Curion Insights
Curion Insights provides quantitative and qualitative product testing and consumer insights services to 200+ global CPG brands across food and beverage, personal care, home care, restaurants, and retail. It operates six U.S. Consumer Centers and a UK operation, monetizing proprietary methodologies including QDA, Curion Score, and the XP Xperience Performance Platform via enterprise professional services contracts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Curion Insights does
Curion Insights is a U.S.-based consumer product testing and insights company serving more than 200 global consumer packaged goods brands across food and beverage, personal care, home care, restaurant, and retail verticals. The company was founded in the mid-1970s around the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) methodology developed at Stanford, which remains one of only two product testing methodologies recognized by ASTM. Curion operates as a private portfolio company of private investment firm Summit Park and is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, with additional Consumer Centers in Sandy Springs, Duluth, Irving, Old Bridge, and Redwood City, plus UK capabilities acquired through the 2026 Blue Yonder Research transaction. Its services target enterprise CPG companies managing product innovation, reformulation, claims substantiation, and competitive benchmarking, with named customers including Wendy's, Papa John's, GoTo Foods, and Just Born Quality Confections (Peeps).
The core product surface is the XP Xperience Performance Platform, which integrates qualitative, quantitative, sensory, and agile insights across five stages of product development, supported by trademarked methodologies including Curion QDA®, Curion Score™ (benchmarked against 500+ million product data points), Clickscape® digital behavior tracking, LifeLabs™ in-context testing, BluePrint co-creation, PROP, and Rapid Prototyping (a 4-day compressed testing cycle). Newer offerings include Curionblue, an AI-driven innovation team launched in 2026 under Chief Innovation Officer Richard Heath, Polls PULSE for next-day sentiment from 2,500+ U.S. consumers, Curion Score PULSE™ for agile benchmarking, and Curion Intelligence Reports. The technical architecture pairs physical Consumer Centers (commercial kitchens, sensory booths, CLT rooms, focus group and viewing rooms) with digital and in-context testing modalities.
Curion's business model is enterprise B2B professional services, delivered through direct sales and dedicated account management under multi-year contracts with project-based fees; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is scoped per engagement. Go-to-market is sales-led, targeting Fortune 100 CPG companies via direct engagement, industry events (National Restaurant Association Show, Quirk's events, Food & Drink Conference), thought leadership content (Forbes Business Council, Curion blog, whitepapers), and case studies. The company generates revenue through customized research projects, the Curion Score benchmarking service, and rapid/recurring research subscriptions, and is pursuing an active M&A strategy under Summit Park ownership aimed at materially scaling the business through bolt-on acquisitions and geographic expansion.
Curion Insights firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Curion Insights
- Legal name
- Curion LLC
- Website
- https://curioninsights.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Curion Insights provides quantitative and qualitative product testing and consumer insights services to 200+ global CPG brands across food and beverage, personal care, home care, restaurants, and retail. It operates six U.S. Consumer Centers and a UK operation, monetizing proprietary methodologies including QDA, Curion Score, and the XP Xperience Performance Platform via enterprise professional services contracts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Curion Insights industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Insights and Product Testing Services
- NAICS
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Customer Experience (CX) & Voice of Customer (NPS/CSAT, Journey Research) (MPAAALAH)
Keywords
Where Curion Insights is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Curion Insights business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Consumer Research and Testing Services: Professional services revenue from conducting consumer insights research, sensory testing, and product benchmarking for CPG brands across food & beverage, personal care, home care, and other categories
- Customized Insights Projects: Project-based fees for customized research strategies and methodologies tailored to specific client objectives and market opportunities
- Curion Score Benchmarking: Proprietary benchmarking product testing methodology offered as a standalone service with category percentile analysis
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise Custom Research |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels9 records
Curion Insights product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Curion Insights provides professional consumer insights and product testing services for consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands across food & beverage, personal care, home care, restaurants, and retail categories. Through its proprietary XP Xperience Performance Platform and methodologies including Curion Score, Curion QDA, LifeLabs, and Clickscape, Curion delivers quantitative and qualitative research, sensory evaluation, product benchmarking, and in-context testing to help brands reduce product launch risk and optimize formulations.
Product overview
Curion Insights is a consumer insights and product testing company offering a comprehensive suite of solutions for CPG brands. The core platform is the XP Xperience Performance Platform, which integrates methodologies and technologies across 5 stages of product development. Key products include Curion Score™ (proprietary benchmarking methodology), Curion QDA® (50-year-old sensory analysis methodology), LifeLabs™ (in-context testing), and Clickscape® (digital behavior tracking). The company has expanded through acquisitions including Blue Yonder Research and offers rapid solutions like Polls PULSE and Rapid Prototyping testing. Curion operates Consumer Centers in major U.S. markets and serves clients across Food & Beverage, Personal Care, Home Care, Restaurants, and Retail industries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Curionblue: AI-driven product research innovation team launched in 2026
- Curion Score PULSE
- XP Xperience Performance
- LifeLabs
- Clickscape
- Polls PULSE
- Curion Intelligence Reports
Products and services
- XP Xperience Performance Platform Curion's flagship proprietary platform that integrates methodologies, technologies, and strategies across 5 stages of product development to solve problems and uncover new opportunities, combining qualitative, quantitative, sensory, and agile insights with patented industry-leading methodologies.
- Curion Score A proprietary benchmarking product testing methodology that provides a holistic approach to consumer research, transcending traditional KPIs like Overall Liking. Analyzes product performance data across multiple metrics simultaneously to deliver one composite performance score benchmarked against 500+ million product data points across categories and markets.
- Curion QDA (Quantitative Descriptive Analysis) A 50-year-old scientific methodology for descriptive analysis that uses trained panels to measure product sensory characteristics using everyday consumer language. It is one of only 2 methodologies within product testing recognized by ASTM.
- Clickscape A digital research solution for understanding consumer digital behavior and pathways, enabling brands to track and analyze consumer interactions across digital touchpoints.
- LifeLabs An in-context testing approach that allows brands to study the way consumers use their products in real-world settings, capturing authentic consumer insights by observing product interaction in natural environments.
- Polls PULSE A rapid consumer insights solution delivering real-time sentiment from 2,500+ U.S. consumers with next-day data-driven decisions for product innovation, trend tracking, and marketing optimization.
- Curion Score PULSE A fast, affordable, agile product benchmarking tool delivering actionable insights using the trusted Curion Score methodology in a compressed format.
- Curion Intelligence Reports Research reports designed to help brands stay ahead with real-time consumer insights and product innovation strategies, providing ongoing market intelligence.
- Rapid Prototyping Product Testing
- Curionblue AI-driven product research innovation team led by Chief Innovation Officer Richard Heath, focused on advancing AI capabilities and machine learning applications in product research.
- Consumer Testing Centers
Quantifiable outcome
- Product testing compressed from 6-18 months to 4 days through Rapid Prototyping methodology
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Curion Insights
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Curion Insights technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature9 records
Curion Insights partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Peeps (Just Born Quality Confections)minorCurion conducted consumer research study on Peeps candy with 19,000+ U.S. consumers revealing emotional branding insights (industry research publication)
- GoTo FoodsminorParent company of Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister's Deli, and Moe's Southwest Grill working with Curion on consumer insights research (separate news article covering GoTo Foods strategy)
- Blue Yonder ResearchcoreMerger creating a transatlantic leader in product insights and innovation. Combined entity integrates Curion's sensory science and predictive analytics capabilities with Blue Yonder's R&D and innovation testing expertise, enabling brands to access comprehensive insight across the full product lifecycle from ideation to market launch.
- Richard Heath (Chief Innovation Officer)coreLeading new AI-driven product research innovation team (Curionblue) as Chief Innovation Officer
- Keren Novack (President)corePresident of Curion, Forbes Business Council member, driving strategic growth and innovation
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Curion Insights competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat6 records
Key highlights1 record
Customer concentration
Curion Insights social profiles
Digital presenceCurion Insights financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Curion Insights leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Curion Insights subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Curion Insights funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Curion Insights M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Curion Insights
What does Curion Insights do?
Curion Insights provides professional consumer insights and product testing services for consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands across food & beverage, personal care, home care, restaurants, and retail categories. Through its proprietary XP Xperience Performance Platform and methodologies including Curion Score, Curion QDA, LifeLabs, and Clickscape, Curion delivers quantitative and qualitative research, sensory evaluation, product benchmarking, and in-context testing to help brands reduce product launch risk and optimize formulations.
Is Curion Insights a public or private company?
Curion Insights is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Curion Insights founded?
Curion Insights was founded in 1975. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Curion Insights based?
Curion Insights is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Curion Insights make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Consumer Research and Testing Services are the primary driver. The others are customized Insights Projects and curion Score Benchmarking.
Does Curion Insights have an API?
No public API is recorded for Curion Insights.
What industry is Curion Insights in?
Curion Insights's product category is Consumer Insights and Product Testing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAALAH, Customer Experience (CX) & Voice of Customer (NPS/CSAT, Journey Research). Its NAICS code is 541.