Qriously
AcquiredWilmington, US · Delaware corporation · 3 known investors
UK market research and polling company that surveys mobile app users via ad units; acquired by Brandwatch.
Also known as Brandwatch Qriously · Qriously Limited · Qriously Ltd.
Founders & leadership
Board
Investors · 3
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$3.6M disclosed across 2 of 4 rounds · 2010–2017
▶$1.1MraisedDec 2017 · 4 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Christopher KahlerExecutive Officer, Director
- Russell BuckleyDirector
- Julian KennyExecutive Officer
- Gerald MuellerExecutive Officer
- Rene RechtmanDirector
- Santo PolitiDirector
- Abraham MuellerExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $1.1M
- Amount sold
- $1.1M
- First sale
- Oct 2017
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$2.5MraisedMar 2017 · 6 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Rene RechtmanDirector
- Russell BuckleyDirector
- Santo PolitiDirector
- Christopher KahlerExecutive Officer, Director
- Gerald MuellerExecutive Officer
- Abraham MuellerExecutive Officer, Director
- Julian KennyExecutive Officer
- Offering amount
- $2.6M
- Amount sold
- $2.5M
- Proceeds to insiders
- $30K
- First sale
- Mar 2017
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Qriously, now known as Brandwatch Qriously, is a limited company operating in market research and public opinion polling. It was founded on 29 November 2010 by Christopher Kahler, Gerald Müller and Abraham Müller, and is headquartered at Brandwatch in Brighton, United Kingdom. According to a Bloomberg description cited by Wikipedia, the company "provides an online service for measuring location-based public sentiments in real-time."
The core approach is to place questions inside advertising slots within mobile apps, so that app users answer survey questions in place of seeing a conventional advertisement. The company is a member of the British Polling Council and has applied its methodology to political polling, including UK and Italian referendum and general election voting-intention polls.
Founding story
Co-founded by Austrians Christopher Kahler (CEO), Gerald Müller and Abraham Müller. The three had worked together in China in 2007 on Urbian, a location-based mobile venture. When earlier venture funding ran out in 2010, they pivoted to profitable Android apps, which led to the idea of asking mobile users short targeted questions, and they set the company up in London.
Business model
The business model is based on developing advertisements within mobile apps that display questions for users to answer, generating survey and opinion data sold as market research and polling output.
Traction
As of June 2015 the company had raised $5.1 million and had 19 employees. It claimed its polls correctly predicted the outcomes of the 2016 UK Brexit referendum and the 2016 Italian referendum. Its poll published with Wired the day before the 2017 UK general election showed Labour 41% and Conservatives 39%, versus final results of 41% and 44%, so it did not predict the outcome, though its Labour figure was closer than most mainstream polls. A poll published by Brandwatch using the company's technology the day before the 2019 UK general election showed Conservatives 43.2%, Labour 30.4% and Liberal Democrats 11.6%, against final results of 43.6%, 32.2% and 11.6%.
Latest developments
Brandwatch acquired Qriously, reported by TechCrunch on 28 March 2019 and Research Live on 29 March 2019; the entity is now presented as Brandwatch Qriously with the brandwatch.com website. Brandwatch published a general election prediction using Qriously technology for the 2019 UK general election.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
A member of the British Polling Council, listed among advertising technology companies. In 2014 Qriously received Advertising Age's award for the "worst name in ad-tech," chosen by poll ahead of Vungle, Nanigans, AdsWizz and Burt.
Technology
Survey delivery through mobile app advertising inventory, where question units replace ads, enabling location-based measurement of public sentiment in real time.
Go-to-market
Market research and public opinion polling buyers, including media outlets publishing election polling (for example a joint poll with Wired ahead of the 2017 UK general election).
Geography
Headquartered in Brighton, United Kingdom (at Brandwatch). The company was established in London; the founders were previously based in China and Austria. Polling work covered the United Kingdom and Italy.
History
The founders were working in China in 2007, where they created Urbian, a location-based mobile business that preceded Foursquare. After two venture capital rounds ran out in 2010, they shifted to building Android apps that could be profitable, which evolved into asking mobile users simple targeted questions. They returned to Austria in 2010 and raised $1.6 million from Accel Partners on the basis of establishing the company in London. The company was founded on 29 November 2010. A Series A round led by Spark Capital, with participation from existing backer Accel, followed. By June 2015 the company had raised $5.1 million and employed 19 people. Wikipedia states the company has been owned by Brandwatch as of March 2018, with TechCrunch and Research Live reporting the acquisition in late March 2019.
Risks & controversies
The accuracy of the company's methodology has been questioned in press coverage, including a 2017 Guardian piece examining the methodology behind its pre-election poll, and the 2017 poll did not correctly predict the election outcome. In 2014 it was voted the "worst name in ad-tech" by Advertising Age readers.
Compiled by commissioned research from 2 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsPoll showed Conservatives 43.2%, Labour 30.4%, Liberal Democrats 11.6%; final results were 43.6%, 32.2% and 11.6%.
TechCrunch reported on 28 March 2019 that Brandwatch acquired market research startup Qriously; Research Live reported 'Brandwatch buys Qriously' on 29 March 2019. Wikipedia states the company is owned by Brandwatch as of March 2018.
Poll showed voting intentions of 41% Labour and 39% Conservative; final results were 41% and 44%.
Qriously won Advertising Age's poll for the worst name in ad-tech, ahead of Vungle, Nanigans, AdsWizz and Burt.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 2
primary sources listed
- Brandwatch Qriously - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · web
2 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Qriously do?
- UK market research and polling company that surveys mobile app users via ad units; acquired by Brandwatch.
- Who founded Qriously?
- Qriously was founded by Christopher Kahler, Julian Kenny.
- Who are Qriously's investors?
- Qriously's investors include Higher Ground Labs, Accel, Spark Capital.
- How much funding has Qriously raised?
- Qriously has disclosed $3.6M raised across 2 of its 4 known rounds.
- Where is Qriously headquartered?
- Qriously is headquartered in Wilmington, US.