Ones to Watch

Ones to Watch – Bounce Insights is making consumer research easy

By Business & Finance
21 January 2022

Pictured (L-R): Rónán Dowling-Cullen, Brian O’Mahony, and Charlie Butler of Bounce Insights

Each week Business & Finance highlights an up-and-coming start-up making waves in its industry. This week we look at Bounce Insights, a start-up founded by students from Trinity College Dublin in 2019. Bounce Insights is a market research technology platform that provides a direct link between brands and any consumer they need to speak to by maintaining a community of active, engaged respondents on its mobile app.


What is it? 

Bounce Insights is a consumer research platform that enables brands to validate the assumptions behind every decision they make, allowing them to capture authentic consumer data and insight as fast and easy as possible. For brands that are customer-centric, current research solutions lack the speed, agility and know-how to stay on the pulse of 21st century consumers. 

Simple, fast and agile, Bounce is flipping traditional research solutions on their head, empowering an insights-driven culture in any company at a fraction of the cost. 

Who’s behind it? 

The company was set up by five Trinity College students, now graduates, named Brian O’Mahony, Charlie Butler, Rónán Dowling-Cullen, Brandon Dooley & Josh Stafford. The start-up was inspired by a series of ideas that failed due to a distinct ‘lack of research and customer validation’. In order to satisfy their business ambitions, they launched a disruptor to the traditional market research industry.

How is it funded? 

Bounce Insights raised €750,000 in pre-seed funding in 2021, which is being followed up by a seed round in the region of €1.5-2m over the coming months. Current investors include Gareth Lambe (ex-MD of Meta Ireland), Michael Dwyer (ex-Pigsback) & Niall O’Sullivan (ex-Arconics).

Future plans? 

Following a successful first year in business in 2021, the young start-up hopes to build on its success in Ireland by expanding its platform across Europe. Working with brands like Diageo, Coca-Cola, Glanbia, Tesco & Pernod Ricard, the team has identified a unique opportunity within these large brands to bring their research requirements in-house. 

Bounce Insights have brought together every element of the consumer research process, automating and simplifying at every stage of the value chain, to act as an extension of these organisations that rely so heavily on consumer data and insights. 

This year will be a transformative year for the Dublin-based company as they expand their team to over 30 employees, and expand their partnerships with leading brands across Europe.