What Square Holes does

Square Holes Pty Ltd is an Australian cultural insight studio founded in 2004 by Jason Dunstone in Adelaide, South Australia, with a secondary office in Melbourne. The firm conducts mixed-method market and social research for brands, government bodies, educational institutions, and arts and community organisations, combining ethnography, focus groups, in-home friend and family conversations, surveys, human data and expert interviews. Its core methodology is a three-step Explore-Test-Monitor framework that links cultural exploration, concept testing, and ongoing tracking of behavioural and market signals. Deliveries are produced by a small Australian core team supplemented by a curated global network of researchers, ethnographers, strategists, academics and sector specialists.

The firm's product portfolio includes tailored cultural insight research programs, the Explore-Test-Monitor framework, in-house private AI tools and Large Language Models for synthesis and pattern recognition, a Tech Incubation capability for agile product testing platforms, a 400+ member Real People Community panel, and a curated Specialist Network. The company also publishes Think! eMag, a free weekly cultural insight email magazine that has produced over 437 editions since 2017, and offers speaking engagements and strategic workshops. Square Holes holds ISO 20252 certification and memberships in ESOMAR, The Research Society, and the Australian Data and Insights Association.

Square Holes operates as a privately held professional services firm with project-based, multi-year engagements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is custom per engagement; the firm cites that research often represents less than 5% of a client's product development, strategic or marketing budget. Go-to-market is direct and sales-led, beginning with an initial consultation conversation and building into long-term partnerships, supplemented by content marketing, speaking engagements, media appearances and event-driven outreach. The firm has no disclosed external funding, acquisitions, or ownership changes, and operates across Australia with selected international work in the UK and US.

Name

Square Holes

Legal name

Square Holes Pty Ltd

Website

https://squareholes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Square Holes is an Australian cultural insight studio founded in 2004 that runs mixed-method market and social research for brands, government, education and arts clients, combining ethnography, focus groups, surveys and AI-assisted analysis via an Explore-Test-Monitor framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tailored Mixed-Method Research Programs: Custom research and cultural insight programs designed for specific client needs. Projects range from category and cultural exploration to brand positioning, product innovation roadmaps, and new market entry pathways. Clients typically become long-term partners with ongoing engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Square Holes is a cultural insight studio that delivers tailored mixed-method research programs combining ethnography, focus groups, in-home conversations, surveys, and expert interviews. It operates an Explore-Test-Monitor framework to help brands, government, and community organisations uncover patterns, tensions, and shifts in culture and behaviour. It augments these research services with in-house AI analytics, a paid Real People Community panel, a curated global specialist network, a weekly Think! eMag publication, and speaking/workshop delivery.

Product overview

Square Holes is a cultural insight studio offering a unified platform of mixed-method research and cultural insight services. The core offering centers on tailored cultural insight research programs using an integrated Explore, Test, Monitor framework, combining qualitative, quantitative, behavioural and cultural approaches. This core is augmented by in-house AI analytics tools (private LLMs and AI-enhanced analysis), a tech incubation capability for agile product testing platforms, a Real People Community Access panel, and a curated global specialist network. The studio also publishes Think! eMag, a weekly free cultural insight publication, and offers speaking/workshop services. The portfolio is delivered through an Australian core team in Adelaide and Melbourne with a global specialist network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Think!: Square Holes' weekly cultural insight email magazine featuring patterns, tensions and shifts shaping people, culture and behaviour. Delivered free every Friday at 9:30am AEST with over 437 editions published since 2017.

Products and services

• Mixed-Method Cultural Insight Research Programs Custom mixed-method research programs for brands, government and community organisations, combining ethnography, focus groups, in-home friend and family conversations, surveys, human data and expert interviews to uncover patterns, tensions and shifts in culture and behaviour. Delivered by an Australian core team and curated global specialist network.
• Explore, Test, Monitor Framework Three-step integrated research framework covering Explore (mixed-method cultural exploration), Test (concept/proposition, scenario planning, service design, brand and product testing), and Monitor (ongoing tracking of cultural, customer and commercial indicators). Combines qualitative, quantitative, behavioural and cultural approaches.
• Real People Community Access

Quantifiable outcome

• For many clients, research represents less than 5% of product development, strategic or marketing budgets, yet delivers disproportionate impact on confidence, capability and decision quality.

Named customers22 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.

• Wine AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership supporting Wine Australia in responding to hospitality disruption and shifting consumption trends. Conducted deep dive research into wine consumption patterns in Australian pubs, restaurants and venues.
• Green Industries South AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partnership exploring consumer and industry attitudes towards plastic produce stickers. Builds on two decades of research into single-use plastics. Research informed policy transition pathways.
• Maggie Beer FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to improve wellbeing for older Australians through food and nutrition research.
• Adelaide Oval (with SACA, AFL, SA Government)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked with Adelaide Oval and its partners for more than a decade to inspire and re-imagine the venue to be one of the world's best. Also worked with Festival Centre, Railway Station, Renewal SA and Adelaide Casino.
• Helpmann AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 20 years of partnership with leading arts and cultural organisations. Understanding audiences, participation and cultural shifts, informing policy, investment and experiences that strengthen Australia's cultural life.
• Uniting CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to track loneliness in the community. Identified loneliness as a significant issue and conducted research to understand how many experience high rates and which age groups are most affected.
• Department of the Premier and CabinetkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked with Department to inform and monitor the 'New State of Mind' campaign to shift cultural narrative among young people and drive population growth.
• Adelaide Film FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Adelaide Film Festival for creative industry and music policy, and engaging younger and emerging audiences.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Kantar: Kantar is a global insights and consulting company with deep brand and cultural insight practices (including the former Added Value and BrandZ). Broad incumbent competing for enterprise brand and government research mandates across Australia and internationally.
• Ipsos: Ipsos is a global market research and consulting firm operating across consumer, public, and social research. Broad incumbent competitor with substantially greater scale, geographic reach, and technology stack that competes for the same enterprise and government research budgets.
• Toluna: Toluna is a global digital research and insights platform combining panel access with survey and qualitative tooling. Broad incumbent providing research infrastructure and services that overlap with Square Holes' community-based rapid feedback and AI-augmented analysis capabilities.

Direct peers

• Bastion Insights: Bastion Insights is the research arm of Australian integrated agency Bastion, providing brand, consumer, and cultural research to enterprise clients. Directly comparable given overlapping customer base, mixed-method approach, and Australian market focus.
• McNair yellowSquares: McNair yellowSquares is an Australian market and social research firm offering quantitative, qualitative, and behavioural research. Directly comparable as a domestic Australian research competitor with similar client base across brands, government, and community organisations.
• Hall & Partners: Hall & Partners is a brand and communications research agency with global presence and strong cultural insight positioning. Directly comparable given its emphasis on brand storytelling, cultural understanding, and enterprise client work in adjacent markets.
• The Behavioural Insights Team: The Behavioural Insights Team applies behavioural science to policy and public services. Comparable given overlapping government behaviour change mandates (e.g., SA Power Networks 'lifesaving behaviour change programs' and Wine Australia consumption research) and mixed-method research approach.
• Fiftyfive5: Fiftyfive5 is an Australian-founded insights and strategy firm focused on consumer research, brand strategy, and innovation. Directly comparable as a domestic Australian boutique competitor targeting the same enterprise brands and government clients with mixed-method research programs.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sq_holes
• Facebookfacebook.com/SquareHolesResearch

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 Square Holes