Unravel Research B.v.

What Unravel Research B.v. does

Unravel Research B.v. is a Dutch neuromarketing research agency founded in 2013 (originally as ST&T Research, rebranded in 2018) and headquartered in Utrecht. The firm measures unconscious consumer responses to marketing stimuli using a stack that includes EEG (ABM B-Alert X10 headset), eye tracking (Tobii X3-120 and Glasses 2), biometrics, emotion recognition, and Implicit Association Tests, with a proprietary four-metric EEG suite (Verlangen/Desire, Verwarring/Confusion, Aandacht/Attention, Workload) and methodologies such as the Brand Asset Monitor, Blur Test, and Intuitive Response Test.

The company's service portfolio covers communication and advertising research, branding research, retail and shopper research (POS testing, shelf layout, pricing, packaging), and neuro-usability research. Research is conducted in a home-lab setting in Utrecht and is delivered on a project basis, with engagements ranging from roughly €5,000 for small online usability studies up to €25,000 for complex in-store studies. In parallel, the firm operates Unravel Academy, an e-commerce storefront selling online neuromarketing training courses (e.g., Master of Retail Psychology at €970 ex VAT), and Unravel Behavior, an adjacent subsidiary focused on conversion optimization.

The go-to-market is consultative and sales-led, with named researchers (Tom van Bommel, Tim Zuidgeest, Diede Vendrig) driving engagement through weekly Wednesday lunch-webinars, a 150+ episode podcast, case studies, and direct outreach. Customers are predominantly mid-to-large Dutch enterprises across FMCG, retail, e-commerce, media, banking, telecom, and transport — including Albert Heijn, Heineken, Jumbo, Coolblue, PostNL, Nutricia, and Pathé. The firm is founder-owned, holds consecutive FD Gazelle awards (2020-2024), was named Data & Insights Bureau van het Jaar in 2023, and co-won the AMMA Award Best Research 2026 with Ad Alliance.

Name

Unravel Research B.v.

Legal name

Unravel Research B.v.

Website

https://unravelresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Unravel Research B.v. is a Dutch neuromarketing research agency that measures unconscious consumer responses via EEG, eye tracking, biometrics, and implicit tests to optimize advertising, branding, retail, and digital experiences for mid-to-large enterprises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neuromarketing Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral & Neuroscience Research (Biometrics, Eye-Tracking, Neuromarketing) (MPAAALAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Product & Innovation Research (Concept, Pricing, Packaging, Conjoint) (MPAAALAI)

Keywords

• Neuromarketing research
• Consumer neuroscience
• Brand research services
• Eye tracking services
• Retail shopper research

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Neuromarketing Research Projects: Project-based professional research services across four core areas: Communication (advertising, entertainment, online), Branding (brand assets, brand health, CEPs), Retail & Shopper (shelf layout, POS, packaging, pricing), and Usability (web/app). Pricing is custom per project scope. Complex in-store studies can reach €25,000; simpler online usability studies start around €5,000.
2. Neuromarketing Training & Academy: Online neuromarketing courses offered through Unravel Academy, including Neuromarketing Fundamentals, Neuromarketing Reclame Training, Master of Retail Psychology & Shopper Neuroscience, and De Psychologie van Copywriting. Courses are sold as one-time purchases with lifetime access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Unravel Research B.v. is a Dutch neuromarketing research agency that designs and executes custom consumer neuroscience studies for enterprise brands, measuring unconscious responses to advertising, digital design, retail/shopper environments, product and packaging stimuli, and brand assets. The agency combines EEG, eye tracking, biometrics and implicit testing methods, and complements its services with a training line (Unravel Academy) and proprietary tools including the Brand Asset Monitor and a Predictive Eye Tracking AI offering.

Product overview

Unravel Research B.v. is a neuromarketing research agency offering a comprehensive suite of research services and methodologies to help brands optimize marketing effectiveness. The portfolio includes Communication Research, Advertising Research (with Predictive Eye Tracking AI), Branding Research (Brand Asset Monitoring, Brand Health Tracking, Image Research, Category Entry Points), Retail & Shopper Research (Customer Decision Tree, POS Testing, Shelf Layout, Pricing, Packaging), and Neuro Usability Research. Core technologies include EEG (ABM B-Alert X10), Eye Tracking (Tobii), Implicit Association Tests, Biometrics, and Emotion Recognition. The company also operates Unravel Academy, an online training platform. Research is conducted using quantitative (predicting success) and qualitative (identifying specific improvements) analysis methods, with deliverables including concrete optimization recommendations and A/B testing validation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Neuromarketing Research Services Bespoke neuromarketing research engagements for enterprise brands, measuring unconscious consumer responses to advertising, digital design, retail/shopper environments, product/packaging stimuli and brand assets using EEG, eye tracking, biometrics and implicit testing methods.
• Brand Asset Monitor

Quantifiable outcome

• 15% conversion improvement from changing red error messages to orange (A/B test, client reference)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tilburg University (Universiteit Tilburg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic research partnership with Tilburg University to advance the field of Consumer Neuroscience in combination with AI and Machine Learning. Collaboration enables academic rigor and integration of cutting-edge ML techniques into neuromarketing research methodologies. Listed on both Dutch and English versions of the website as a core partnership.
• Neuromarketing Science & Business Association (NMSBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnravel is a member of the international Neuromarketing Science & Business Association, the industry's business association for neuromarketing companies. Membership provides legitimacy, industry standards alignment, and thought leadership positioning within the global neuromarketing community.
• D&IN (Data & Insights Network)minorOthersUnravel is a member of D&IN (Data & Insights Network) and thereby endorses the fundamental principles of the Fair Data Privacy Code. This membership signals commitment to data privacy standards in research practices.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• System1 (formerly BrainJuicer): Behavioral-science marketing research firm that uses implicit testing (similar to Unravel's IAT/IRT methodologies) and emotional measurement to predict advertising and brand effectiveness. Direct competitor in the implicit/behavioral research space, now scaled globally through the System1 platform.
• Realeyes: AI-based attention and emotion measurement company using webcam-based facial coding and computer vision. Direct competitor in AI-driven attention/emotion measurement, particularly relevant given Unravel's 2026 Predictive Eye Tracking (AI) launch and overlap in attention/emotion analytics.
• Sensum: UK-based neuromarketing research agency offering EEG and biometric consumer-research services to brands. Closest direct peer in the European mid-market neuromarketing segment, serving similar advertiser and brand clients with a comparable methodology stack.
• Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience (formerly NeuroFocus): The global leader in neuromarketing research, combining EEG, eye tracking, biometrics and implicit testing for advertisers and brands. Directly competes with Unravel in the same neuroscience-based marketing-research category, but at vastly larger global scale and brand-recognition.

Broad incumbents

• GfK: Global market research firm with deep consumer-behavior expertise and significant FMCG/retail client base. Serves overlapping enterprise clients with broader portfolio of brand, shopper and consumer insights services.
• Kantar: Global market research leader (spun out of WPP) with extensive brand and advertising-effectiveness practices (Kantar Millward Brown, Kantar Worldpanel). Broader portfolio than Unravel but overlapping enterprise clients in FMCG, retail and media categories.
• Ipsos: Global market research leader with dedicated neuromarketing and advertising-effectiveness practices (Ipsos ASI, neuro units). Operates at much larger scale across advertising research, brand research and usability testing, with overlapping service offerings for the same enterprise client segments.

Regional players

• SKIM: Netherlands-based market research firm specializing in pricing research, communication testing and behavioral decision-making. Regional peer serving similar Dutch enterprise clients in FMCG, retail and healthcare with adjacent (rather than neuroscience-anchored) methodologies.
• InSites Consulting: Belgium-based consumer insight and marketing research firm with strong Benelux presence. Regional peer serving similar FMCG and retail clients, with an innovation-led brand-strategy and shopper-experience offering that overlaps parts of Unravel's portfolio.
• House of Research: Dutch market research firm serving enterprise clients in the Netherlands. Smaller regional competitor offering qualitative and quantitative research services, competing for the same mid-market Dutch enterprise budget that Unravel targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnwCEH-XMK5vkJrj3RiltOQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unravel-neuromarketing-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Unravel Research B.v.