Announcing the 2026 Insight Innovation Competition Finalists at IIEX West

Innovation in insights doesn’t always mean inventing an entirely new way to do research. Sometimes it means taking a familiar challenge, from finding the right participants to getting insights in front of decision-makers, and approaching it in a way that changes what’s possible.

That range is on display in the 2026 Insight Innovation Competition at IIEX West. This year’s five finalists are Enlightn, Digital Consumer Journey Tracking by Datacy, Priceagent’s Prediction Demand Engine, TestCart AI, and EXPLNERS. They’ll compete live on October 27 at IIEX West in San Francisco, presenting solutions that address different parts of how research is conducted, analyzed, and ultimately used to make decisions.

The 2026 Finalists at IIEX West

From participant recruitment and digital consumer behavior to pricing, shopper research, and insight storytelling, the 2026 finalists are tackling very different challenges. Together, they offer a snapshot of where innovation is happening across the insights process.

Enlightn is rethinking research recruitment by matching participants to targeting requirements before they enter a screener. Its platform activates high-confidence matches through permissioned suppliers, helping reduce screen-outs, improve incidence rates, and make fieldwork more predictable. An activation log gives insights teams greater visibility into how participants were recruited, making recruitment provenance more measurable and easier to explain.

Digital Consumer Journey Tracking, by Datacy, captures permissioned digital journeys to reveal how consumers move from discovery to purchase across search, social, retail, creator content, and AI platforms. Its Decision Intelligence platform identifies the channels, messages, experiences, and moments that influence decisions along the way. The approach gives brands a connected view of consumer behavior across touchpoints that are often measured separately.

Priceagent’s Prediction Demand Engine models consumer willingness to pay across a continuous demand curve, giving teams a more precise view of how purchasing behavior changes at different price points. Its proprietary algorithm identifies prices associated with maximum demand and revenue, along with psychological barriers that may affect purchasing decisions. Designed to produce actionable results in hours or days, the platform brings pricing analysis closer to the speed of product and business decision-making.

TestCart AI converts photographs of real retail shelves into interactive 3D environments for shopper research. Computer vision reconstructs products, prices, facings, dimensions, and shelf layouts, allowing participants to shop the environment from a standard laptop. AI cohorts can be tested using the same stimulus, with human and simulated results reported separately alongside alignment measures to help researchers assess where simulation can reliably support decision-making.

EXPLNERS uses short-form explainer videos to help insights teams communicate research to business stakeholders. Drawing on a format more commonly associated with journalism, it combines animation, data visualization, cultural and historical context, and expert interviews to build a narrative around research findings. The format offers insight teams another way to translate complex findings into stories designed for senior audiences and broader organizational use.

What Happens Next

The five finalists will pitch their solutions live on October 27, 2026, during day one of IIEX West in San Francisco. A panel of industry judges will select the Experts’ Choice winner, the competition’s top honor and recipient of the $10,000 prize, while IIEX West attendees will cast their votes for the Audience Favorite.

Get Involved

Get your ticket for IIEX West to see all five finalists pitch live in San Francisco and vote for the Audience Favorite.
Sign up for updates to be notified when applications open for the 2027 Insight Innovation Competition.

About the Insight Innovation Competition

Since 2013, Greenbook’s Insight Innovation Competition has created a platform for early-stage companies, emerging technologies, and new methodologies to gain visibility within the global insights community.

As part of the Insight Innovation Exchange (IIEX) conference series, the competition connects innovators directly with decision-makers who are actively looking for better ways to work. It’s where new ideas are introduced, tested, and often become part of the industry’s emerging best practices.