Quester
Quester is a Des Moines-based market research agency providing narrative-driven consumer insights, brand strategy, and innovation consulting to enterprise consumer brands, powered by its proprietary Socrates AI moderator and Aristotle text analytics platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersDes Moines, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Quester does
Quester is a Des Moines, Iowa-based market research and brand strategy agency founded in 1977 by Dr. Charles E. Cleveland, operating under the legal entity Knowledge Technology Solutions, Inc. The company provides narrative-driven consumer insights, brand strategy, and innovation consulting to enterprise consumer brands, with a client roster spanning CPG (Nestle Purina, Kellanova, WK Kellogg, PepsiCo, Kimberly-Clark), technology (Apple, Spotify, HP, Oura), financial services (Wells Fargo, Edward Jones), and other sectors. Its core technology stack centers on Socrates, an AI-powered virtual moderator that has conducted over 3 million automated one-on-one interviews since 2001, paired with Aristotle, a text analytics platform that surfaces representative phrases from interview data for linguistic analysis. The Social Narratives practice combines AI-moderated qualitative research with social listening data, while the SPARQ and DRIVE methodologies (launched in 2023) package research findings into repeatable innovation and brand-building frameworks.
Quester operates as a professional services firm with project-based pricing ranging from $5,000 to $200,000 per engagement, typically structured as multi-year contracts. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, leveraging the Perspectives thought leadership blog, keynote events with industry figures, and direct consultative engagement with enterprise and mid-market consumer brands. The July 2024 acquisition of ProdigyWorks added a Mensa-based global network of elite thinkers to power a new breakthrough innovation offering, expanding the company from pure research into adjacent innovation consulting. The firm holds GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2 Type 2, and NIST 800-53 certifications, supporting enterprise data governance requirements.
Quester firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Quester
- Legal name
- Knowledge Technology Solutions, Inc.
- Website
- https://quester.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Quester is a Des Moines-based market research agency providing narrative-driven consumer insights, brand strategy, and innovation consulting to enterprise consumer brands, powered by its proprietary Socrates AI moderator and Aristotle text analytics platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Quester industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Market Research Services
- NAICS
- Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Creative Concepting & Campaign Development (BPAFAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Digital & Technology Transformation Consulting (BPAHACAH)
Keywords
Where Quester is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Des Moines
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Quester business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Marketing Research and Consulting Services: Quester provides qualitative and quantitative marketing research services to consumer brands, including narrative-driven insights, brand strategy, and innovation consulting. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements ranging from small studies to comprehensive research programs. Project costs range from $5,000 to $200,000 depending on size and scope.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based pricing based on scope and complexity |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Quester product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Quester provides narrative-driven market research, brand strategy, and innovation consulting services to enterprise and mid-market consumer brands. The firm operates proprietary AI-powered technology platforms (Socrates virtual moderator and Aristotle text analytics) to conduct qualitative research and produce actionable brand and innovation insights. Through its ProdigyWorks sub-brand, Quester delivers breakthrough innovation services leveraging a global network of elite thinkers and creatives.
Product overview
Quester is a transformative brand and innovation agency that operates as a platform of interconnected services. The core offerings include Narrative Driven Insights (social listening and AI-moderated research), Brand Strategy, and Brand Innovation services. ProdigyWorks, acquired in July 2024, serves as the innovation powerhouse leveraging a global network of elite thinkers. Technology products include Socrates (AI virtual moderator conducting over 3M conversations) and Aristotle (text analytics). Methodologies include DRIVE for brand building and SPARQ for human-centered innovation. Social Narratives practice combines social listening with AI-moderated qualitative data. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Des Moines, IA.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ProdigyWorks: The innovation powerhouse inside Quester, providing breakthrough innovation through a global network of elite thinkers including Mensa-level thinkers, breakthrough inventors, visionary creatives, cultural provocateurs, and seasoned industry leaders.
- SPARQ
- DRIVE
Products and services
- Narrative Driven Insights Proprietary research service that uncovers unique consumer narratives driving strategic advantage through social listening, AI-moderated qualitative research, and advanced linguistic analytics. Offered to enterprise and mid-market consumer brands seeking deeper human understanding than quantitative data alone provides.
- Brand Strategy Consulting service providing deep functional, emotional, and social understanding of brands and competitive landscapes to craft narrative-driven brand architecture and positioning strategies. Designed for Chief Marketing Officers, Brand Strategists, and Insights Professionals at consumer companies.
- Brand Innovation Innovation service that uncovers category Demand Spaces and Jobs to Be Done to enable breakthrough innovation opportunities through the ProdigyWorks thinktank. Targets Brand Strategy and Innovation Leaders at consumer brands seeking whitespace and category-disrupting concepts.
- ProdigyWorks Innovation agency service offering outside-disruptive thinking for breakthrough product, service, and business operation ideas through a global network of Mensa-level thinkers, breakthrough inventors, visionary creatives, cultural provocateurs, and seasoned industry leaders. Targets enterprise innovation teams seeking 3-5 year pipeline development.
- Socrates AI Virtual Moderator Automated online interviewing software acting as an AI virtual moderator that conducts interactive one-on-one qualitative interviews, adjusting follow-up questions based on respondent responses. Built using psychiatric evaluation methods and available via API for custom applications. Has conducted over 3 million conversations.
- Aristotle Text Analytics Text analytics software that processes large volumes of textual interview data and highlights the most representative phrases and statements for linguistic analyst review. Codifies themes into quantitative variables for statistical analysis including cluster analysis.
Quantifiable outcome
- Consumer segmentation work resulted in improved website conversion rates and increased user time on site
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Quester
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Quester technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature5 records
Quester partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.
- OTX (Ipsos)coreOTX, a global consumer research firm, integrated Socrates into its AdCEP ad testing system. This partnership allows OTX to leverage Quester's AI-moderated qualitative interviewing capabilities to obtain richer consumer understanding beyond quantitative measures, helping clients understand emotional response and engagement with advertising.
- Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB)minorQuester conducted research at no cost to help the CVB understand national perceptions of Des Moines, assisting in branding and identity-shaping initiatives for the region.
- Microsoft 365supportingService provider for productivity and collaboration tools supporting Quester's operations.
- 11:11 SystemssupportingService provider supporting Quester's technology infrastructure and cloud operations.
- ShareFilesupportingService provider for secure file sharing and document management supporting Quester's research operations.
- ForstasupportingSurvey research platform and service provider supporting Quester's data collection and research methodologies.
- Insights AssociationsupportingIndustry association for market research professionals. Quester is a member and upholds their Best Practices for market research, including ethical standards for respondent confidentiality and data protection.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Quester competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- NielsenIQ: Global consumer intelligence firm combining panel data, retail measurement, and qualitative insights for CPG and retail clients — a scaled competitor that Quester regularly competes against on enterprise research RFPs.
- Kantar: One of the largest global market research and brand consulting firms, offering qualitative insights, brand strategy, and innovation services to the same Fortune 500 CPG and consumer brand clients that Quester targets.
- Ipsos: Global market research and consulting giant with a deep qualitative and quantitative practice serving consumer brands; Ipsos's OTX division has actually partnered with Quester to integrate Socrates, making it the closest direct incumbent comparable to Quester's narrative-driven insights model.
- Mintel: Global market research firm specializing in consumer products, food, and innovation trends — overlapping significantly with Quester's CPG, food and beverage, and innovation pipeline work.
Direct peers
- Hall & Partners: Brand and communications research consultancy focused on qualitative insights for global brands; similar mid-sized, narrative-led positioning and similar client roster of Fortune 500 consumer companies.
- Schlesinger Group: Qualitative research firm offering focus groups, in-depth interviews, and online qualitative methods to consumer brands; the most direct methodology peer given the overlap in qualitative interviewing services to enterprise clients.
- Prophet: Brand and marketing consultancy combining consumer research, brand strategy, and innovation — a closely comparable integrated narrative-driven approach serving similar enterprise brand clients.
- Material+ (formerly LRW Group): Insights and strategy firm offering qualitative research, brand strategy, and innovation consulting to enterprise consumer brands; comparable in offering mix, mid-market scale, and Fortune 500 client orientation.
- C Space: Customer-led growth consultancy that uses private online communities and qualitative engagement to deliver consumer insights for major brands — a closely comparable narrative and community-driven research model.
- Marketcast: Research and analytics firm providing qualitative and quantitative insights to entertainment, technology, and consumer brands — overlapping with Quester's brand strategy and consumer narrative work for similar enterprise customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Quester social profiles
Digital presenceQuester compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Quester financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Quester leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Quester subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Quester funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Quester M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Quester
What does Quester do?
Quester provides narrative-driven market research, brand strategy, and innovation consulting services to enterprise and mid-market consumer brands. The firm operates proprietary AI-powered technology platforms (Socrates virtual moderator and Aristotle text analytics) to conduct qualitative research and produce actionable brand and innovation insights. Through its ProdigyWorks sub-brand, Quester delivers breakthrough innovation services leveraging a global network of elite thinkers and creatives.
Is Quester a public or private company?
Quester is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Quester founded?
Quester was founded in 1977. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Quester based?
Quester is headquartered in Des Moines, United States, in the North America region.
How does Quester make money?
One revenue line is on record: marketing Research and Consulting Services.
Who are Quester's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are NielsenIQ, Kantar, Ipsos and Mintel. Direct peers are Hall & Partners, Schlesinger Group, Prophet, Material+ (formerly LRW Group), C Space and Marketcast.
Does Quester have an API?
Yes. Quester offers an API for Socrates, their automated online interviewing software. With this API, companies can design their own interface to conduct conversations using Socrates technology. The API enables companies to build custom applications that leverage Socrates' question-asking and follow-up capabilities for purposes such as pre-screening job candidates, automated suggestion boxes, or social media entertainment applications.
What industry is Quester in?
Quester's product category is Market Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAEAD, Creative Concepting & Campaign Development, with a secondary code of BPAHACAH, Digital & Technology Transformation Consulting. Its NAICS code is 541613 and its SIC code is 8742.