What Sands Research does

Sands Research, Inc. is a privately held cognitive neuroscience and EEG software company founded in 2008 by Dr. Stephen F. Sands, the founder of the historical Neuroscan Inc. EEG hardware and software franchise. The company develops and distributes a browser-based software suite — SR·EEG Viewer (Build R39) for EEG/MEG analysis with sLORETA, Champagne BEM, and multi-dipole source localization, and SR·COGNOS Grid Full (R20), a neuropsychological cognitive assessment battery with 60+ standardized tasks covering processing speed, memory, executive function, and clinical screening tools such as MoCA, PHQ-9, and GAD-7. It also operates SR Videos (EEG Brain Movies), a stimulus-response neuroscience research platform that records 68-channel EEG with eye tracking during broadcast ad exposure and produces Neuro Engagement Factor (NEF) scoring.

Name

Sands Research

Legal name

Sands Research, Inc.

Website

https://sandsresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sands Research is a privately held cognitive neuroscience software company that builds browser-based EEG analysis tools, neuropsychological cognitive batteries, and EEG Brain Movies for academic researchers and Fortune 500 neuromarketing clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neuroscience Research Software

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral & Neuroscience Research (Biometrics, Eye-Tracking, Neuromarketing) (MPAAALAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Neurological Monitoring (EEG, Seizure/Sleep/Neuro Wearables) (HLAHACAE)

Keywords

• EEG analysis software
• Cognitive assessment tools
• Neuromarketing services
• Neuroimaging software
• Brain-computer interface

Headquarters

HQ city

El Paso

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Neuromarketing Research Services: EEG-based advertising effectiveness research for Fortune 500 clients. Super Bowl commercial analysis with Neuro Engagement Factor scoring. Client base includes Microsoft, Disney, Ford, Walmart, AT&T, Intel, Warner Brothers, Nestlé.
2. Software Platform Licensing: Browser-based EEG analysis and cognitive assessment tools provided through the sandsresearch.com platform. Research-use-only software for academic and commercial research institutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sands Research develops browser-based cognitive neuroscience software for EEG/MEG signal analysis and neuropsychological assessment, and delivers EEG-based neuromarketing research services that produce real-time "EEG Brain Movies" and proprietary Neuro Engagement Factor (NEF) scores for advertising effectiveness. Its current product suite centers on SR·EEG Viewer (browser-based EEG workstation with source localization), SR·COGNOS Grid Full (a 60+ task cognitive assessment battery), and SR Videos (stimulus-response neuroscience platform used for neuromarketing studies).

Product overview

Sands Research offers a software suite of EEG and cognitive neuroscience research tools comprising SR·EEG Viewer (browser-based EEG/MEG analysis workstation with source localization), SR·COGNOS Grid Full (neuropsychological cognitive assessment battery with 60+ standardized tasks), and SR Videos (EEG Brain Movies for neuromarketing with Neuro Engagement Factor scoring). The company historically founded Neuroscan (SCAN/STIM/SynAmp) achieving ~80% worldwide EEG market share, and develops EEG hardware including SynAmp2 amplifiers and MAGLINK MRI-compatible EEG systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SR·EEG Viewer Browser-based EEG/MEG analysis workstation that lets researchers load, visualize, and analyze EDF recordings in real time. Provides multi-channel trace display, topographic maps, source localization (MNR, Champagne, Multi-Dipole, sLORETA), artifact removal, and export to multiple EEG formats. Targeted at academic and commercial neuroscience researchers.
• SR·COGNOS Grid Full Browser-based neuropsychological cognitive assessment battery delivering 60+ standardized tasks measuring processing speed, attention, working memory, executive function, language, visuospatial ability, and clinical screening with real-time data capture and CSV/JSON export. Designed for cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology researchers running in-browser participant sessions.
• SR Videos (EEG Brain Movies) Stimulus-response neuroscience research platform that applies EEG Brain Movies and Neuro Engagement Factor (NEF) scoring to analyze viewer neural responses to broadcast advertising. Produces cortical source reconstruction overlaid on video synchronized to 68-channel EEG recordings. Used as the company's flagship neuromarketing service for brand advertisers.

Quantifiable outcome

• NEF Score 5.04 - highest of all 2009 Super Bowl ads (Bridgestone 'Taters')
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Major Research UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005MAGLINK EEG-in-MRI system deployed to UC Berkeley, UCLA, Caltech, Stanford, Yale, Emory, Washington University, and other major research sites starting 2005.
• Marmon GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Acquired Neuroscan Inc. in 1998. $10M annual revenue achieved in 7 years with 100% equity retained prior to sale. Neuroscan was later acquired again by Compumedics.
• CompumedicsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Neuroscan Compumedics operated from 2004-2005 with Sands as Chief Science Officer. SCAN and STIM software platforms and SynAmp amplifier series were Compumedics Neuroscan products.
• Philips Medical (CURRY imaging division)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1998Acquired CURRY imaging division from Philips Medical in 1998, establishing European office in Hamburg, Germany. CURRY Multimodal Neuroimaging Software became part of the product portfolio.
• NIH Motor Control UnitmajorOthers · 1 January 1991Won NINDS RFP for world's first 128-channel EEG system, supplied to NIH Motor Control Unit under Director Mark Hallett, M.D. in 1991.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Emotiv: Consumer and prosumer EEG headset and software company targeting broader accessibility of brain measurement. Adjacent to Sands Research's research-only positioning with overlapping EEG expertise but a fundamentally different (consumer/B2C) go-to-market.

Broad incumbents

• Compumedics: Acquired Neuroscan (founded by Sands Research's founder) in 2004 and continues to sell SCAN, STIM, SynAmp, and CURRY products. A historical incumbent whose EEG product portfolio directly overlaps with Sands Research's heritage technology.
• Tobii: Global leader in eye-tracking technology with consumer research and academic research product lines. Comparable as a complementary biometric measurement provider often bundled alongside EEG in ad-effectiveness and academic research studies.
• Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience (formerly NeuroFocus): Was the dominant scaled neuromarketing provider after Nielsen's acquisition of NeuroFocus, bringing EEG-based ad testing to global brand advertisers. A broader incumbent in the same category with substantially larger scale, sales coverage, and brand relationships.

Direct peers

• SPARK Neuro: EEG- and biometrics-based neuromarketing firm focused on advertising and entertainment effectiveness measurement. Directly competes with Sands Research in the same Fortune 500 ad-testing category using overlapping EEG-based attention and emotional engagement methodologies.
• ANT Neuro: EEG and MEG solutions provider for clinical and research applications, with software and amplifier product lines. Competes in the same EEG research-tools category that Sands Research's SR·EEG Viewer addresses.
• Neuro-Insight: Global EEG-based neuromarketing firm (headquartered in Australia) measuring emotional response and memory encoding for advertising effectiveness. Directly comparable to Sands Research's NEF scoring methodology and Super Bowl-style ad ranking offering.
• Brain Products: European-based EEG hardware and software vendor (BrainVision) supplying research labs and academic institutions worldwide. Comparable to Sands Research as a competing EEG research-tools vendor with academic channel overlap.
• iMotions: Biosensor research platform combining EEG, eye tracking, GSR, EMG, and facial coding for academic and commercial research. Comparable to Sands Research as a multi-modal neuroscience software platform serving academic and UX research buyers.
• Realeyes: Computer-vision-based attention and emotion measurement for advertising effectiveness, used by major brands and platforms. While Realeyes uses webcam-based biometrics rather than EEG, it competes for the same Fortune 500 ad-effectiveness budget and increasingly bundles facial coding and engagement scoring as alternatives to EEG.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sands-research-115781105175024
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sands-research-inc-

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Sands Research