What PlanoCDE does

Plano CDE (PlanoCDE) is a São Paulo-based research and impact assessment consultancy founded in 2009 that specializes in understanding the behavior, needs, and outcomes of Brazilian families from classes C, D, and E—approximately 140 million people with per capita family income of up to R$2,000 monthly. The firm applies qualitative, quantitative, and ethnographic methodologies to provide insights into this population for clients ranging from foundations and multilateral organizations to large corporations and government agencies. Over 15 years in operation, Plano CDE has built a portfolio spanning financial inclusion, education, public health, racial equity, consumer behavior, and social impact evaluation.

The company's underlying technology is a proprietary research methodology stack rather than a software platform. Its core capabilities include the Grades of Membership (GoM) segmentation methodology for behavioral profiling, ethnographic methodologies with cultural immersion (in-person ethnography, WhatsApp listening, digital ethnography, online immersion), the Financial Diaries longitudinal framework for tracking household financial behavior, and impact assessment frameworks including theory of change construction and randomized evaluations with control groups. These methodologies are delivered through a multidisciplinary team of anthropologists, economists, and sociologists drawn from Brazilian institutions including USP, FGV, Unicamp, and PUC-SP, with international exposure at UCL, Cornell, and Sciences Po.

Plano CDE generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements that are typically awarded via competitive processes from institutional clients. The firm's go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales—engaging major foundations, banks, consumer goods companies, and government agencies through established professional networks and earned media positioning. Its marketing channels emphasize thought leadership, including a co-authored book with FGV, extensive media coverage in outlets such as Valor Econômico, Folha de S.Paulo, Globo, and Exame, podcasts, and academic publications. Customer relationships appear durable, with repeated engagements spanning Itaú Social, UNICEF Brasil, Fundação Roberto Marinho, Fundação Lemann, Banco Central do Brasil, Banco Pan, Santander, Bank of America, JP Morgan, Baillie Gifford, Natura, Reckitt, Heineken, Uber, Viasat, Gerdau, Kimberly-Clark, BID, and CGAP/World Bank, among others.

Name

PlanoCDE

Legal name

Plano CDE

Website

https://planocde.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Plano CDE is a São Paulo-based research and impact assessment consultancy founded in 2009, specializing in ethnographic, quantitative, and impact studies of Brazilian families from classes CDE. It serves foundations, multilateral organizations, banks, and large corporations seeking insights into the country's lower-income population.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Pinheiros

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research and Consulting Services: Custom research projects and impact assessment consulting for institutional clients including foundations, corporations, and government organizations. Projects are tailored to client needs and typically span defined time periods.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Plano CDE is a research and impact assessment consultancy that produces custom data analytics, ethnographic, and impact evaluation studies focused on Brazilian families from classes CDE (lower and middle-income base of the pyramid). It sells project-based professional services combining quantitative surveys, qualitative ethnography, and monitoring/evaluation frameworks to foundations, large corporations, and public policy organizations in Brazil.

Product overview

PlanoCDE offers a unified suite of research and consulting services focused on impact assessment and evaluation for families in the CDE classes (base of the pyramid) in Brazil. The company's service offering is structured around three interconnected practice areas: Data Analytics and Quantitative Research, Ethnography and Qualitative Research, and Monitoring and Impact Assessment. Data Analytics encompasses quantitative surveys conducted in-person, online, and via WhatsApp, along with secondary data and big data analysis for generating behavioral insights. Ethnography services include in-depth qualitative research methodologies such as ethnography, discussion groups, digital ethnography, and persona segmentation. Monitoring and Impact Assessment services provide consultancy for constructing indicators, theory of change frameworks, and both quantitative and qualitative evaluation methodologies, including randomized evaluations with control groups. These three practice areas work together to provide clients with comprehensive understanding of target populations and measurement of social project outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Data Analytics and Quantitative Research Custom quantitative research services for institutional clients, including in-person, online, and WhatsApp surveys, secondary data analysis, big data analytics, and techniques such as cluster analysis, conjoint analysis, factor analysis, regression analysis, discriminant analysis, and data modeling, applied to understand CDE consumer, social, and financial behavior in Brazil.

Quantifiable outcome

• Conducted research with 140 million people target population (CDE classes)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers45 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• B System (Sistema B)coreOthers · 1 January 2013Plano CDE has been associated with B System since 2013, being the first company to join the organization in Brazil. B System certifies businesses that meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
• FGV (Fundação Getulio Vargas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored the book 'O Brasil Mudou Mais do que Você Pensa' (Brazil Has Changed More Than You Think) exploring transformations in the CDE classes. Also partnered on Center for Microfinance and Financial Inclusion Studies (FGVcemif) for financial behavior segmentation research.
• PretaHubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with PretaHub, the accelerator of black entrepreneurship in Brazil, to conduct the 'Dores e Amores dos Empreendedores Negros' research. Plano CDE conducted quantitative and qualitative research while PretaHub provided expertise in the black entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• FGV Faculty ConsultantsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnical consultancy from Dr. Caroline Rodrigues (FGV) and professors Pedro Jaime (ESPM) and Márcio Macedo (FGV) for the racial equity study with Mover.
• Omidyar NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Omidyar Network for the 'Learning with Parents and Students' education study conducted by Plano CDE.
• Fipe, Medicina-USP, Lapope, and QuantisminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnical partnership for COVID-19 early childhood research including Fipe (economics research), Medicina-USP (medical research), Lapope (data analysis), and Quantis (analytics) alongside Plano CDE's research execution.
• Imaginable FuturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for education challenges study exploring school offerings, educational technology solutions, and innovation opportunities for CDE populations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Datafolha: Leading Brazilian polling and market-research firm affiliated with Folha de S.Paulo. Comparable in delivery of quantitative and qualitative insights to large Brazilian brands, media, and institutions.
• IBOPE Inteligência: Brazil's largest market and opinion research firm, providing consumer, media, and public opinion polling. Directly comparable as a Brazilian market-research provider to corporate and institutional clients, though broader in scope than Plano CDE's CDE specialization.
• Instituto Locomotiva: Brazilian research firm specifically focused on Brazilian consumer classes and social trends, including CDE segments. Closest direct competitor to Plano CDE's positioning around understanding lower- and middle-income Brazilians.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos Brasil: Brazilian operations of global research group Ipsos. Comparable in providing consumer and public-opinion research, social research, and brand tracking for large corporate and public-sector clients.
• Nielsen Brasil: Brazilian arm of Nielsen, providing consumer measurement, retail insights, and media analytics to large CPG/retail clients including several in Plano CDE's portfolio (e.g., Reckitt, Kimberly-Clark, Heineken, Natura).
• Kantar Brasil: Brazilian arm of global consumer-insights firm Kantar. Overlaps significantly with Plano CDE on consumer behavior and segmentation work for large brands, though operates at much broader scale across categories and geographies.

Emerging players

• MindMiners: Brazilian consumer research and insights platform using technology-enabled panels. Comparable as a research provider serving consumer brands with quantitative segmentation and behavioral insight needs in Brazil.

Others

• FGV EAESP: Brazilian academic and research institution with which Plano CDE has co-published work and partnered on financial-inclusion research (FGVcemif). Acts more as a research partner than competitor but operates adjacent to the same impact-assessment and social-research space.
• Vox Capital: Brazilian impact-investing venture firm. Comparable not as a competitor but as a capital and ecosystem partner; the disclosed 2016 Vox Capital investment validates Plano CDE's positioning within the impact-investment ecosystem.

Regional players

• Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (IPEA): Brazilian federal government-linked research institute producing socioeconomic research and policy evaluation. Comparable in delivering public-policy and social-impact research, though operating primarily from the public sector.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/planocde
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plano-cde

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 PlanoCDE