What Hemispheres does

Hemispheres (legal entity Bauer, Reed and Associates, LLC, dba Hemispheres Insights) is a Seattle-based, founder-owned customer insights and marketing research agency founded in 2003. The firm operates as a B2B professional services provider, delivering custom qualitative and quantitative research engagements — including focus groups, in-depth interviews, ethnographic studies, shop-alongs, surveys, segmentation, choice modeling, UX research, and naming research — to enterprise clients. Its proprietary 'Research for Humans' philosophy, formalized in a 2017 rebrand, positions the firm around empathy-driven, human-centered insight generation rather than purely quantitative analytics.

The company's core technology stack is methodology-led rather than platform-led. Its only named product is InsightCloud, a ShinyApps-hosted word cloud and open-ended response analysis tool, supplemented by internal R-based scripting for unstructured text data and virtual reality environments for immersive research. There is no SaaS product, API, or self-service platform; all engagements are scoped and delivered by Hemispheres' research staff. Distribution is entirely direct, with new business sourced through enterprise sales engagement, referrals, industry events (Puget Sound Research Forum, PSAMA, QRCA, GeekWire Summit), thought leadership content, and a published library of 20+ case studies.

Hemispheres serves a diverse enterprise roster spanning consumer products and retail, technology, food and beverage, agriculture and manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and consulting. Named clients include Microsoft, Starbucks, John Deere, Clarisonic, Space Needle + Chihuly Garden and Glass, Frito-Lay, Smucker's, TJX, Safeco Insurance, and UW Medical. Revenue is generated through project-based, quote-based pricing with no publicly disclosed rates, and there is no evidence of institutional investment, venture funding, or acquisition activity. The firm claims global delivery reach across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania through its leadership's international research experience.

Name

Hemispheres

Legal name

Bauer, Reed and Associates, LLC

Website

https://hemispheresinsights.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hemispheres is a Seattle-based, founder-owned customer insights and marketing research agency that delivers custom qualitative and quantitative research engagements to enterprise clients across consumer products, technology, food and beverage, healthcare, and manufacturing under its proprietary 'Research for Humans' philosophy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Qualitative Research (Focus Groups, IDIs, Ethnography) (MPAAALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE), Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Customer insights agency
• Qualitative research
• Consumer research
• Brand positioning research

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Research Projects: Hemispheres generates revenue through custom customer research and insights projects for enterprise clients. Projects include qualitative research (focus groups, in-depth interviews, ethnographic studies), quantitative surveys, segmentation studies, and strategic consulting engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hemispheres is a customer insights and market research agency that designs and executes custom qualitative and quantitative research projects for enterprise clients across consumer products, retail, technology, food & beverage, healthcare, and manufacturing. Core deliverables include focus groups, in-depth interviews, ethnographic studies and shop-alongs, online communities, surveys, segmentation studies, choice modeling, UX research, naming research, and video-based research outputs, all delivered under the proprietary "Research for Humans" philosophy that treats consumers as complex individuals rather than data points. The firm also operates InsightCloud, a web-based tool for word-cloud creation and open-ended survey response analysis.

Product overview

Hemispheres is a customer insights agency that offers a portfolio of research services under its 'Research for Humans' philosophy. The primary named product/tool is InsightCloud, a word cloud and open-end analysis tool. Beyond this, the company provides a comprehensive suite of qualitative and quantitative research services including focus groups, in-depth interviews, ethnographic research, shop-alongs, online communities, surveys, customer segmentation, choice modeling, UX research, naming research, and video-based research deliverables. The company also employs virtual reality environments for research applications. Research services span consumer products, retail, technology, food and beverage, healthcare, beauty, business services, automotive, transportation, and durable goods sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• InsightCloud: Tool for creating word clouds and analyzing open-ended survey responses, hosted at hemispheres.shinyapps.io/InsightCloud/

Products and services

• InsightCloud A web-based tool for creating word clouds and analyzing open-ended survey responses, made available by Hemispheres for its research clients via ShinyApps.
• Custom Customer Insights Research Services Bespoke qualitative and quantitative market research engagements (focus groups, in-depth interviews, ethnographic research, shop-alongs, online communities, surveys, segmentation, choice modeling, UX research, naming research, and video-based deliverables) delivered to enterprise clients under the proprietary "Research for Humans" philosophy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered insights that consistently deliver on client objectives—in many cases far beyond expectations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Kantar: Global research and insights leader offering brand, consumer, and media research at scale. Represents the tier-1 incumbent that Hemispheres competes against for enterprise mandates requiring significant global reach and technology investment.

Direct peers

• Hall & Partners: Global brand and communications research consultancy with strong qualitative expertise, comparable to Hemispheres in methodology, enterprise client focus, and emphasis on human-centered insight generation.
• Kelton Global: Los Angeles-based insights and strategy agency offering qualitative and quantitative research to enterprise clients, directly comparable to Hemispheres in methodology mix, client size, and boutique positioning.
• C+R Research: Chicago-based full-service insights firm specializing in custom qualitative and quantitative research for major consumer brands, directly comparable in service portfolio, client type, and mid-size boutique structure.
• Sparks & Honey: Culture and consumer insights agency specializing in qualitative research, trend forecasting, and brand strategy, directly comparable to Hemispheres in qualitative methodology and brand-oriented enterprise work.
• LRW Group: Insights and strategy firm offering custom consumer research, segmentation, and brand strategy, comparable to Hemispheres in custom research delivery, enterprise client base, and multi-method approach.
• Kadence International: Global research agency with boutique characteristics, offering qualitative and quantitative research across consumer and B2B segments; comparable to Hemispheres in custom methodology and international reach.
• PSB Insights: Full-service insights firm offering qualitative, quantitative, and consulting services to enterprise clients, directly comparable in service mix, methodology depth, and brand research specialization.
• Maru/Matchbox: Customer insights and research firm delivering qualitative and quantitative research to enterprise clients across industries, closely aligned with Hemispheres' model of custom, methodology-driven research engagements.

Others

• Ipsos: Tier-1 global market research firm providing quantitative and qualitative research across all major verticals. Competes with Hemispheres on enterprise engagements and sets the benchmark for scale, technology platforms, and methodology breadth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/user12186756
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hemispheres-research-for-humans

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 Hemispheres