Outset

At Outset, we believe the best research happens when you can ask anyone anything - and actually understand the answer. Our AI-moderated research platform empowers teams to conduct in-depth qualitative interviews at unprecedented scale, turning what used to take weeks into hours. Our AI interviewer leads natural, human-like conversations, asking thoughtful follow-ups and adapting to responses in real-time, then automatically synthesizes findings into actionable insights. We've seen teams run 100 interviews in days, conduct 75 overnight with a single researcher, and finally give research the seat at the table it deserves.

We're a tight-knit team of 30 based in San Francisco, backed by Y Combinator, 8VC, Radical Ventures, and M12 (Microsoft's venture arm). Our growth has been explosive - an 8x year as enterprises like Microsoft, Nestle, Uber, and Hubspot adopt AI-moderated research as their new standard. We move fast, ship constantly, and maintain the mindset that AI should deepen human understanding, not replace it. Whether you're shaping product roadmaps, exploring new markets, or evaluating brand positioning, Outset helps you get to the 'why' behind the 'what' - faster and at a scale traditional methods simply can't match.