What Tfactory does

Tfactory Trendagentur Markt- und Meinungsforschung GmbH is a privately held market and opinion research agency headquartered in Vienna, Austria, with a regional office in Hamburg, Germany. Founded in 2000 under the leadership of Prof. Bernhard Heinzlmaier, the firm specializes in youth market research and consulting for clients in Austria and Germany. Its core offerings comprise proprietary owned studies (including the Timescout trend study, the Austrian Youth Value Study, the Apprentice Study, the Jugend-Sex-Report, the Sinus-Milieu Youth Study, and a Financial Services Generation Study), commissioned custom research, strategic consulting on youth marketing and employer branding, public and in-house seminars/workshops, and a Focus Unit test studio with one-way mirror and observation rooms available for rental.

The firm differentiates through two proprietary methodological assets: the Timescout trend study, marketed as a transparent and verifiable forecasting instrument for young opinion leaders in Austria and Germany, and the Zukunftsmaschine (Future Machine) qualitative forecasting tool that underpins Timescout and is deployed in seminars on youth communication and influencer trends. The business model is project-based and transactional rather than subscription-based: studies are sold as packaged reports (€1,200-€4,350), seminars are sold per seat (€590-€990 with team and non-profit discounts), the test studio is rented on a per-engagement basis, consulting is delivered on a professional services basis, and book/auxiliary publication sales provide supplementary revenue. Go-to-market is hybrid: an event-driven motion via the dense public seminar calendar in Vienna and Hamburg, complemented by direct sales through account managers at both offices, email outreach, and the company website's news and newsletter channels. Key partnerships include the Institut für Jugendkulturforschung (co-founded by Prof. Heinzlmaier), Do it! Communications, Integral Markt- und Meinungsforschung, Digitalagentur crossconnect, and Prof. Dr. Bernd Marin / generationlab.

Name

Tfactory

Legal name

tfactory Trendagentur Markt- und Meinungsforschung GmbH

Website

https://tfactory.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tfactory is a Vienna-based, privately held market and opinion research firm serving marketing, HR, PR, financial services, and public-sector clients in Austria and Germany through proprietary youth trend studies (Timescout, Youth Value Study), custom research, seminars, and a Focus Unit test studio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom Research Studies: Tfactory conducts commissioned custom research studies for clients across industries, as well as proprietary owned-studies. Revenue is generated on a per-project basis, with study packages priced individually.
2. Seminars and Workshops: Public and inhouse seminars on youth marketing, youth communication, and employer branding are a key revenue stream. Participants pay per seat, with team discounts available. Sessions include live focus groups with youth.
3. Test Studio Rental: The Vienna-based Focus Unit and Horizon Room are rented out to external market research institutes and companies for focus groups, product tests, depth interviews, workshops, and seminars.
4. Consulting: Consulting services on youth marketing strategy, brand concepts, and communication strategies provided directly to businesses and organizations.
5. Publications and Books: Tfactory team members (notably Prof. Bernhard Heinzlmaier) author and sell books on youth culture, generation research, and societal trends.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tfactory is a youth-focused market and opinion research agency that conducts commissioned qualitative and quantitative studies on young target groups, runs paid expert seminars and workshops on youth marketing, communication, and employer branding, and rents out a Focus Unit test studio with one-way mirror for focus groups and product tests. Its proprietary instruments — including the TIMESCOUT trend study, the Zukunftsmaschine forecasting tool, the Österreichische Jugendwertestudie, the Lehrlingsstudie, the Sinus-Milieu Jugendstudie, and the Jugend-Sex-Report — are sold as packaged study reports, complete with presentations and consulting, to enterprise clients in Austria and Germany.

Product overview

Tfactory Trendagentur is a market and opinion research company specializing in youth target groups across Austria and Germany. The company offers a portfolio of research studies (TIMESCOUT trend study, Austrian Youth Value Study, Apprentice Study, Generation Studies), strategic consulting, seminars/workshops, and a test studio rental service. Their core offering consists of qualitative and quantitative youth research using their proprietary 'Zukunftsmaschine' forecasting tool. The company also publishes books on youth culture and generational research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Institut für Jugendkulturforschung (Institute for Youth Culture Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTfactory works closely with the Institute for Youth Culture Research (jugendkultur.at) in Vienna, co-conducting studies such as the Austrian Youth Value Study, apprentice studies, and generation research. Prof. Bernhard Heinzlmaier serves as co-founder and honorary chairman of the institute. Both organizations share staff and co-publish research.
• Do it! CommunicationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDo it! Communications, described as Austria's only truly young advertising agency with expertise in youth communication, co-delivers seminars with Tfactory, providing practical implementation perspectives alongside Tfactory's research expertise.
• Digitalagentur crossconnectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrossconnect, a digital agency, collaborated on seminars covering Instagram communication and youth digital media trends, providing practical digital marketing expertise.
• CICERO CONSULTING GmbHminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCICERO CONSULTING GmbH sponsors and co-organizes the compact youth communication seminar held on 30.09.2026 in Klagenfurt.
• Prof. Dr. Bernd Marin / generationlabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTfactory partnered with internationally recognized generation expert Prof. Dr. Bernd Marin and his generationlab for three joint seminars in autumn 2017 on Best-Agers, generational crisis, and new cultures of aging.
• Integral Markt- und MeinungsforschungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTfactory collaborated with Integral Markt- und Meinungsforschung on the 'Kulinarische Welten' Jour Fixe event and joint trend forecasting presentations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• KidsVerbraucherAnalyse (KidsVA): German syndicated study on kids and youth consumer behavior, used by brands and media companies. Comparable to Tfactory on DACH youth market intelligence, though operating a syndicated model rather than Tfactory's bespoke consulting approach.
• SPLENDID RESEARCH GmbH: Hamburg-based market research firm operating consumer and youth panels with digital-first methodology. Comparable to Tfactory on DACH youth research delivery, though with a more standardized, panel-based approach.

Broad incumbents

• GfK (Growth from Knowledge): Major German-origin market research company now part of NielsenIQ, with consumer panels and youth-related studies. Competes with Tfactory for enterprise research mandates in DACH and across Europe.
• Ipsos: Global market research group with broad portfolio including youth and consumer trend work. Comparable as a large incumbent that competes for the same enterprise research budgets, though its specialization is far wider than Tfactory's youth focus.
• YouGov: Global online market research and polling firm with panel-based consumer and youth trend tracking. Adjacent incumbent that increasingly competes for the same youth-insight budgets via cheaper digital methodologies.

Direct peers

• SINUS Markt- und Sozialforschung GmbH: German social and market research institute famous for its Sinus-Milieu methodology, which Tfactory explicitly licenses/uses for its Sinus-Milieu Jugendstudie. Directly comparable on target-group segmentation research and qualitative methodology.
• GIM Gesellschaft für innovative Marktforschung mbH: German qualitative market research agency with strong expertise in cultural and consumer insight work. Comparable to Tfactory on qualitative youth and trend research methodology and client mix.
• Integral Markt- und Meinungsforschung: Austrian market and opinion research firm listed as a Tfactory collaboration partner on trend forecasting events ('Kulinarische Welten'). Directly comparable on DACH market research and trend studies.
• iconkids & youth international research: Munich-based research agency specializing exclusively in children, youth, and family market research across Europe. Closest direct competitor to Tfactory in youth-focused qualitative and quantitative research.

Others

• Institut für Jugendkulturforschung: Vienna-based institute co-founded by Prof. Heinzlmaier that co-publishes flagship youth studies with Tfactory. Closely allied ecosystem participant rather than a competitor; supplies research capacity and academic standing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tfactory_trends
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcdUcCkGW1DHIYu7ycU1m_Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/tfactory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tfactory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Tfactory