North Mountain Consulting Group

What North Mountain Consulting Group does

North Mountain Consulting Group is a privately held, founder-led professional services firm headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, founded in April 2020 by Keri Szejda, PhD. The firm delivers consumer research, science communication design, and program evaluation services to mission-driven startups and nonprofit organizations operating in sustainable food technologies (cellular agriculture, precision fermentation, plant-based proteins) and next-generation sustainable materials (fashion, automotive, homegoods). Its core offerings include qualitative and quantitative consumer research using surveys, experiments, focus groups, and interviews; evidence-based message design and testing grounded in science communication principles; and program evaluation frameworks including survey design, data collection protocols, training manuals, and long-term impact tracking systems for nonprofits.

The firm operates with a core team of three — founder Keri Szejda, Senior Research Scientist Yanqin Liu, PhD, and Graphic Designer Adam Cohen — supplemented by academic affiliations (ASU visiting scholar, Western Kentucky University adjunct faculty). Its underlying technology stack is research-methodology-driven rather than software-driven, relying on standard survey and qualitative research tooling combined with in-house design capabilities. It also operates WhatIsCultivatedMeat.com, an educational science communication website developed for the Educated Choices Program.

The business model is professional services consulting delivered through direct client engagement, with revenue streams across consumer research, science communication, and program evaluation services. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, tailored to each client's research scope. The go-to-market combines sales-led direct outreach, website contact form inquiries, and community-led growth via academic partnerships and professional networks. Customers are primarily mission-driven startups (Aleph Farms, Mzansi Meat Co., Mission Barns), enterprise buyers (Snack Futures/Mondelez, Insights Now), and nonprofit organizations (Material Innovation Initiative, Credence Institute, Educated Choices Program, VegFund, Food System Research Fund) across the US, UK, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, China, and Israel.

Name

North Mountain Consulting Group

Legal name

North Mountain Consulting Group

Website

https://northmountainconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consumer Research Services: Qualitative and quantitative research engagements conducted for mission-driven organizations to understand consumer adoption, perceptions, and behavior regarding sustainable technologies.
2. Science Communication Services: Strategic message design, testing, and educational content development including websites, reports, and visual design for science communication purposes.
3. Program Evaluation Services: Outreach evaluation and impact assessment services for nonprofit organizations, including survey design, data collection, training, and reporting.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

North Mountain Consulting Group provides consumer research, strategic message design and testing, and program evaluation services for mission-driven startups and nonprofits in the sustainable food and materials sectors. Services are delivered through surveys, experiments, focus groups, interviews, presentations, reports, and peer-reviewed publications, helping clients understand consumer adoption, design effective communications, and measure program impact.

Product overview

North Mountain Consulting Group offers a suite of research and communication services for mission-driven startups and nonprofits in the sustainable food and materials sectors. The core offerings include Consumer Research Services, Message Design & Testing, and Program Evaluation. Additionally, the company developed WhatIsCultivatedMeat.com, an educational science communication website about cellular agriculture. The company specializes in understanding and influencing consumer landscapes of emerging sustainable technologies in cellular agriculture, precision fermentation, sustainable materials, and plant-based proteins.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consumer Research Services Qualitative and quantitative consumer research services delivered for mission-driven organizations to understand consumer motivations and behavior regarding emerging sustainable technologies. Engagements use surveys, experiments, focus groups, and interviews, with deliverables including presentations, reports, or peer-reviewed publications.
• Message Design & Testing Strategic message design and testing service applying evidence-based science communication principles to develop and experimentally refine messaging for maximum impact, including websites, reports, and visual design for science communication purposes.
• Program Evaluation Evaluation services for nonprofit organizations using surveys, interviews, and other methods to assess program success and provide data for year-end reports and grant requirements. Includes survey design, data collection protocols, training manuals, and long-term tracking systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of US consumers expressed at least some likelihood to purchase next-gen materials
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Material Innovation InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Established ongoing consumer research program partnership for next-gen materials used in fashion, automotive, and homegoods industries. North Mountain conducts US pilot studies, nomenclature assessments, Chinese consumer studies, and segmentation research on consumer attitudes and purchase interest.
• Credence InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Research partnership for alternative protein adoption studies in South Africa. North Mountain serves as research advisors for Credence Institute's consumer surveys assessing plant-based and cultivated meat adoption as pathways to sustainable and equitable food supply.
• Educated Choices ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Commissioned to create the educational website WhatIsCultivatedMeat.com exploring the science of cellular agriculture and cultivated meat. Project included content development, site design, visual design, SEO optimization, and technical advising with academic and industry experts.
• Aleph FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership for consumer segmentation study on adoption of cultivated meat in US and UK markets. Study assessed nomenclature preferences, genetic modification attitudes, health enhancements, and consumer segmentation by generation and enthusiasm level.
• Mzansi Meat Co.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Research partnership to understand consumer adoption of cultivated meat in South Africa. North Mountain conducted secondary analysis of Credence Institute data to profile early adopter attitudes and sociodemographic characteristics.
• VegFundsecondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2020Program evaluation partnership designing and implementing outreach evaluation process for VegFund's four programmatic areas. Includes survey design, data collection protocols, training manual, webinar development, and long-term tracking system.
• Food System Research FundsecondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2020Data assessment partnership conducting search and feasibility assessment for data sources quantifying meat consumption in US and China by product type.
• Arizona State UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Founder Keri Szejda serves as a visiting scholar with ASU's School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Yanqin Liu serves as adjunct faculty in the Department of Communication at Western Kentucky University. Partnership provides academic credibility and research collaboration opportunities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• The Good Food Institute: A nonprofit focused on alternative protein advancement that conducts and publishes consumer and supply-chain research. Highly comparable to NMCG because the firm was founded by GFI's former Senior Consumer Research Scientist and serves the same mission-driven alt-protein ecosystem, though GFI operates as a broader nonprofit platform rather than a fee-for-service consultancy.
• IPSOS: One of the world's largest market research and consumer insights firms, offering qualitative and quantitative research services across industries. Comparable in delivering surveys, segmentation, and message-testing work, though IPSOS operates at vastly larger scale and across many sectors beyond alt-protein and sustainable materials.
• Morning Consult: A global research and data intelligence firm running large-scale consumer surveys, policy research, and brand tracking. Comparable in survey methodology and message-testing capabilities delivered to enterprise and nonprofit clients, though with much broader sector coverage including politics and finance.
• Kantar: A global research, insights, and consulting firm offering consumer research, segmentation, and brand-strategy services. Comparable in delivering message testing, consumer adoption research, and brand studies, but operating as a broad incumbent across many industries rather than specializing in alt-protein or sustainable materials.
• Mintel: A global consumer research and product intelligence firm producing reports on food, beverage, and consumer trends including emerging proteins. Comparable as a buyer and producer of consumer insights on novel foods and sustainable categories, but operating at much larger scope across all packaged goods verticals.

Direct peers

• Material Innovation Initiative: A nonprofit advancing next-generation sustainable materials through research, advocacy, and consumer insight work. Directly comparable as an NMCG partner on consumer research studies for fashion, automotive, and homegoods materials, addressing the same customer set and research methodologies.
• GlobeScan: A research and insights consultancy specializing in sustainability, purpose-driven branding, and consumer insights for mission-aligned companies. Closely comparable to NMCG in delivering evidence-based consumer insights on emerging sustainable technologies to mission-driven clients globally.
• Credence Institute: An applied research organization advancing cultivated and plant-based meat adoption in South Africa through consumer studies. Directly comparable as a documented NMCG research partner, addressing the same mission-driven alt-protein audience with overlapping survey, segmentation, and adoption-forecasting methodologies.
• Faunalytics: An animal-protection research organization conducting consumer and program-evaluation studies for advocacy groups. Comparable in research methodology (surveys, program evaluation, evidence-based impact measurement) and in serving mission-driven nonprofits that need scientific rigor to support fundraising, advocacy, and programmatic decisions.

Emerging players

• ProVeg: A European food awareness and alternative-protein organization that publishes consumer and market research on plant-based and cultivated proteins. Comparable in serving mission-driven organizations with consumer-insight outputs on novel food adoption, though ProVeg operates as an advocacy nonprofit rather than a paid consultancy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 North Mountain Consulting Group