The tool, called Telescope, places 145 UK research businesses on a matrix of size and growth, allowing users to raise or lower market growth, apply a scenario such as an AI platform shift or change in budgets, and estimate company performance over a five-year period.

Turnover and growth come from the MRS League Tables and Companies House filings, with MRS compiler estimates clearly flagged and every figure linked to its source.

The quadrants, projections and scores featured are Telescope’s own analysis, are not verified or endorsed by MRS, and the scenarios are illustrative, not forecasts.

The tool is aimed at supporting three types of decision: client-side teams drawing up a shortlist, agencies and specialists looking for complementary firms or checking their own position, and investors, acquirers and leadership teams screening the market before a deal.

What Humans Do was set up earlier this year, and is an AI-native research and insights consultancy that brings behavioural science to research design.

Dr Nick Baker, founding partner at What Humans Do, said: “Whether you are commissioning research, finding the right firm to collaborate with, or deciding if a business is worth backing, the first question is the same: who is really out there, and where are they heading?

“Telescope answers it quickly, in the open and with every figure sourced, so those decisions start from evidence rather than reputation.”