NEW YORK, NY : Elissa Moses is partnering with Duane Varan, CEO, MediaScience (www.mediasciencelabs.com) to launch a new division, HARK Connect (www.harkconnect.com), dedicated to bringing technology and advanced metrics to the qualitative research industry. The company’s first Qual Tech™ offerings focus on enhancing the qualitative research experience from video streaming, real-time transcripts and translations, subtitles and respondent information of the virtual glass™ screen, communicating with the moderator, tagging and easy, instant video clip extraction. Round 2, expected in Q3, will enable access to a full suite of neuro, biometrics, passive and innovative emotional metrics.

Elissa was formerly CEO, Ipsos Global Neuro and Behavioral Science Center and Chief Analytics Officer at EmSense, an early pioneering company in the Neuromarketing space.

“I have long been a proponent of Qualitative Research stemming back from my client side and agency planner days,” says Moses. “There is nothing like it for excavating deeply useful insights. Now with the advantage of all these enabling functions to collaborate with clients worldwide and have access to the content in real time, the industry can begin to use qual insights as data sets and mine them on a new level.”

“Moreover, the capabilities that are coming to gauge consumer emotional response and probe reactions easily, enables the industry to dive deeply into the heart of authentic reactions to advertising, concepts, packaging and products as never before.”

Moses has spent the better part of her career as an industry change agent at Ipsos, EmSense, and as head of Global Consumer Insights and Strategy at Philips, successfully compelling marketers and advertisers to embrace science and technology for a more comprehensive understanding of consumer response, decision making and behavior.

“Together we hope to accelerate a movement” says CEO Duane Varan. “With a combination of joint passion, experience and technical innovation, we see huge potential to change the standards of what is normal for the qual experience and learning. I am thrilled to have Elissa as my partner to lead change and support all aspects of the industry through Qual Tech™ including the clients, moderators and facilities.”

HARK Connect is supported by an outstanding team of 50+ software developers, researchers and data scientists across offices in Austin, Chicago and New York. “We are just getting started,” says Ms. Moses. “The new Qual Tech capabilities, as well as our full, fast moving pipeline, changes what is possible for focus groups, one-on-ones, UX research and ethnography.”

Moses is a seasoned innovator in the development and application of research methodologies spanning neuromarketing, emotional measurement and projective techniques. She has held leadership positions on the client side at Philips, Seagram and Gillette, at agencies Grey, DMB&B and BBDO and in the consulting/research sector at Ipsos, BrainWaves, BrainGroup Global and Bellwether Citizen Response. She has an MS in Tech Management from Columbia University, an AB in Human Behavior from The University of Chicago and is a published author and frequent speaker.