Outset Raises 17M to Revolutionize AI-Powered Market Research

For nearly two decades, enterprise leaders have sought faster, deeper ways to understand their customers. Enter Outset, a San Francisco-based startup that’s rewriting the rules of market research with artificial intelligence. Having raised $17 million in Series A funding, Outset is poised to scale its AI-moderated research platform, which conducts video interviews at unprecedented speed and scale for Fortune 500 companies.

Traditional market research is notoriously slow and costly, often taking weeks or months to complete dozens of interviews. Outset’s AI agents, however, can conduct hundreds of video interviews in under a week, reducing costs by 81% and delivering results eight times faster. This leap in efficiency is transforming how companies like Nestlé and Microsoft gather customer insights.

Outset’s platform uses AI moderators that interact with participants via synthesized voice, text, images, and videos. Participants respond through video, voice, text, or screen sharing, enabling rich user experience research. The AI then automatically synthesizes data, providing instant analytics and reports, eliminating weeks of manual analysis.

Nestlé uses Outset to test new food product concepts across thousands of brands, conducting hundreds of interviews in just days to understand consumer reactions to ingredients, packaging, and pricing. Microsoft leverages the platform to enhance user experience research for its AI products, scaling their ability to learn from users with AI assistance.

Venture capitalists see a $140 billion market opportunity in AI-powered research platforms. 8VC, the lead investor in Outset’s funding round, highlights the massive addressable market spanning UX research, general research software, and human-led research budgets. The company’s rapid growth—doubling revenue in four months and expanding enterprise customers—reflects a broader shift toward AI adoption in market research.

Outset competes with traditional incumbents like Qualtrics and UserTesting but differentiates itself with a comprehensive AI-native platform featuring enterprise-grade security, customizable AI moderators, and scalable research capabilities. While AI excels at large-scale, speed-focused projects, Outset recommends combining AI and human moderation for deeper, relationship-driven interviews.

Interestingly, participants often open up more to AI interviewers than human researchers, reducing barriers to honest feedback. This phenomenon could redefine how empathy and connection are achieved in customer research, leveraging AI’s tireless, nonjudgmental nature to listen deeply and at scale.

With the new funding, Outset plans to expand its go-to-market team and develop even more advanced AI agents, aiming to democratize customer insights across entire organizations. Imagine any employee asking an AI a question and receiving comprehensive research results within hours—this vision could soon become reality.

Outset’s trajectory signals a seismic shift in market research, where AI-moderated platforms may soon replace traditional methods, offering enterprises faster, cheaper, and more scalable ways to understand their customers. For decision-makers, embracing AI research platforms like Outset could unlock unprecedented customer insights and competitive advantage.