and economic competitiveness.
• Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted Housing Affordability in Ontario survey on behalf of OREA finding that 86% of Ontarians are concerned about housing.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Ipsos is a global market research and public opinion leader with a major Canadian operation offering polling, omnibus, brand, and customer experience research; competes head-to-head with Abacus for enterprise and government engagements while bringing broader global panel and analytics capabilities.
• Kantar: Kantar is a global research, data, and consulting company with significant Canadian operations spanning brand tracking, consumer panels, and public opinion; a broad incumbent competitor offering more comprehensive analytics and panel assets than Abacus can match.

Direct peers

• Maru/Blue: Maru/Blue is a Canadian-based research and insights firm offering custom research, omnibus, and panel-based studies with both consumer and B2B audiences; competes with Abacus for enterprise and association research engagements in Canada.
• Pollara Strategic Insights: Pollara is a Canadian full-service market research firm offering custom quantitative and qualitative research, brand tracking, and public affairs polling — directly comparable to Abacus in service mix and target customers.
• Environics Research:
• Nanos Research: Nanos Research is an Ottawa-based public opinion and market research firm known for its weekly political tracking and Nik Nanos's media presence; a direct competitor particularly in federal political polling and government public opinion work.
• Angus Reid Institute: Angus Reid Institute is a Canadian public opinion research organization producing regular polling on social, political, and consumer issues; competes with Abacus in media-facing public opinion work and uses an online panel methodology that parallels Abacus's omnibus approach.
• Léger: Léger is Canada's largest Canadian-owned market research and analytics firm, offering public opinion polling, custom research, and omnibus services across Canada and internationally — directly competing with Abacus across the same core service lines and customer segments.

Emerging players

• Valid (formerly Research Now/SSI): Valid is a digital-first consumer research and panel provider offering programmatic and DIY research solutions; represents an emerging technology-enabled competitor that intersects with Abacus's quantitative research offerings via faster, lower-cost methodologies.
• Vision Critical (now Alida): Alida (formerly Vision Critical) is a Canadian-headquartered customer insights and research technology company providing online research community and feedback platforms; an emerging player with partial overlap with Abacus's qualitative and community research offerings.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/abacusdataca
• Facebookfacebook.com/AbacusData
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abacus-data-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Abacus Data