Outward Intelligence has been ranked No. 216 on the 2026 Inc. 5000, placing the AI-powered market research company among America's fastest-growing private companies. The bootstrapped, profitable company has grown to more than eight figures in annual recurring revenue as leading brands adopt its faster, technology-driven approach to consumer insights.

NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Outward Intelligence Named No. 216 on the 2026 Inc. 5000 List of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies

AI-powered market research company surpasses eight figures in annual recurring revenue as leading brands adopt a faster, technology-driven approach to consumer insights

Outward Intelligence, the AI-powered quantitative market research platform built by former leaders from Palantir and The Harris Poll, today announced that it has been ranked No. 216 on the 2026 Inc. 5000, the annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

The recognition follows a period of rapid growth for Outward Intelligence. The company grew from more than $1 million in revenue within eight months of commercialization to more than $10 million in annual recurring revenue today, while remaining bootstrapped and profitable. Outward Intelligence has also tripled the size of its team over the past year and now works with major global enterprises and category leading brands across a range of industries.

"We started Outward Intelligence because we believed there was a fundamentally better way to do market research," said Amir Kanpurwala, co-founder of Outward Intelligence. "We bootstrapped the company from $1 million in our first year to more than $10 million in ARR today, and we're now trusted with important research programs by some of the world's leading brands. What I'm most proud of is that we've achieved that growth by staying relentlessly focused on our clients, using AI not to replace researchers, but to give great researchers better technology, dramatically improve data quality and deliver answers much faster. Being recognized among the top 5% of companies on the Inc. 5000 is meaningful validation that this model is working."

Outward Intelligence was founded to modernize quantitative market research through a technology enabled platform that helps companies conduct sophisticated research faster and with greater visibility into data quality. The platform supports brand and reputation tracking, advertising and creative testing, customer and audience research, positioning, segmentation and other custom research programs, with built in fraud detection, realtime analytics and AI assisted insights.

This year's Inc. 5000 recognizes a new class of companies redefining what growth looks like. From AI and advanced manufacturing to healthcare, consumer products and professional services, these businesses are expanding their impact, creating jobs and demonstrating the continued strength of entrepreneurial businesses in the U.S. economy.

Among the 5,000 companies on the list, the median three-year revenue growth rate was 130%, and those companies collectively added more than 627,208 jobs to the U.S. economy over the past three years.

For the full Inc. 5000 list, honoree company profiles and a searchable database by industry and location, please visit Inc.com/inc5000.

"Every company on the Inc. 5000 has a story of perseverance, smart decision making, and a refusal to sit still," said Mike Hofman, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Their growth reflects more than strong financial performance—it reflects creativity, resilience, and the customer focus required to build companies that make a lasting impact. We congratulate all honorees on this significant achievement."

Inc. 5000 List Methodology

Companies on the 2026 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2022 to 2025. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2022. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2025. The minimum revenue required for 2022 is $100,000; the minimum for 2025 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Outward Intelligence

Outward Intelligence is an AI-powered quantitative market research platform built by former leaders from Palantir and The Harris Poll. The company combines advanced technology with experienced researchers to help brands conduct faster, higher quality, and more actionable research across brand tracking, advertising and creative testing, customer experience, corporate reputation and custom research.

Trusted by leading brands, Outward Intelligence uses AI throughout the research process from survey programming and sample management to fraud detection and analysis while keeping experienced researchers involved in study design, interpretation and strategy. The result is high-quality research delivered in a fraction of traditional industry timelines.

Learn more at OutwardIntelligence.com.

About Inc.

Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, innovators and ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company.

Media Contact

Jason Stewart

jason@outwardintelligence.com

Learn more at outwardintelligence.com

Media Contact

Will Johnson, Outward Intelligence, 1 8476825537, will@outwardintelligence.com, outwardintelligence.com

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SOURCE Outward Intelligence