What Northstar Research Partners does

Northstar Research Partners operates HarrisX, a connected intelligence platform providing market research, polling, and consumer data products to Fortune 100 companies, investment funds, and political campaigns. HarrisX operates through six offices (Washington DC headquarters, New York, London as EMEA HQ, Toronto, Melbourne, and Singapore) and conducts research in 40+ global markets, with a true 24-hour turnaround on omnibus polling in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. The platform architecture integrates proprietary technologies including Telephia (a human intelligence platform combining surveys with mobile monitoring), Billing Snapshots (bill-scraping and expenditure analysis), HarrisXGPT (a generative AI model powering the Ad Claims AI product for marketing claims verification), Competitive Intelligence Dashboards, and the HarrisX Ad Index. Additional productized research includes the Faith & Entertainment Index, The Broken Marketplace study, and Capital Intel, an interactive polling platform developed in partnership with 2WAY.

Revenue is generated through five streams: syndicated research and data subscriptions, custom research and consulting engagements, dashboard and platform access subscriptions, political polling services for campaigns, and Ad Claims AI subscriptions. The go-to-market motion is predominantly enterprise field sales targeting Fortune 100 buyers and Presidential campaigns, supplemented by inside sales for syndicated and overnight polling services, and channel partnerships with Wall Street houses (notably MoffettNathanson) and media outlets (Forbes, Variety). Pricing is quote-based with multi-year contracts; no public pricing tiers are disclosed. Validation includes recognition as the most accurate pollster in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, data-quality acknowledgments from AAPOR and the UK Market Research Society, and a named enterprise client roster spanning AT&T, Meta, Disney, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, Nestle, McDonald's, Pfizer, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Diageo, JTI, and MoffettNathanson. Leadership comprises Dritan Nesho as CEO of HarrisX and Jeffrey Histed as Founding Partner and CEO of Northstar Research Partners. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding.

Name

Northstar Research Partners

Legal name

HarrisX

Website

https://northstarhub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Northstar Research Partners operates HarrisX, a connected intelligence platform delivering market research, polling, and consumer data products to Fortune 100 enterprises, investment funds, and political campaigns across 40+ global markets through proprietary platforms like Telephia and HarrisXGPT.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research and Consumer Intelligence Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Competitive & Market Intelligence (Competitive Tracking, TAM/SAM/SOM) (MPAAALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE), Data Analytics Integration & Insight Platforms (Research Ops, Dashboards, Insight Repositories) (MPAAALAO), Customer Experience (CX) & Voice of Customer (NPS/CSAT, Journey Research) (MPAAALAH), Competitive Intelligence & Benchmarking (BPAHALAB)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Political polling services
• Consumer intelligence platform
• Advertising effectiveness analytics
• Syndicated research subscription

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Syndicated Research & Data: Ongoing research subscription services providing data and insights to Fortune 100 companies, investment funds, and major consumer technology companies covering TMT space.
2. Custom Research & Consulting: Bespoke research engagements including qualitative and quantitative studies, message testing, advertising development guidance, and campaign research for enterprise clients and political campaigns.
3. Dashboard & Platform Access: On-demand intelligence dashboard subscriptions providing real-time insights across industries with customizable data visualization.
4. Political Polling Services: Presidential and electoral polling services leveraging proven accuracy track record, including partnership with high-profile Wall Street firms.
5. Ad Claims AI: AI-powered ad claims verification and analysis services using HarrisXGPT natural language learning model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Northstar Research Partners, operating through its primary brand HarrisX, sells a Connected Intelligence Platform that delivers syndicated market research, custom qualitative and quantitative research, political polling, competitive intelligence dashboards, and AI-powered analytics. Its flagship proprietary technologies include the Telephia human intelligence panel, HarrisXGPT/Ad Claims AI generative AI tool, Billing Snapshots expenditure analytics, Capital Intel interactive polling, and the HarrisX Ad Index for advertising effectiveness, serving Fortune 100 enterprises, Presidential campaigns, and major financial institutions across 40+ global markets.

Product overview

Northstar Research Partners operates HarrisX, a Connected Intelligence Platform providing syndicated data and research, competitive intelligence dashboards, and proprietary technology solutions. The platform architecture consists of core products including Telephia (proprietary human intelligence platform combining surveys with mobile monitoring), Billing Snapshots (bill scraping technology), HarrisXGPT/Ad Claims AI (generative AI for marketing claims), Capital Intel (interactive polling in partnership with 2WAY), and HarrisX Ad Index (advertising effectiveness measurement). These are complemented by service offerings such as Overnight HarrisX Poll (24-hour turnaround omnibus polling), Syndicated Data & Research, and Competitive Intelligence Dashboards. The company serves industries including technology, telecommunications, media, finance, automotive, healthcare, and political affairs since 2007.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Telephia: Proprietary human intelligence platform that marries surveys with mobile monitoring and community engagement to capture consumer reactions and experiences.
• Capital Intel
• Ad Claims AI (HarrisXGPT)
• Ad Index
• Faith & Entertainment Index
• Competitive Intelligence Dashboards

Products and services

• Telephia Super App & Panel Proprietary human intelligence platform combining surveys, mobile monitoring, and community engagement to capture consumer reactions and experiences in real-time, within the consumer's own technology environment, and at scale, for enterprise market research buyers.
• Ad Claims AI (HarrisXGPT) AI-powered product using the HarrisXGPT natural language learning model to instantly discover and craft data-backed, persuasive marketing claims, integrating advanced AI with research-driven narratives for brands and advertisers.
• Capital Intel Interactive polling platform developed in partnership with 2WAY that brings HarrisX polling data to life in a live, interactive format, providing real-time market intelligence and audience engagement content for media, finance, and political audiences.
• Competitive Intelligence Dashboards Live, on-demand intelligence dashboards providing insights across industries for any level of an organization, combining HarrisX data with third-party data in one intelligence center and offering bespoke dashboard builds for client teams.
• Billing Snapshots Proprietary technology that gathers unique consumer data by scraping and analyzing bills and household expenditure at scale, producing granular consumer spending insights for enterprise clients.
• HarrisX Ad Index Advertising effectiveness measurement index used to evaluate brand performance in advertising, including Super Bowl ad rankings, for advertisers, agencies, and media buyers.
• Overnight HarrisX Poll (Omnibus Polling) Omnibus polling service delivering true 24-hour field-to-insight turnaround in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, enabling rapid-turnaround survey research for enterprise, financial, and political clients.
• Syndicated Data & Research Recurring subscription research and data service covering consumer tech companies, smartphone and mobile device OEMs, wireless and wireline service providers, automobile manufacturers, chip makers, and investment funds across the TMT space since 2007.

Quantifiable outcome

• Most accurate pollster in 2020 U.S. Presidential Election - called movements in unpredictable market conditions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and secondary.

• 2WAYcoreTechnology or IntegrationCapital Intel partnership with 2WAY creating an interactive polling platform that brings HarrisX polling data to life through real-time audience engagement and market intelligence content.
• MoffettNathansonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigh-profile partnership with MoffettNathanson and other Wall Street houses for market intelligence. HarrisX has correctly called movements in markets via these partnerships. Leading research firm in telecom, media, and tech sectors.
• ForbescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership featuring HarrisX polling data and CEO Dritan Nesho's analysis on Forbes Newsroom covering elections, presidential approval ratings, and consumer sentiment studies.
• VarietysecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerEntertainment industry media partnership for advertising effectiveness research and media consumption insights coverage.
• American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR)coreOthersIndustry body that has noted HarrisX's data-quality processes, validating the company's research methodology and accuracy standards.
• Market Research Society (MRS) UKcoreOthersUK industry association that has recognized HarrisX's data-quality processes, validating research methodology for European operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Forrester Research: Research and advisory firm focused on technology, media and consumer trends with syndicated research and dashboards. Comparable on TMT-focused syndicated research and advisory model, though more analyst-driven.
• Nielsen: Global leader in audience and media measurement and consumer panels. Overlaps with HarrisX on media/advertising measurement and TMT consumer data, but as a much larger measurement incumbent.
• Ipsos: One of the world's largest market research firms spanning brand tracking, public affairs polling and custom studies across 90+ markets. Overlaps broadly with HarrisX's offerings at far greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Kantar: Global data, insights and consulting company covering brand, media and consumer research. A larger incumbent offering overlapping syndicated and custom research capabilities across many verticals.

Direct peers

• Morning Consult: Decision-intelligence firm combining high-frequency surveys, brand tracking and political/economic polling with media distribution. Directly comparable on polling-plus-syndicated-data model, media-amplified thought leadership, and enterprise/campaign clients.
• Gallup: Analytics and advisory firm best known for public-opinion polling and workplace/consumer research. Comparable on polling authority, brand-driven credibility and custom advisory engagements.
• YouGov: Global online research and polling company providing syndicated brand tracking, custom research and public-opinion data. Directly overlaps on omnibus polling, proprietary panels and multi-market consumer insights.
• The Harris Poll: Public-opinion and market research firm under the historic Harris polling brand, offering reputation, brand and consumer sentiment tracking. Shares the polling heritage, brand-tracking products and corporate-reputation focus that define HarrisX.

Emerging players

• Civiqs: Online survey research firm specializing in continuous political and public-opinion polling. A focused emerging player overlapping with HarrisX's electoral polling and sentiment-tracking activities.

Others

• Dynata: Large first-party data and survey panel provider supplying respondents and data infrastructure to researchers. Adjacent as an enabling panel/data supplier whose offering intersects HarrisX's proprietary-panel approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/northstar_hub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northstar-research-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Northstar Research Partners