What Grail Insights does

Grail Insights was a global strategic insights consultancy founded by Monitor Group in 2006 that helped enterprise clients build brands, enhance customer experiences, inspire product innovation, and respond to market change. The firm operated a broad service portfolio spanning market assessment, competitive intelligence, M&A research, brand strategy, product innovation, customer experience, segmentation, and user experience research, supported by quantitative, qualitative, secondary, and behavioral science methodologies and delivered through managed services engagements. Its commercial model was a sales-led, quote-based professional services approach targeting top global brands across Automotive & Mobility, Consumer, Energy, Financial Services, Health, Technology, and Telecom, with offices in 11 countries. On June 1, 2021, Escalent acquired Grail Insights from NewQuest Capital Partners, creating a combined firm of 770 consultants, researchers, data scientists, technologists, and operational experts; Grail's locations were retained and the brand was scheduled to be transitioned to Escalent in subsequent months, effectively ending Grail's operation as an independent entity.

Name

Grail Insights

Legal name

Grail Insights

Website

https://grailinsights.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Grail Insights was a global strategic insights consultancy founded in 2006 that helped enterprise brands across seven industries build brands, develop products, and transform customer experience via consulting, research, and analytics services delivered across 11 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

Keywords

• Strategic insights consulting
• Market research services
• Competitive intelligence advisory
• Brand strategy consulting
• Consumer behavior research

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Advisory Services: Provides consulting and advisory services from insights through implementation. Helps clients apply insights to any aspect of their business to seize opportunities and respond decisively to market change.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Grail Insights is a strategic insights consultancy that helps enterprise clients apply research-driven insights to seize market opportunities and respond decisively to change. It delivers consulting and advisory services across Market Assessment, Competitive Intelligence, M&A Research, Brand Positioning, Messaging, Brand Evaluation, Concept Creation, Consumer Journey, Segmentation, and Customer Experience Management, supported by quantitative, qualitative, secondary, and behavioral research methods. Engagements span from insights through implementation and are delivered as a side-by-side extension of the client's team.

Product overview

Grail Insights is a strategic insights consultancy founded by Monitor Group in 2006 that helps clients seize opportunities and respond decisively to market change by applying insights to any aspect of their business. The company operates as a unified consultancy offering a comprehensive portfolio of services including Market Assessment, Competitive Intelligence, M&A Research, Brand Positioning, Messaging, Brand Elements, Brand Evaluation, Brand Evolution, Opportunity Finder, Opportunities Assessment, Concept Creation, Concept Evaluation, Product Optimization, Consumer Journey, Path to Purchase, Segmentation, Customer Experience Management, Customer Acquisition & Retention, and User Experience Research. These services are supported by core research methodologies (Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, Secondary Research, Data Analytics, Insight Communities, Behavioral Science, Cultural Intelligence, Storytelling & Activation) and delivered through Managed Services (Customer Success, Business Operations, Enterprise Intelligence). The firm serves clients across multiple industries including Automotive & Mobility, Consumer Goods & Retail, Energy, Financial Services, Health, Technology, Telecom, and Travel & Tourism, with operations spanning the US, Canada, China, India, Ireland, Italy, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, UAE, and the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Market Assessment
• Competitive Intelligence
• M&A Research
• Brand Positioning
• Messaging
• Brand Elements
• Brand Evaluation
• Brand Evolution
• Opportunity Finder
• Opportunities Assessment
• Concept Creation
• Concept Evaluation
• Product Optimization
• Consumer Journey
• Path to Purchase
• Segmentation
• Customer Experience Management
• Customer Acquisition & Retention
• User Experience Research
• Quantitative Research
• Qualitative Research
• Secondary Research
• Data Analytics
• Insight Communities
• Behavioral Science
• Cultural Intelligence
• Storytelling & Activation
• Managed Services - Customer Success
• Managed Services - Business Operations
• Managed Services - Enterprise Intelligence

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• EscalentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021Escalent acquired Grail Insights to create an agile advisory firm backed by a powerful data engine. The union creates a powerful global presence with 770 consultants in 11 countries. Rob Stone, PhD from Grail became Escalent's Chief Strategy Officer. Grail will be transitioned to the Escalent brand in the coming months.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ipsos: Global market research and insights firm offering brand, advertising, customer experience, and consumer research services. Direct competitor in survey-based research, brand tracking, and segmentation engagements.
• Mintel: Global market intelligence firm specializing in consumer products, retail, and beauty research. Overlaps with Grail's consumer journey, segmentation, product innovation, and concept evaluation work for CPG and retail clients.
• Forrester Research: Global research and advisory firm delivering insights on technology, customer experience, and marketing. Direct competitor in CX, digital, and customer experience research engagements with enterprise clients.
• Kantar: World-leading market research and brand consulting firm offering brand valuation, consumer panel, and media effectiveness services. Direct competitor in brand strategy, consumer insights, and M&A research.

Broad incumbents

• NielsenIQ: Global consumer intelligence firm combining retail measurement with consumer research and analytics. Overlaps with Grail's data analytics, market assessment, and consumer journey offerings at a larger scale.
• Boston Consulting Group: Top-tier global strategy consultancy with strong marketing and consumer insights capabilities and a Center for Customer Insight. Competes for enterprise brand strategy and innovation mandates that Grail also pursues.
• Accenture Song: Accenture's creative, marketing, and customer experience practice that combines technology with strategy and insights. Competes for end-to-end brand transformation and customer experience mandates.
• McKinsey & Company: Global management consulting leader with deep strategy, marketing, and insights practices serving Fortune 500 brands across the same industries Grail targets. Operates at significantly larger scale and competes for the same enterprise advisory engagements.
• Bain & Company: Global strategy consulting firm with a dedicated Bain Customer Strategy & Marketing practice serving consumer and industrial clients. Closely comparable in target customer profile and brand transformation work.

Regional players

• Gartner: Leading research and advisory firm with a strong technology and business research focus. Overlaps with Grail's M&A research, market assessment, and enterprise intelligence offerings, particularly in technology and financial services verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grail-insights

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Grail Insights