What Elemental Data Collection does

Elemental Data Collection Inc. (doing business as Elemental DCI) is a privately held, Ottawa-headquartered market research data collection firm founded in 1999 by Colin Kiviaho and Darcy Zwetko and operating with approximately 355 staff (roughly 325 part-time interviewers and 30 full-time research and field-services personnel). It provides outsourced survey data collection — telephone (CATI), online (CAWI), paper-based mail-outs, and tabulation/analysis — for other market research consulting firms, Canadian government agencies, and B2B/consumer research buyers across North America, with explicit positioning as a conflict-free, independent supplier to consulting firms.

The operating platform is built on Voxco Command Center software integrated across modes, supporting a 110-station CATI call center with 190 dedicated dialing lines, predictive dialing, TCPA manual-dialing compliance, real-time quota management and complex survey logic. Bilingual (English/French) staff exceeding 35% of headcount, plus capacity in Cantonese, Mandarin, Italian, Punjabi, Tagalog, Spanish and 20+ online languages, provide multilingual reach. The facility carries Canadian federal DSC Protected B clearance, ISO 20252:2019 certification, CRIC accreditation, and PIPEDA/TCPA compliance. Data processing relies on SPSS (cleaning, syntax, label-file generation) and WinCross (cross-tabulation), with output delivered in SPSS, SAS, ASCII, Excel, Quantum and Dapresy formats.

The business model is professional-services B2B: Elemental sells services on a quote basis (fixed-fee tied to survey length/incidence/topic, plus hourly cost options) via direct sales and 24-hour email quoting, with revenue from project-based telephone, online, omnibus, mail-out and tabulation work. Revenue is project-driven rather than subscription-based, with diversified client segments spanning market research consulting firms (primary), Canadian government agencies (primary), B2B executive research, and consumer/general-population surveys. The company is founder-owned with no disclosed institutional capital, no parent company, and no M&A history.

Name

Elemental Data Collection

Legal name

Elemental Data Collection Inc.

Website

https://elementaldci.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Elemental Data Collection is a private Ottawa-based market research data collection firm offering CATI telephone, online panel, omnibus, mail-out and tabulation services to North American research consulting firms and government agencies via a 110-station multilingual call center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Data Collection

akta.pro primary industry

Fieldwork & Data Collection (Online Panels, CATI/CAPI, Fieldwork) (MPAAALAD)

Keywords

• Telephone data collection
• Online survey panels
• Market research services
• CATI call center
• Survey tabulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Telephone Data Collection Services: CATI telephone survey collection conducted from Ottawa call center with 110 stations. Services include general population residential research through to C-suite B2B research, elite interviewing, and executive recruiting
2. Online Panel & Data Collection: Online survey services using Voxco platform with access to North American panel providers. Includes multi-language capabilities and real-time data access
3. Telephone Omnibus: Monthly national telephone omnibus - 2000 RDD telephone interviews per month with quick turnaround times (1000 completes in 7 days, 2000 in 14 days)
4. Data Entry / Mail-Outs: Paper-based survey services including printing, mail-out/return receipt, and full data entry services with double-entry verification
5. Tabulation and Analysis: Data processing services including SPSS analysis, cross-tabulations using WinCross, data cleaning, weighting, and delivery in various statistical formats

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Elemental Data Collection is a B2B market research data collection firm operating a 110-station CATI call center in Ottawa, Canada, providing telephone surveys, online panel data collection, monthly telephone omnibus services, paper-based mail-out surveys, and SPSS/WinCross tabulation and analysis. The company serves market research consulting firms and government agencies across North America as a truly independent data collection partner.

Product overview

Elemental Data Collection offers a unified suite of market research data collection services comprising five integrated offerings: Telephone Data Collection using a 110-station CATI call center with predictive dialing, Online Panel & Data Collection via Voxco-powered platform with panel partnerships, a monthly Telephone Omnibus providing 2000 national RDD interviews, Data Entry/Mail-Outs for paper surveys with double-entry verification, and Tabulation and Analysis using SPSS and WinCross. These services are fully integrated through shared Voxco technology, enabling seamless multi-mode data collection with real-time access to quotas, frequencies, and cross-tabs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Telephone Data Collection CATI-based telephone survey data collection service using a 110-station call center with predictive dialing, TCPA compliance, and multilingual interviewing capabilities in 35+ languages including English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Italian, Punjabi, and Tagalog. Designed for market research firms and government agencies conducting general population, B2B, C-suite, and elite executive research.
• Online Panel & Data Collection Online survey platform using Voxco software with complex logic, real-time quota management, multi-language capabilities, and access to North American panel providers with quality controls including double opt-in and panelist verification. Enables online survey programming and deployment for market research clients.
• Telephone Omnibus Monthly national telephone omnibus service providing 2,000 RDD telephone interviews with 70% cell phone sample, regional quotas across Canadian provinces, and standard demographic banners including age, gender, income, and employment status. Offers quick turnaround times with 1,000 completes in 7 days and 2,000 in 14 days.
• Data Entry / Mail-Outs Paper-based survey services including printing, mail-out/return receipt, and data entry with double-entry verification for accuracy, integrated with CATI and online platforms for seamless multi-mode data collection.
• Tabulation and Analysis Statistical analysis service using SPSS for data processing and WinCross for cross-tabulation, providing data files in multiple formats (SPSS, SAS, ASCII, Excel, Quantum, Dapresy) with quality control, data cleaning, weighting, and validation.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• North American Online Panel ProviderscoreOthersElemental Data Collection has established partnerships with some of North America's largest online panel providers. Providers are thoroughly vetted to ensure quality standards are met including double opt-in verification, household-only accounts, fraud prevention, and ongoing quality analysis.
• Leading Sample and Panel ProviderscoreOthersStrategic partnerships with leading sample and panel providers allowing Elemental Data Collection to buy in large volumes and secure discounts which are passed on to clients.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Forum Research: Canadian public opinion and market research firm with in-house CATI operations based in Toronto. Comparable in Canadian telephone data collection and government polling work; competes for similar government and media clients.
• Léger (Leger): Largest Canadian-owned market research firm, offering full-service research plus an in-house CATI call center. Comparable as a Canadian research data collection competitor with bilingual capability; differs in being a vertically integrated full-service agency rather than a pure independent fieldwork partner.
• Maru/Blue: Canadian online panel and research services company headquartered in Toronto, part of the Maru Group. Comparable in offering Canadian online panel and custom research data collection; primarily competes with Elemental in the Canadian market for online fieldwork, while Elemental's CATI-heavy mix is more complementary than substitutable.
• Abacus Data: Canadian full-service market research firm offering online panel and survey data collection services. Comparable as a Canadian competitor in the online and mixed-mode data collection space, though smaller in CATI infrastructure than Elemental.

Direct peers

• Schlesinger Group: One of the largest dedicated market research data collection and fieldwork services companies in North America and Europe. Directly comparable to Elemental in offering CATI, online panel management, qualitative recruitment, and tabulation services to research agencies and end clients; competes for the same consulting-firm RFPs at a larger scale.
• Dynata: Global leader in first-party data and online panel-based research data collection, formed from the merger of Research Now and SSI. Directly comparable as a multi-mode data collection provider; however, Dynata owns its consumer panel, which is the key structural difference versus Elemental's panel-reseller model.
• Toluna: Global online panel and survey technology company providing data collection, panel management, and research technology to agencies and brands. Comparable in online data collection services, with proprietary technology stack and owned consumer panel assets that Elemental relies on as an upstream partner.
• Precision Opinion: U.S.-based market research data collection firm offering CATI, online, and mixed-mode fieldwork to research agencies. Closest direct head-to-head competitor in the North American independent data collection space, competing on similar RFPs and client segments.

Others

• Voxco (now Forsta): Survey technology platform whose Command Center software Elemental uses for CATI/CAWI operations. Relevant as a key technology supplier and ecosystem participant; Forsta/Voxco also provides data collection technology to direct competitors.
• Research Now / Dynata Panel: Upstream panel provider relationship. Elemental's online data collection offering depends on partnerships with large North American online panel providers like Dynata's panel; relevant as both a supplier and indirect competitor.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ElementalDCI

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Elemental Data Collection