EmSense

About EmSense

EmSense Corporation, founded in 2004 by seven Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates, operated in the neuromarketing research sector from its headquarters in San Francisco. The firm specialized in scalable physiological and brainwave measurement technology, providing market researchers and marketers with direct access to consumer cognitive and emotional responses. Revenue was generated by offering these neurometrics research services and partnering with established market research firms such as Millward Brown, GfK, and SymphonyIRI to integrate its bio-sensory technology with traditional research products.

The company's core product was the EmSense headset, a device engineered to measure brainwave activity, cognition, and emotion as consumers interacted with various media, including advertising, video games, and television shows. This proprietary hardware, known as the EmBand, also incorporated physiological sensors to track metrics like blinking, breathing, heart activity, and even blushing, providing a multi-faceted view of a consumer's subconscious reactions. A key aspect of EmSense's strategy was to scale its research by enabling study participants to use the non-invasive hardware from their own homes, a departure from typical lab-based neuromarketing studies. The company secured $20 million in funding across three rounds from investors including Technology Partners and Foundry. In 2015, competitor Nielsen acquired another neuromarketing firm, Innerscope Research, and consolidated its offerings under the name Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience, signaling a significant shift in the market landscape.