Qualitate raises $25 million from Insight Partners for AI run expert interviews, pitching it as a replacement for Gartner and McKinsey
We just raised $25M from Insight Partners to replace Gartner, McKinsey, and GLG. RIP the Quadrant, the 80-page consulting deck, and the $2000 expert network call. Our revenue run-rate is up 10x+ this year. 100+ investment firms and enterprises use Qualitate to inform decisions with firsthand evidence. Here's how:
Context
Funding for AI research interviewers shows investors betting that agents can take over parts of consulting and expert network work.
This is a promotional post from Qualitate's founder and chief executive, Sagar Kadakia, announcing his own company's raise. The growth figures are company reported and unverified.
Deep dive
On October 20, Sagar Kadakia posted that Qualitate raised $25 million from Insight Partners to replace Gartner, McKinsey and GLG, the research, consulting and expert network firms. He said its revenue run rate is up more than 10 times this year and that more than 100 investment firms and enterprises use it. The post links to a demo booking page.
Qualitate's press release calls it a $25 million Series A led by Insight Partners, with existing investors IA Ventures and Crew Capital. It says the company runs an AI interviewer that conducts thousands of expert conversations a month and turns them into a searchable research library, and that it has conducted more than 1 million minutes of AI moderated interviews.
Insight Partners managing director Crissy Behrens said Insight was a Qualitate customer before leading the round. Dealroom reported the round follows a $7 million seed announced in April, and noted the revenue and interview figures are unverified company claims. An SEC filing from August lists Behrens as a director.
The claim that Qualitate will replace firms like Gartner and McKinsey is the founder's pitch. The press release describes a narrower product: automated primary research interviews.
What to expect next
Watch whether Qualitate discloses customers or revenue figures that can be checked, beyond its own growth claims. Expert networks such as GLG and research firms such as Gartner may respond with their own AI interview tools, which would test how much of their business AI can take over. Also watch whether more startups in automated expert research raise similar rounds.