Cate Riegner

I'm a market research strategist with over 25 years of experience working with the world's leading technology companies — Google, Airbnb, eBay, Meta, Netflix — on the questions that matter most: who are your customers, what do they need, and how do you reach them in a way that actually resonates? My work spans both B2B and B2C, from mid-market and SMB products to enterprise and consumer platforms.

My work spans the full range of research disciplines — segmentation, brand tracking, UX, concept testing, pricing, competitive analysis — executed at global scale across more than 30 countries and 40 languages. I've always been drawn to the complex, the ambiguous, and the high-stakes.

Most recently, as AI Strategy Lead at a leading research firm, I led the evaluation of AI-assisted methodologies and synthetic respondent platforms from the inside — giving me an unusually clear view of how traditional research organizations think, where they resist change, and what it takes to move them forward.

I founded NetPop Research in 1997 and built it into a trusted strategic research partner for Silicon Valley's most demanding clients. Before that, I led strategy and research for advertising campaigns at Lai, Venuti & Lai and Foote, Cone & Belding during the dot-com era — where I developed the qualitative and quantitative foundations I still rely on today. I hold an M.A. in Communication from the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from Smith College.

One thing that distinguishes my approach: I treat research as an alignment tool, not just an answers tool. The most valuable work I've done brings together product, marketing, engineering, and the C-suite around a shared picture of the customer — and turns that picture into decisions.

Who I work with: Technology companies — from market leaders to ambitious startups — seeking rigorous research to understand their customers, sharpen their positioning, and inform product and competitive strategy.