PureSpectrum Partners with TA to Fuel AI-Driven Market Research Growth

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA – January 07, 2026 – PureSpectrum, a technology firm at the forefront of the market research industry, has announced a major strategic partnership with TA Associates, a leading global private equity firm. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for the California-based company, providing a substantial capital infusion designed to accelerate its next phase of growth, scale its technology platform, and deepen its value proposition for clients across the insights ecosystem.

The partnership will see TA Associates take a significant, though undisclosed, stake in the company, structured as a growth equity investment. This arrangement ensures that PureSpectrum’s founder and Chief Executive Officer, Michael McCrary, alongside his established leadership team, will retain a meaningful ownership position and continue to steer the company’s strategic direction.

Launched in 2016, PureSpectrum has rapidly distinguished itself in a competitive field that includes major players like Momentive and Qualtrics. The company operates a programmatic marketplace that connects research firms and brands with a global network of survey respondents. This new partnership with TA is poised to amplify its impact on an industry undergoing a profound technological transformation.

The AI-Driven Future of Market Research

At the heart of the partnership is a shared vision for the future of market research—one increasingly defined by automation and artificial intelligence. The industry is grappling with a dual challenge: the escalating demand for faster, more efficient insights and the critical need for reliable, high-quality human data. PureSpectrum has positioned itself directly at this intersection.

“Market research is undergoing a meaningful shift toward greater automation and AI-enabled workflows as demand for high-quality human data and sophisticated response validation continues to grow,” said Dylan Hallman, Senior Vice President at TA. “PureSpectrum sits at the intersection of these trends, and its marketplace model positions the Company to play a central role in how insights are generated and consumed in the years ahead.”

The cornerstone of PureSpectrum’s technological edge is its proprietary PureScore™ system. This AI-driven quality scoring mechanism analyzes billions of data points across survey sessions to detect fraudulent or low-quality responses, assigning a respondent-level score. By combining automation with this sophisticated validation layer, the platform aims to deliver not just speed, but also trust. The recent launch of PureScore™ 2.0 signaled the company’s ongoing commitment to refining this core differentiator.

This focus on quality is what TA found compelling. “PureSpectrum has built a differentiated, category-defining platform at a moment when data quality and automation have become mission-critical for business decisions,” noted Jason Mironov, a Managing Director at TA. The investment from TA is expected to fuel further innovation in this area, allowing PureSpectrum to enhance its AI capabilities and expand its platform to address emerging challenges in data integrity.

A Strategic Infusion for Scalable Growth

For TA Associates, a firm with over five decades of experience and $65 billion in raised capital, the investment in PureSpectrum aligns perfectly with its strategy of backing profitable, founder-led growth companies. With a portfolio of over 560 investments across sectors like technology and business services, TA brings not just capital but also deep industry expertise and a global network to the table.

This partnership is not PureSpectrum's first experience with significant funding. The company had previously raised $61.6 million across four rounds, including a notable $37 million Series C round in March 2023 led by Arthur Ventures. This history of attracting investment underscores the market’s confidence in its model. The new alliance with TA, however, represents a strategic escalation, providing the resources to compete on a larger scale and accelerate its product roadmap.

The capital injection will be directed toward key strategic initiatives, with a primary focus on product innovation and platform scalability. This includes enhancing the end-to-end capabilities of its insights platform, which was expanded through the 2021 acquisition of the Instant Insights tool from Upwave. By investing in its core infrastructure, PureSpectrum aims to handle greater volume and complexity, further simplifying the process for researchers to procure reliable sample data and execute studies efficiently.

Leadership and Vision for the Next Decade

Crucially, the deal structure ensures leadership continuity, a factor often vital for maintaining a company’s founding vision and culture during periods of rapid expansion. Michael McCrary, whose experience includes a tenure as US Managing Director for competitor Cint, has guided PureSpectrum through a remarkable growth journey since its inception. The company has been a three-time GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative honoree and has been recognized as a Deloitte & Inc. Fastest Growing Company every year since 2020.

McCrary emphasized that the partnership with TA is a cultural and strategic fit. “PureSpectrum was built to raise the standard for quality, delivery, and simplicity in market research,” he stated. “TA’s deep experience supporting founder-led, high-growth businesses makes them an ideal partner as we continue to advance that mission. With TA’s support, we are well-positioned to invest behind our platform, expand our capabilities, and further simplify how researchers access and trust high-quality insights.”

This sentiment reflects a common goal for high-growth tech companies: how to scale aggressively without diluting the mission that drove initial success. By partnering with a growth equity firm rather than pursuing an outright sale, McCrary and his team are betting they can achieve the best of both worlds. The collaboration will enable PureSpectrum to make bold investments in its technology and market presence, while the founding team continues to guide the company's commitment to quality and innovation. As the market research industry continues its evolution, this partnership positions PureSpectrum not just to participate in the change, but to actively lead it.