Background
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Datassential is a premier food and beverage intelligence platform. The company specializes in providing trend software, predictive analytics, and consumer insights to manufacturers, food retailers, and chain restaurants, enabling them to innovate and sell more effectively. Datassential's mission is to make the food industry smarter by delivering actionable data and insights that drive informed decision-making. The company's services are trusted by 90% of the top food and beverage companies globally, including notable brands such as Burger King, DoorDash, General Mills, Land O’ Lakes, Pepsi, Starbucks, and Target.
Key Strategic Focus
Datassential's strategic focus centers on empowering the food and beverage industry through a suite of AI-powered solutions and proprietary data. The company's core objectives include:
- Trend Analysis and Predictive Analytics: Utilizing advanced analytics to forecast industry trends and consumer preferences.
- Menu and Consumer Insights: Providing personalized, data-driven innovation strategies for menu development and consumer engagement.
- Competitive Benchmarking: Offering tools to measure success factors and deliver what consumers want by analyzing competitors.
- Sales Intelligence: Assisting clients in discovering new customers and boosting conversion rates through targeted insights.
Datassential's primary markets include food manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and operators, with a significant emphasis on leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance service offerings.
Financials and Funding
As of May 2025, Datassential's estimated annual revenue is approximately $35 million, with a revenue per employee of $228,117. The company has experienced a 14% growth in employee count over the past year, bringing the total number of employees to 198. In September 2024, Datassential received a strategic investment from New Mountain Capital and Endicott Capital, both growth-oriented investment firms. The investment aims to support Datassential's continued growth and innovation in the food and beverage intelligence sector.
Technological Platform and Innovation
Datassential distinguishes itself through its proprietary technological platforms and innovative methodologies:
- Price Monitor: An AI-powered solution that standardizes and codes menu items, providing restaurant companies with comprehensive insights into price variations across menu items, locations, and competitors over time. This tool captures data across 90,000 location-specific major restaurant brand menus monthly.
- Datassential One: An all-in-one food and beverage intelligence platform that offers unlimited insights in a centralized interface, facilitating trend prediction, idea testing, and customer discovery with ease.
The company's technological stack includes Salesforce for customer relationship management, PostgreSQL for database management, Oracle for enterprise solutions, and programming languages such as Python and JavaScript, supported by frameworks like Vue.js and GSAP.
Leadership Team
Datassential's leadership team comprises experienced professionals dedicated to driving the company's mission:
- Jim Emling: Chief Executive Officer
- Dana Konwiser: Chief Product Officer
- Debra Stock Wolman: Chief Sales Officer
- Megan Lynberg: Senior Vice President of Sales, North America
In March 2025, Debra Stock Wolman joined Datassential as Chief Sales Officer, bringing extensive experience in sales strategy and market expansion. Additionally, in June 2024, Megan Lynberg was promoted to Senior Vice President of Sales, North America, reflecting the company's commitment to strengthening its sales leadership.
Competitor Profile
Market Insights and Dynamics
The food and beverage intelligence market is characterized by a growing demand for data-driven insights to inform product development, marketing strategies, and competitive positioning. Companies in this sector leverage advanced analytics and AI technologies to provide actionable intelligence to food manufacturers, retailers, and service providers.
Competitor Analysis
Datassential faces competition from several key players:
- Technomic: Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Technomic provides comprehensive research and consulting services to the foodservice industry, focusing on market trends, consumer behavior, and competitive analysis.
- Packaged Facts: Established in 1960 and based in Rockville, Maryland, Packaged Facts offers market research reports covering a wide range of consumer goods, including food and beverage sectors, with insights into market trends and consumer preferences.
- Transparency Market Research: Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, Transparency Market Research provides global market research reports and analysis across various industries, including food and beverages, focusing on market dynamics and forecasts.
These competitors offer similar services, emphasizing market research, trend analysis, and consumer insights within the food and beverage industry.
Strategic Collaborations and Partnerships
Datassential has engaged in strategic collaborations to enhance its market position and service offerings:
- Acquisition of Brizo FoodMetrics: In May 2025, Datassential acquired Brizo FoodMetrics, a provider of actionable market intelligence for foodservice companies. This acquisition aims to accelerate business decisions and unlock new opportunities for clients.
- Partnership with International Corporate Chefs Association (ICCA) and Global Culinary Innovators Association (GCIA): In March 2025, Datassential became the exclusive preferred menu insights partner for ICCA and GCIA, strengthening its role in providing valuable insights to culinary professionals.
Operational Insights
Datassential's strategic initiatives, including the development of AI-powered tools like Price Monitor and the acquisition of Brizo FoodMetrics, position the company to offer comprehensive, data-driven solutions that address the evolving needs of the food and beverage industry. These efforts enhance Datassential's competitive advantage by providing clients with unparalleled insights into market trends, pricing strategies, and consumer behavior.
Strategic Opportunities and Future Directions
Looking ahead, Datassential is poised to capitalize on several strategic opportunities:
- Expansion of AI Capabilities: Continuing to invest in artificial intelligence to enhance predictive analytics and trend forecasting, providing clients with more accurate and actionable insights.
- Global Market Penetration: Leveraging recent investments and acquisitions to expand services into new geographic markets, catering to a broader client base.
- Product Diversification: Developing new tools and platforms that address emerging needs within the food and beverage industry, such as sustainability analytics and health trend monitoring.
By building on its current strengths and embracing innovation, Datassential aims to maintain its leadership position and drive future growth in the food and beverage intelligence sector.
Contact Information
- Website: datassential.com
- LinkedIn: Datassential LinkedIn Profile
