What Eye Square does

Eye Square (legal entity: eye square GmbH) is a Berlin-based, founder-led market research firm founded in 1999 by Michael Schiessl that specializes in implicit research — measuring unconscious consumer responses via eye tracking, facial emotion analysis, electrodermal activation, reaction time (BrandReact), and neurosemiotics. The company has developed proprietary technology including the SEAL InContext Eye Tracking system (webcam-based gaze tracking without laboratory hardware), the SPARK automation platform (built with partner DAC), the System 0 mobile research app with Face Emotion Tracking, the Digital Experience Sandbox for AI-enhanced testing, and the proprietary Systems 0-1-2 framework that integrates direct perception, implicit feelings, and conscious thought into a single measurement architecture. Product surfaces span brand and media research (implicit ad testing, brand measurement, campaign tracking, media benchmarking), user experience research (usability, UX benchmarking, accessibility, gaming UX), and shopper research (digital commerce, in-store experience, retail media testing), supported by an AI Experience Lab initiative.

The firm operates as a B2B professional services and SaaS hybrid: enterprise research projects are delivered via project-based quoting, while software products such as InContext Express and SPARK are positioned as scalable/recurring-revenue tools. Customer concentration sits across roughly 120 enterprise clients including BMW, Porsche, Sony, PayPal, Google, Amazon, Meta, Ferrero, Unilever, Sanofi, Tencent, and Vattenfall, with regional sales directors in the USA, UK, Japan, Hong Kong, and India serving markets beyond the DACH home base. The company maintains ISO 20252 certification, GDPR/CCPA compliance, and EU data residency, and monetizes thought-leadership through its annual Memex Conference, Insights Webinar Series, and an unusual adjacent Kunsthalle art initiative. The business is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with Dr. Friedrich Jacobi joining as CFO and Partner in 2022 to professionalize internationalization, licensing, and operations.

Name

Eye Square

Legal name

eye square GmbH

Website

https://eye-square.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Eye Square is a Berlin-based, founder-led implicit market research firm founded in 1999 that measures unconscious consumer responses via proprietary eye tracking, facial emotion analysis, and reaction-time methodologies, serving ~120 enterprise clients across advertising, UX, and shopper research in Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

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-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B / Industrial Market Research (MPAAALAA)

Keywords

• Implicit market research
• Eye tracking research
• Consumer insights
• Brand media research
• User experience research

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Market Research Services: Full-service market research services including brand & media research, user experience research, shopper research, and accessibility research conducted for enterprise and mid-market clients.
2. SaaS/Software Products: Software-as-a-service products such as InContext for e-commerce testing and retail media testing, providing automated research tools for clients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Eye Square is a B2B market research firm that runs implicit, behavior-based consumer and user research using proprietary eye tracking and implicit-measurement technologies. Its core offering combines research services across Brand & Media Experience (advertising testing, brand measurement, campaign tracking), User Insights & UX, and Shopper Research, delivered through platforms such as InContext Research, the SPARK automation platform, and SEAL webcam-based eye tracking. The company sells project-based, quote-priced research engagements to enterprise and mid-market clients globally, with a recurring SaaS-style software layer (InContext, SPARK) layered on top of the professional services.

Product overview

Eye Square is an implicit market research company offering a technology-enabled research platform combining eye tracking hardware and software with implicit measurement methodologies. The core offering includes InContext Research (webcam-based eye tracking platform) and SEAL technology for lightweight in-context eye tracking, supplemented by the SPARK Platform for research automation. Eye Square provides research services across three main areas: Brand & Media Research (implicit ad testing, brand measurement, campaign tracking), User Insights & UX (usability testing, UX benchmarking, accessibility research), and Shopper Research (digital commerce, in-store experience). The company operates the AI Experience Lab developing AI-enhanced eye tracking, the System 0 App for mobile decision research, and the Digital Experience Sandbox for AI-powered testing. Additional offerings include the annual Memex Conference, the Corona Experience Center for crisis research, and the Kunsthalle art initiative. Eye Square is ISO 20252 certified and maintains 25 years of experience in human experience research with headquarters in Berlin and offices in the USA, UK, India, China, and Japan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• e2 (eye square brand): Company branding used for various research service lines including UX (User Experience), BMX (Brand & Media Experience), and SX (Shopper Experience).
• Kunsthalla
• Memex Conference
• SPARK Platform
• System 0 App
• SEAL

Products and services

• InContext Research Eye tracking research platform for testing in natural digital environments; combines webcam-based eye tracking with implicit measurement methods for websites, apps, and digital content without laboratory equipment.
• SPARK Platform Automation platform for various market research tools developed in partnership with DAC, enabling scalable research workflows across implicit testing, eye tracking, and other methodologies.
• SEAL - In-Context Eye Tracking Lightweight webcam-based eye tracking technology using ordinary webcams for in-context eye tracking in natural environments; part of the InContext technology suite.
• Digital Experience Sandbox AI-powered virtual testing environment for digital experiences, combining eye tracking with artificial intelligence for enhanced analysis.
• System 0 App Mobile research app enabling study participants to record clicks, scrolling, and facial expressions with Face Emotion Tracking throughout the decision-making process in natural environments.
• Implicit Ad Testing Research service applying implicit measurement to advertising pre-testing, capturing subconscious consumer responses to creative concepts.
• Brand Measurement Comprehensive brand equity and brand health measurement service combining implicit and explicit research methods.
• Campaign Tracking Continuous monitoring service measuring advertising campaign effectiveness over time across multiple media channels.
• Concept Testing Research service for evaluating new product concepts, messaging strategies, and creative directions with target audiences.
• Social Media Ad Testing Testing service for social media advertising effectiveness across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and video placements.
• Video Ad Test Video advertising research service measuring attention, emotional impact, and brand effects across TV, YouTube, and other video platforms.
• Media Benchmark Cross-media effectiveness benchmarking service comparing advertising performance across TV, digital, social, and other channels.
• Media Ethnography Qualitative ethnographic research service studying media consumption habits and behaviors in natural contexts.
• Ad-to-Cart Effect Specialized research service measuring the relationship between advertising exposure and e-commerce conversion behavior.
• UX Test Moderated and unmoderated usability testing service for websites, apps, and digital products with expert analysis.
• UX Online Benchmarking Quantitative user experience benchmarking service enabling comparison across industry standards and competitors using online testing methodology.
• User Insights Comprehensive user research service providing deep insights into user behavior, needs, and experience with digital products.
• Accessibility Research Accessibility audit and research service ensuring digital products meet WCAG 2.1 standards and are usable by people with disabilities.
• Pharma & Healthcare Research Specialized UX research service for pharmaceutical and healthcare digital products including apps, patient portals, and medical devices.
• Gaming User Research Specialized research service for video games and interactive entertainment focusing on player experience, engagement, and usability.
• Digital Commerce Research Research service focusing on online shopping behavior, e-commerce user experience, and digital purchase decision processes.
• In-Store Experience Research Physical retail research using eye tracking and implicit methods to understand shopper behavior in brick-and-mortar environments.
• Product & Innovation Research Research service for new product development including packaging design, product features, and innovation concept testing.
• Platform Comparison Comparative analysis service evaluating media platform effectiveness across different digital advertising environments.
• E-Commerce A/B Test Controlled experimentation service for e-commerce platforms to optimize product pages, pricing displays, and purchase funnels using implicit and explicit metrics.
• Retail Media Test Specialized testing service for retail media networks to evaluate advertising effectiveness in digital retail environments.
• InContext Express Rapid eye tracking solution for quick insights in digital commerce and retail media contexts.
• Emotion Analysis Implicit research method using facial emotion analysis and computer vision to detect and classify emotional responses during exposure to advertising, products, or media content.
• Activation (Electrodermal Activity) Implicit research method measuring skin conductance responses to quantify emotional arousal and subconscious engagement with stimuli.
• BrandReact (Reaction Time) Reaction time measurement methodology for implicit brand and advertising testing; measures speed of association between concepts to assess subconscious brand perception.
• Neuro Methods Neurosemiotic research approach combining neuroscientific measurements with semiotic analysis for deep understanding of consumer perception.
• AI Experience Lab Research initiative developing AI-powered human experience research methods including AI-enhanced eye tracking, System 0 methodology, and machine learning applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Brand measurement and campaign tracking studies completed for major global brands including BMW, Sony, PayPal, Ferrero
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• E-Pixler GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2021Presented solutions for production of synthetic training and testing data, specifically for mobile eye-tracking systems, during Mega Memex Week 2021.
• ScreenforcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing study collaboration on advertising effectiveness. Joint study 'Mapping the Impact' won Real Impact Award 2023. Also collaborated on 'Track the Success' genre study examining how moving image advertising works across Facebook, YouTube, and TV platforms.
• LINK InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Corona Insights Study (CIS) examining how the coronavirus crisis affects people's minds and behavior in the DACH region.
• DACcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner for SPARK platform development - an automation platform for various market research tools. Also collaborated on AI research presentations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Realeyes: Realeyes uses webcam-based emotion AI and attention measurement for advertising effectiveness, directly overlapping Eye Square's emotion analysis and implicit ad testing offerings for brand marketers.
• System1 (formerly BrainJuicer): System1 measures emotional response to advertising and brands using implicit methods and is a direct competitor in ad-testing and brand effectiveness research for the same enterprise client base.
• Tobii Pro: Tobii Pro is the leading provider of eye-tracking hardware and analytics for research, a direct peer in the eye-tracking-based market research technology stack that Eye Square customizes and applies.
• iMotions: iMotions offers a biometric research platform integrating eye tracking, GSR, EEG, and facial expression analysis, directly comparable to Eye Square's multimodal implicit research suite.
• Neuro-Insight: Neuro-Insight applies neuroimaging (EEG) and implicit neuroscience to advertising and media research, competing in the same neuro/attention-measurement category as Eye Square's neurosemiotic work.

Broad incumbents

• Nielsen: Nielsen is a global measurement and data analytics incumbent covering brand, media, and consumer research — competing for the same enterprise brand-measurement and ad-effectiveness budgets as Eye Square, but at far greater scale.
• Kantar: Kantar provides large-scale brand tracking, ad pre-testing (Link), and shopper research, overlapping with Eye Square's BMX and shopper practices and often pitching the same enterprise clients.
• Ipsos: Ipsos is a global market research group with strong ad-testing, brand, and UX practices (Ipsos ASI, Ipsos MMA), frequently competing against Eye Square for Fortune 500 research mandates.
• GfK (now NIQ Consumer): GfK / NielsenIQ offers consumer and shopper insights at global scale, comparable to Eye Square's shopper research and digital commerce practice for enterprise clients.

Emerging players

• TVision: TVision measures attention to TV and CTV advertising using computer-vision eye tracking, an emerging-player overlap with Eye Square's head-mounted and TV/video ad testing capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@eyebox-9g7kd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eye-square
• Instagraminstagram.com/eye_square
• Facebookfacebook.com/eyesquare
• Xx.com/eyesquare

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Eye Square