In 2009, Matt Warta and his good friend Carl Rossow were having a casual conversation at breakfast about how qualitative market research was a slow and labor-intensive process that had not evolved significantly in the last 45 years.
We thought, What if we could change qualitative market research in a similar way that Survey Monkey was transforming quantitative research? asked Warta. Using agile thinking and lean startup principles borrowed from the software industry, the two set out to change the landscape of market research. GutCheck launched in 2011 at DEMO, winning the $1 million top prize.
Over the next several years, the brand evolved considerably, launching iteration after iteration of not only online qualitative research tools, but also disrupting the online quantitative industry, said Warta.
The solution changed considerably, and Warta admits that GutCheck is not the same GutCheck solution it was when the company launched. We constantly listened to the market and evolved the solution to better suit client needs, he said.
The commitment to evolution has resulted in a company with more than 100 employees, completing more than 1,000 research projects each year. The DIY solution turned into a full-service, multi-language, cloud-based solution being used regularly by global leading companies like PepsiCo, Google, Chipotle and Nestlé, said Warta.
The evolution continues as the marketplace rapidly evolves, said Warta. His people-first approach to delivering powerful insights has significantly impacted the companys success. I believe that culture trumps strategy, said Warta. I plan to remain influential in the industry by continuing to innovate around the biggest problems our customers face.
Warta and the companys efforts have been recognized for innovation with honors such as the Denver Posts Top Workplaces numerous times and the 2019 GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Companies for Data and Analytics.
According to Wartas colleagues, he has attracted the industrys top researchers, sales managers and administrative professionals to join GutCheck, enabling the company to grow faster and more effectively.
Warta is also a frequent author on important industry topics and a frequent presenter at industry conferences. He hosts video talks on the Research Business DAILY Report and has published GRIT commentary articles. As a result, GutCheck is frequently cited as one of the most innovative companies in the industry.
He continues to bring agility to strategy to enable brands to gather robust foundational insights. For these efforts and his influence in the industry, Warta has earned a spot as a Titan.