What Sapio Research does

Sapio Research is a London-based market research agency operating across both B2B and B2C segments, primarily serving enterprise technology clients. The firm was founded around 2015 and operates with a compact team of 1-10 employees, yet has completed more than 1,900 research projects reaching 2 million+ respondents across 67+ countries. Named clients include Cisco, Visa, Workday, ABB, DocuSign, Fortinet, Rockwell Automation, DoubleVerify, Usercentrics, Paysafe, and a long tail of cybersecurity, ad-tech, and identity-verification firms (Cynet, HarfangLab, Regula, McAfee, Kaspersky), plus marketing/communications buyers (WE Communications, Archetype, Babel PR, Intuit Mailchimp). The company is B Corp certified and privately held with no disclosed outside funding.

The firm's core service is custom quantitative research — typically syndicated annual "State of…" reports (e.g., State of Industrial AI, State of Smart Manufacturing, State of Digital Trust) and bespoke studies — augmented by qualitative work. Two proprietary assets are central to the offering: the "Clear Air Methodology" for research design and an AI-assisted quality screening tool that detects flat-liners, speeders, nonsensical logic, and verifies open-ended responses, with human expert review layered on top. The firm has also launched a "Data 2 Story" framework aimed at B2B marketers and PR professionals, signaling a packaged-content extension beyond core research delivery.

The business model is project-based, quote-based custom research rather than subscription or SaaS. Pricing is opaque and likely per-project, with project scale indicated by sample sizes up to 11,000 respondents across 7+ countries. Revenue mechanics are anchored by long-tenured repeat engagements (Rockwell Automation 10+ years, recurring Cisco annual-report work) supplemented by a steady intake of new enterprise clients. Distribution is direct sales to enterprise marketing, PR, and product organizations, with no apparent channel or platform intermediation.

Name

Sapio Research

Legal name

Sapio Research Limited

Website

https://sapioresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sapio Research is a London-based B2B and B2C market research agency serving enterprise technology clients. It delivers custom quantitative research, syndicated annual reports, and qualitative studies across 67+ countries using a proprietary Clear Air Methodology and AI-assisted quality screening.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B / Industrial Market Research (MPAAALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Competitive & Market Intelligence (Competitive Tracking, TAM/SAM/SOM) (MPAAALAL), Due Diligence & Investigative Research (BPAHALAI)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Audience research
• Brand research
• Thought leadership research
• B2B research agency

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Research Projects: Bespoke ad-hoc market research projects conducted for technology companies, brands, and PR/marketing agencies. Projects include audience research, brand research, thought leadership surveys, and content marketing research delivered as tailored reports and actionable insights.
2. Long-term Partnership Engagements: Ongoing research partnerships with clients requiring regular tracking studies, brand awareness monitoring, and recurring research deliverables over extended periods.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sapio Research is a full-service market research agency that delivers bespoke quantitative and qualitative research projects for technology companies, brands, and marketing/PR agencies. Its core offerings are Audience Research, Brand Research, and Content & Thought Leadership Research, supported by methods such as online surveys, B2B panels, CATI interviews, customer journey mapping, persona research, and proprietary approaches like Clear Air Methodology and AI-assisted quality screening.

Product overview

Sapio Research is a full-service B2B and B2C market research agency based in London, offering a comprehensive portfolio of research services rather than a unified software platform. The core offering consists of Audience Research, Brand Research, and Content & Thought Leadership Research, supported by specialized methodologies including Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods, Customer Journey Mapping, Persona Research, and Kano Analysis. The agency serves multiple industry sectors including Technology, B2B SaaS, Fintech & Finance, Industrial & Automation, Construction, Business Services, and Not for Profits. Sapio also provides complementary tools (Significant Difference Calculator, Percentage Calculator) and educational resources (Data 2 Story framework, Research Training and Coaching) to help clients maximize value from research. The agency operates internationally, conducting research across all continents including EMEA, Americas, and APAC regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Audience Research Research service that identifies and understands current and prospective customers, enabling organizations to build customer-centric strategies and foster trust and loyalty. Aimed at technology companies, brands, and PR/marketing agencies.
• Brand Research Research service enabling organizations to test and evaluate brand power, identify competitive advantages, and anticipate opportunities for brand growth. Used by brands and their agencies.
• Content & Thought Leadership Research Research service that crafts original, data-led narratives and stories to inform communications and content strategy, creating new PR opportunities for clients.
• Consumer Pulse Surveys Quick-turnaround opinion polling and temperature checks through straightforward pulse surveys, polls, or online surveys.
• International Research Multi-market research conducted across different countries and regions to understand global market dynamics, leveraging access to 2M+ respondents.
• Clear Air Methodology Sapio's proprietary research approach for obtaining unbiased, honest insights by creating psychological distance between respondents and the brands being researched.
• Research Training and Coaching Training programs and coaching designed to help organizations develop internal research capabilities and statistical literacy.
• Creative Studio

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,900 research projects completed across 67+ countries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RegulacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Partnership for global identity verification and fraud prevention research. Sapio Research conducted surveys of 850 fraud prevention decision-makers across 7 countries for studies on biometrics, deepfakes, and AI-assisted identity fraud. Research findings were presented at GITEX Europe 2026.
• CynetminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Cybersecurity research partnership surveying 800 MSPs and 800 in-house SMB IT teams across nine countries on security tool investments, AI adoption in security operations, and managed service provider competitive positioning.
• UsercentricscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Partnership for annual State of Digital Trust report examining consumer attitudes toward AI data use and digital privacy. Sapio Research conducted surveys of 11,000 consumers across seven markets for the second annual report, with findings released at industry events and through Usercentrics' channels.
• CiscocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Multi-year partnership conducting annual State of Industrial AI Report. Sapio Research serves as the research partner for Cisco's annual global survey of over 1,000 OT decision-makers across 19 countries and 21 industrial sectors. The 2025 and 2026 reports have been published, with findings distributed through Cisco's global channels and press releases.
• ABBcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Partnership for energy efficiency and digital readiness research across industrial sectors. Conducted surveys of 2,700 senior decision-makers across 15 countries, producing reports on India's and Malaysia's digital readiness for energy efficiency. Findings released as ABB reports with global distribution.
• Descartes Systems GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Partnership for the 9th Annual Global Transportation Management Benchmark Survey, surveying 600+ shippers and logistics providers across the US, Canada, and Western Europe on transportation management trends and technology adoption.
• HarfangLabminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025European cybersecurity research partnership surveying 800 IT security decision-makers across Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium on data sovereignty and cybersecurity purchasing priorities.
• Rockwell AutomationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Long-standing partnership for the annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report. Sapio Research has conducted surveys for the 10th (2025) and 11th (2026) editions, reaching 1,560+ manufacturing leaders across 17 countries. The report is a flagship industry benchmark published by Rockwell Automation.
• PaysafecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for payment behavior and consumer research. Sapio Research has conducted multiple studies for Paysafe including the Experience Economy Report 2026 (4,500 consumers), digital payments research (8,500 respondents), and crypto adoption studies.
• DoubleVerifycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year partnership for global custom research initiatives in the digital advertising industry. Sapio Research has conducted several global studies helping DoubleVerify provide actionable intelligence to clients across measurement, analytics, and fraud detection.
• WE CommunicationscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-standing partnership since 2022 for proprietary Brands in Motion reports and various international research projects. WE Communications leverages Sapio Research expertise for global PR and communications campaigns across diverse industries.
• ArchetypecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFive-year partnership for local and international projects including consumer campaigns, B2B technology studies, and hybrid research spanning third and fourth annual iterations. Archetype uses Sapio Research for client PR, content, and digital campaigns.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Toluna: Toluna provides a global online survey panel and consumer insights platform used by brands and agencies for custom research, comparable to Sapio Research's quantitative panel-based methodology.
• Pureprofile: Pureprofile operates a global research panel and offers data collection and custom research services, partially overlapping with Sapio Research's panel-driven quantitative research offering.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Ipsos is a global market research and public opinion firm providing custom research services across consumer and B2B segments, serving as a broad incumbent competitor to Sapio Research's enterprise and agency clients.
• Kantar: Kantar is a global market research and insights powerhouse offering brand, audience, and media research, representing a larger incumbent competitor that Sapio Research frequently competes against for enterprise brand and audience research mandates.
• Maru Group: Maru Group is a technology-led market research firm offering custom B2B and consumer research globally, comparable to Sapio Research in serving enterprise clients with proprietary panel assets and full-service research delivery.
• Morning Consult: Morning Consult is a large-scale global research and polling firm combining proprietary panel technology with custom B2B and consumer research, competing with Sapio Research for enterprise thought leadership and brand research work.

Direct peers

• Censuswide: Censuswide is a London-headquartered full-service market research agency delivering consumer and B2B research for brands and agencies, making it a close comparable to Sapio Research in geography and service mix.
• Savanta: Savanta is a UK-based B2B and consumer market research agency offering audience, brand, and thought leadership research, directly competing with Sapio Research for enterprise and PR agency clients.
• Vanson Bourne: Vanson Bourne is a specialist B2B technology market research agency that conducts enterprise surveys for technology vendors, closely overlapping with Sapio Research's core technology and B2B SaaS offering.

Others

• Babel PR: Babel PR is a B2B tech PR agency that partners with Sapio Research on joint research initiatives such as the Mental AI-vailability Index, illustrating a comparable channel relationship (PR-led research) and adjacent buyer ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sapio-research

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Sapio Research