In the age of information overload, simply having access to the right data is no longer enough. You need a platform that will help you filter through the information and extract the most critical and valuable insights.

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Modern market and strategic intelligence platforms are purpose-built to do just that—speeding up time to insight, increasing research confidence, and surfacing the precise insights that matter most for strategic goals.

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Trendtracker, AlphaSense, Itonics, Meltwater, and CB Insights are all platforms with the purpose of streamlining the research process. They provide access to useful data and help you quickly find important information. Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses, making it better suited for certain businesses over others.

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Below, we examine all of them and explore what each platform works best for and where each falls short. We also compare them with our AI-powered Strategic Intelligence platform to show how Trendtracker fills in the gaps and meets your business and research needs.

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1. Trendtracker 

By continuously monitoring and analysing data, Trendtracker enables businesses to navigate evolving landscapes effectively, staying ahead of the competition and ensuring long-term success. 

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Trendtracker.ai differentiates itself through its advanced 100% AI-driven features built to support strategic and trend research effectively. 

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The core value proposition is to address the challenges and requirements of conducting this type of research.

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It is supported by monitoring extensive academic, business and societal news sources in real-time. This makes it a powerful platform for organisations aiming to harness trends for strategic decision-making and foresight practices.

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Trendtracker Pros

Trendtracker's key offerings include:

• Scoring and forecasting of every kind of trend imaginable (megatrends, microtrends, change drivers, signals, emerging trends, …)  in an automatic, continuous and tailored way mapping the scores to any industry and/or region
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• Systematic scanning of external environments for emerging trends, technologies, and market shifts
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• Deep insights into how trends impact businesses, including personalised advice on risk and opportunities and actionable next steps
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• Ability to build AI-assisted customisable Trend Radars in minutes
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• Integration of Smart Surveys combining human and AI insights
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• Provides tools to scout emerging startups

‍With its user-friendly interface and customisable features, Trendtracker provides tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of each organisation, facilitating strategic planning and driving sustainable growth.

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Trendtracker Cons

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Trendtracker.ai, like many other AI-driven decision intelligence platforms, has a potential drawback. The platform relies on complex algorithms and strategic analytics to provide users with in-depth insights and data points.

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However, this can be a challenge for new users who are unfamiliar with Trendtracker and how to conduct research effectively. They may require additional explanation and support to overcome the learning curve.

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2. Itonics

ITONICS is a company that provides innovative solutions for strategic innovation management. Their platform is designed to cater to the diverse needs of organisations, offering a comprehensive suite of tools and services.

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With a focus on trend identification, risk assessment, and portfolio management, ITONICS equips organisations with resources to drive innovation and stay competitive in today's dynamic business landscape.

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Through collaborative features and customisable solutions, ITONICS empowers teams to foster an innovation culture and align strategic objectives with actionable insights.

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ITONICS Pros

• The core value is a strategic innovation management suite with a feature on-trend identification
• Portfolio management tools enable the evaluation and prioritisation of innovation projects
• Facilitation of collaboration among teams.

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ITONICS Cons

• The focus is to support an innovation management process where trend identification is just a single part
• It’s not built from the ground up to support strategic research
• It does not support automatic scoring and forecasting of trends within contexts like industries (users need to score trends themselves on rely on human-assessed trend impact)
• Subscription fees for ITONICS may be high for smaller organisations

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3. CB Insights

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CB Insights is a market intelligence platform focused on the tech sector, providing data and insights on venture capital, startups, patents, business relationships, and tech sector news.

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While it serves as a valuable database for tech markets, researchers and analysts may need additional solutions for a deeper understanding of broader market trends, news, players, relationships, and activities.

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CB  Insights Pros

• Strong focus on the tech sector, valuable data on VC, private equity and startups
• A good resource for tech vendor sourcing
• Robust data visualisation features that produce sleek, easy-to-digest charts, reports, and market maps
• In-house analysts churn out regular insights, lists, and forecasts through the CBI platform and client-only content channels

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CB Insights Cons

• Limited expert perspectives as expert analysis is mainly from in-house analysts
• Enterprise-grade pricing across all subscription tiers, with strict “feature-gating” per tier
• Platform features are not tailored for efficient drill-downs, but more geared toward data visualisations for overview-type presentations and reporting
• Detailed data coverage is limited to certain industries and use cases

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4. Meltwater 

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Meltwater provides comprehensive media monitoring and social media listening services to a wide range of industries and professionals.

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Corporations use it for market analysis, brand management, and competitive intelligence, while PR and marketing professionals rely on it for media monitoring, sentiment analysis.

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Meltwater's strength lies in its expansive content universe, including news articles, social media posts, blogs, forums, and other online sources.

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By offering access to real-time data and insights, Meltwater enables users to stay informed about market developments, monitor brand mentions, and track competitor activity.

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Meltwater Pros

• Extensive coverage of social media, blogs, and forums
• Real-time monitoring and analysis of brand mentions and sentiment
• Crisis management tools for proactive risk mitigation
• Customisable dashboards and reports for tailored analysis

Meltwater Cons

• Limited visualisation tools beyond basic reporting
• Complexity in managing and prioritising large volumes of data
• Some advanced features may require additional training or expertise to fully utilise

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5. AlphaSense

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AlphaSense serves corporations for market landscaping while IR and financial services professionals use it for messaging research, deal sourcing and due diligence.

The platform's extensive content universe, including company documents, regulatory filings, news, trade journals, broker research, and expert call transcripts—combined with its advanced AI search technology and filtering tools—distinguishes AlphaSense from other market intelligence solutions.

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AlphaSense Pros

• An all-in-one research platform
• Integration and collaboration capabilities
• Customisable and automated alerts

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AlphaSense Cons

• Limited visualisation tools available for financial data only
• Collaboration tools are limited to users with AlphaSense licenses
• Search difficulties make it hard to navigate through a large number of dashboards
• Slow loading times when using the platform, which can be a hindrance to efficiency, especially when quick access to information is critical to decision-making

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How to choose the right Strategic Intelligence platform for your business

While we may have a preference for the best strategic intelligence platform, the reality is that the ideal choice depends on your business's specific needs. To identify the most suitable platform for your operations, consider following these steps:

1. Assess your top challenges: Begin by identifying the key pain points within your business. What strategic insights are you lacking? What areas of your operations need improvement?
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2. Define desired value: Determine what additional value you expect a strategic intelligence platform to provide. Whether it's time savings, enhanced decision-making, or improved market positioning, clarify your objectives.
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3. Research: Conduct thorough research on the platforms you're considering. Look for feedback from businesses similar to yours to gain insights into how each platform performs in real-world scenarios.
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4. Request a demo: Arrange for a software demo to gain firsthand experience with the platform's features and functionalities. This will help you assess whether the platform aligns with your business requirements.
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5. Trial run: Take advantage of free trials or accounts offered by the platforms. Set up test projects and involve your team in the evaluation process to gauge usability and effectiveness.

Getting started

Strategic intelligence platforms play a vital role in empowering businesses to make informed decisions, anticipate market trends, and stay ahead of the competition. By centralising data and providing actionable insights, these platforms enable businesses to drive growth and achieve strategic objectives.

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With the right strategic intelligence platform in place, you can unlock new opportunities, enhance operational efficiency, and position your business for long-term success in today's dynamic market landscape.

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