Coleman Research is one of the original expert network firms, established in 2003 in New York. It connects private equity firms, hedge funds, and consulting firms with industry professionals for one-on-one consultations. After its 2021 acquisition by VisasQ for approximately $102 million, the combined VISASQ/COLEMAN entity operates a global platform with over 750,000 experts across seven offices. It's a trusted service provider for large institutional clients, but its pricing model and access barriers make it a poor fit for mid-market firms and project-based research.
Coleman Research Overview
Coleman Research was founded by Kevin Coleman in 2003, making it one of the earliest expert network firms with over 20 years of experience. The company built its reputation serving large business investors, Fortune 500 corporations, and management consultancies that needed a direct and rapid exchange of critical insights with industry professionals.
In August 2021, Tokyo-listed VisasQ acquired Coleman Research for approximately $102 million. At the time, Coleman had annual transaction volume of roughly $43 million — more than twice VisasQ's own revenue. VISASQ/COLEMAN combined Coleman's strong presence in US and European markets with VisasQ's deep network in Japan and Asia.
Today, the combined entity maintains a global network of over 400,000 senior-level experts within a broader pool of 750,000+ experts. Coleman connects clients with these experts across offices in New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo, with 24/5 coverage.
The challenge: Coleman's pricing model lacks transparency. Per-call rates for technology experts run $400 to $1,000 per hour. Minimum commitment requirements aren't publicly disclosed. The procurement process creates significant barriers for smaller funds and boutique consulting firms.
How Coleman Research Works
Coleman's core service is one-on-one expert consultations via phone and video. Project managers handle expert sourcing, scheduling, and compliance oversight.
- Submit a project request. A centralized Client App allows clients to submit requests easily — expertise needed, research question, timeline.
- Expert matching and sourcing. Coleman identifies relevant experts from its internal network. In-network experts can be scheduled in less than an hour. About 20% of experts are custom sourced, with average custom recruiting time under 24 hours.
- Consultation. Connect via phone, video, or in-person. Coleman ensures consultations rely on non-material publicly available information. The compliance framework includes conflict screening, cooling-off periods, and a compliance app that blocks scheduling if an expert fails compliance standards.
Beyond one-on-one calls, Coleman offers:
- Custom surveys — typically 30+ participants for quantitative data, up to 100 for broader sampling. Can take over 3 days to gather.
- Events and roundtables — 35+ weekly events featuring industry experts.
- Custom research — actionable primary research combining expert interviews with reporting.
- Life sciences specialization — dedicated US team launched mid-2023.
- Leadership assessments — helping identify key leadership qualities and supporting compliance.
Coleman's target clients are large PE/VC firms, Fortune 500 companies, and top-tier consultancies with recurring research needs.
Coleman Research Pricing and Access Barriers
Coleman operates on a per-call pricing model. For technology experts, third-party sources report rates of $400 to $1,000 per hour, depending on expert seniority and geography.
What's not clear:
- Annual retainer requirements. Coleman does not publicly disclose whether it imposes mandatory annual retainers or minimum spend commitments.
- Markup on expert honoraria. There's no public breakdown of how Coleman splits the hourly rate between expert compensation and service fees. Expert compensation for technology experts reportedly runs $300 to $1,000 per hour.
- Geographic and seniority premiums. Senior experts and experts in high-cost geographies command higher rates. These premiums aren't published.
- Procurement friction. Contract, legal, and compliance reviews add weeks to onboarding, especially for mid-market clients.
For context, the broader market: per-call pricing across the industry is $300 to $1,500+ per hour; annual retainer models run $30,000 to $200,000+ per year.
If you're running project-based research (2 to 10 expert calls per year), Coleman's cost structure will price you out or force you into commitments that don't match your usage. See expert call access without six-figure retainers for the pay-per-use alternative.
Coleman Research vs FieldSignal: Side-by-Side
| Criterion | Coleman Research | FieldSignal | GLG | AlphaSights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Per-call; unclear minimums | Pay-per-project, no retainer | Enterprise contracts/retainers | Enterprise retainers |
| Minimum Commitment | Not publicly disclosed | None | Annual retainer required | Annual retainer required |
| Expert Honoraria | Not disclosed (likely marked up) | Pass-through, no markup | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Pricing Transparency | Low | High | Low | Low |
| Expert Network Size | 750,000+ | Not disclosed | 1.2M+ | Large, not disclosed |
| Compliance | Strong (conflict screening, cooling-off, compliance app) | Equivalent | Strong | Strong |
| Speed (In-Network) | Less than 1 hour scheduling | Fast | Varies | Varies |
| Custom Sourcing | ~20% custom, under 24 hours | Available | Available | Available |
| Asia/Japan Coverage | Strong (VisasQ partnership) | Available | Available | Available |
| Accessibility for Mid-Market | Limited | High | Limited | Limited |
Winners by criterion: FieldSignal on price, transparency, and accessibility. Coleman on Japan/Asia coverage and in-network speed. Tie on compliance. GLG followed by Coleman on raw network scale.
Who Coleman Research Serves Best
- Large hedge funds and mutual fund managers running continuous primary research. If you're making 50+ expert calls per quarter, Coleman's scale and compliance infrastructure justify the cost.
- Fortune 500 corporate development teams doing market entry, competitive intelligence, and strategic planning. Coleman's cross-border capability (especially Japan and Asia) adds value here.
- Top-tier management consultancies with ongoing engagements requiring access to senior industry professionals.
- Institutional investors doing extensive due diligence across multiple geographies. Coleman's network spans the US, Europe, and Asia, with particular strength in Japan through the VisasQ collaboration.
VisasQ is the only publicly traded company in the expert network space, which adds a layer of financial transparency and regulatory oversight.
Coleman Research Limitations for Mid-Market Firms
High barrier to entry. Coleman's pricing structure and procurement process favor large organizations with dedicated vendor management teams. Funds under $500M AUM will find onboarding slow and pricing steep relative to research volume.
Inflexible for project-based work. If you need five expert calls for a single due diligence project, paying enterprise-level rates without volume discounts doesn't make sense.
Procurement complexity. For one-off projects, contract and compliance onboarding can take longer than the research itself.
Financial pressure post-acquisition. In April 2024, VisasQ recorded a JPY 14.6 billion goodwill write-off on Coleman due to revenue shortfalls. This could affect investment in platform development and service quality over time.
Transparency gap. Many clients report not knowing the full cost breakdown between expert honorarium, service markup, and platform fee.
FieldSignal as a Coleman Research Alternative
FieldSignal is built for the organizations Coleman doesn't prioritize: mid-market private equity firms, boutique consulting firms, corporate strategy teams at growth-stage companies, and founders doing market validation.
- Pay-per-project pricing. No annual retainers, no minimum commitment. Works for firms running 2 to 20 expert calls per year.
- Transparent pricing with no hidden markups. Pass-through model for expert honoraria. You see what the expert gets paid and what the service fee is.
- Same compliance standards. Conflict screening, MNPI controls, and audit trails without needing to be a Fortune 500 company.
- Accessible to everyone. From seed-stage founders to mid-market PE. Email your research scope, get a quote, and start scheduling.
- Pass-through expert costs vs marked-up honoraria. When networks mark up expert payments, your $500/hour call might be costing the expert $200. Pass-through means better quality experts who are fairly compensated and more willing to give you their time.
When to Choose Coleman vs Alternatives
Choose Coleman Research if:
- You have a six-figure annual research budget and plan 50+ calls per year.
- You need deep coverage in Japan and Asia through the VisasQ partnership.
- You're a Fortune 500 company or large institutional investor with established vendor procurement.
- You need ongoing support from dedicated project managers.
Choose FieldSignal if:
- You need project-based research with transparent pricing and no long-term commitment.
- You're a mid-market PE/VC firm, boutique consultancy, or founder who can't justify annual retainers.
- You want pass-through expert costs with no markup on honoraria.
- You need to start this week, not after a month-long procurement process.
Choose GLG if you need massive scale (1.2M+ advisors) and your firm can support enterprise-only pricing. See our GLG profile for the comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Coleman's pricing compare to alternatives?
Coleman charges $400 to $1,000 per hour for technology expert calls. The broader market range is $300 to $1,500+ per hour. GLG and AlphaSights often run $750 to $1,500+ per call on enterprise contracts. FieldSignal offers pay-per-project pricing with pass-through expert costs — for firms making fewer than 20 calls per year, FieldSignal's model costs significantly less than any retainer-based network.
What's the minimum commitment?
Coleman does not publicly disclose minimum annual commitments. Industry retainers range $30,000 to $200,000+. FieldSignal has no minimum, no retainer, no required call volume.
Can smaller firms access Coleman's network?
Technically yes, in practice no. Pricing, procurement, and service model are optimized for large institutional clients.
How fast can Coleman source experts?
In-network: under one hour. Custom recruitment: under 24 hours. About 20% of experts are custom sourced.
What happened after the VisasQ acquisition?
VISASQ/COLEMAN combined Coleman's Western strength with VisasQ's Japan and Asia network. However, in April 2024, VisasQ recorded a significant goodwill write-off on Coleman due to revenue shortfalls, raising questions about long-term platform investment.
Get a Quote for Your Research Scope
If you need expert consultations for due diligence, market entry, competitive intelligence, or investment research, and you don't want to commit to an annual retainer or deal with opaque pricing, FieldSignal fits your project.
Pay per project. No minimum spend. No hidden markup on expert payments. Compliance protocols customized for your firm.
Email miles@fieldsignalhq.com with your research scope and get a quote.