The world around us is changing faster than ever before. Automation, artificial intelligence, big data, geo-location and advanced technology are reshaping every aspect of the way we work and live—and data is at the center of this transformation. Welcome to the Data Gurus Podcast, a leading market research podcast hosted by Sima Vasa, CEO of Infinity Squared Ventures.

5-Star rating on Apple Podcasts
Top 5 Market Research Podcasts by Greenbook, 2022

Browse Episodes

How Client Voices Drive Strategy with Elizabeth Finn of The Directions Group

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Elizabeth Finn, President and CEO of The Directions Group. Elizabeth shares her journey from market research beginnings to leading a respected insights firm. She explains how she is guiding the company with an AI-first mindset, integrated intelligence framework and client-centric leadership. Elizabeth offers candid reflections on building ... Read more

Solving Data Quality Challenges with Dyna Boen of Escalent, Jon Kay of Intuit, Bob Fawson of Data Quality Co-op and Steven Snell of Rep Data

On this episode, host Sima Vasa leads a candid panel discussion on the state of data quality with four industry leaders: Dyna Boen, EVP/Managing Director of Escalent; Jon Kay, Principal Market Research Manager of Intuit; Bob Fawson, Co-Founder of Data Quality Co-Op; and Steven Snell, EVP, Head of Research of Rep Data. Together, they explore ... Read more

Why Your Audience Targeting Is Missing 90% of Buyers with David Allison of The Valuegraphics Research Company

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to David Allison, Founder of The Valuegraphics Research Company, about replacing ineffective demographic targeting with values-based segmentation. Drawing on over one million surveys across 180 countries, David explains why demographics have a 90% fail rate and how identifying what truly matters to people can increase effectiveness eightfold. Key ... Read more

Consumer Paradoxes and Market Shifts with J. Walker Smith of Kantar

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks with J. Walker Smith, Knowledge Lead at Kantar. They discuss shifting consumer sentiments, the paradox of strong spending amid uncertainty and changes in market insights. Key Takeaways: (02:14) Experience in trends and futures at Kantar aids in predicting consumer values. (04:37) Consumer spending is strong, but sentiment is ... Read more

The Financial Impact of Brand Investments with Greg Silverman of Interbrand

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Greg Silverman, Global Director of Brand Economics at Interbrand. Greg shares how Interbrand quantifies the financial impact of brand and aligns marketing insights with shareholder value. Drawing from decades of brand valuation work, he explains how research, including discrete choice modeling, bridges the language gap between CMOs ... Read more

Going Beyond the Brief with Cynthia Harris of 8:28 Insights

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Cynthia Harris, Founder, Managing Director and Lead Operator of 8:28 Insights, about building a human-centered insights agency, the value of lived experience in leadership and the role AI can and can’t play in research. Cynthia shares her career path from launching products at Bath & Body Works ... Read more

Reputation as a Business Asset with Daniel Gaynor of Signal AI

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Daniel Gaynor, Co-Founder of Kelp and SVP of Strategy at Signal AI, about how reputation is becoming a quantifiable, strategic asset — and how AI is making that possible. Daniel shares his career journey from public policy to launching Kelp, how Signal AI is building agentic tools ... Read more

Why In-the-Moment Data Matters with James Turner of Delineate

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to James Turner, Founder and CEO of Delineate, about redefining data collection and insight generation in today’s fast-paced market research landscape. James shares his journey from mining engineer to data mining expert and explains how Delineate bridges the gap between traditional research practices and agile, technology-driven approaches. Key Takeaways: ... Read more
Meet your host

Sima Vasa

Sima Vasa is a growth-focused strategic advisor, investment banker, and entrepreneur with industry-leading expertise in market research and data ecosystems. She is the Founder and CEO of Infinity Squared Ventures, an organization focused on advising middle-market data and analytics companies in business strategy, product innovation, and growth. She is also a Managing Director with Oberon Securities, a New York investment bank. Sima is the host of the weekly Data Gurus podcast, and is a frequent speaker at national conferences on market research, insights and investment banking.

Data Gurus

Each week, we explore market research topics, interview industry leaders, and reveal new insights into the world of data. Our mission is to bring you a real-life perspective on what’s happening in the data industry, and share how successful companies and individuals in this niche are surviving and thriving through the sea of change. We encourage you to be bold, be brave and be fearless. Let’s navigate the data ecosystem together.

Be a Guest

Interested in being a guest on the Data Gurus podcast? We want to hear from you! Please let us know who you are, what company you represent, and what topic you would like to speak about, if interviewed on our show.

Testimonials

Worth The Listen “Really enjoyed listening to each guest and their different perspectives, regarding what they do and how it relates to our ever-changing industry. The host, Sima Vasa, is energetic, enthusiastic, and adds to the whole ‘Be Bold, Be Brave, Be Fearless’ vibe. You can tell she loves what she does and is 100% engaged with her guests. I highly recommend Data Gurus to all, not only for those who are obsessed with data and the industry, but for the life lessons that can be learned as well.”

Data Dork
03/07/2018

Entertaining, insightful and actionable! “Whether you’re well established as a data innovator, or just getting started carving out your niche — this is a must-listen podcast for you! Sima does an incredible job leading conversations that cover a huge breadth of topics related to the ins and outs of navigating our shifting technological landscape — with leaders who’ve actually experienced success themselves. Highly recommend listening and subscribing!”

Josh Crist
05/17/2022

Relevant & Instructive “Sima’s podcasts are a great resource for the market research (MR) industry. The discussion with Ravi Parmeswar, Winning the CPG Analytics Race 001, was helpful in understanding what issues clients face, and it also provided some thoughts on how the industry can work through them. Sima has a natural way to engage her guests. For example, Ravi’s thoughts on how artificial intelligence (AI) can be useful for MR were enlightening. Overall, very engaging podcast, great job, Sima!”

Pepi6322
03/06/2018