SurveyMonkey

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SurveyMonkey Inc.
FormerlyMomentive Global Inc. (2021–23)
Company typePrivate (1999–2018, since 2023)
Industry
Founded1999; 27 years ago (1999)[1]
Founders
  • Ryan Finley
  • Chris Finley
HeadquartersSan Mateo, California, U.S.
Number of locations
San Mateo, Portland, Dublin, Ottawa, Amsterdam, London, Sydney, Padua, Bengaluru, Heredia[2]
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Eric Johnson (CEO)[3]
ProductsCloud-based experience management and survey software
RevenueIncrease US$481 million (2022)
Increase US$−81 million (2022)
Increase US$−90 million (2022)
Total assetsDecrease US$810 million (2022)
Total equityDecrease US$287 million (2022)
OwnerSymphony Technology Group
Number of employees
1,300 (November 2023)
Websitesurveymonkey.com
Footnotes / references
[4]

SurveyMonkey Inc. (formerly Momentive Global Inc. from 2021 to 2023) is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that provides online survey and forms tools.[5][6][7] Originally founded in 1999 by Ryan and Chris Finley, the company’s platform allows individuals and organizations to collect data and gain insights through customizable surveys and forms. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, SurveyMonkey is used globally in business, education, healthcare, government, and non-profit sectors.[8][9][10][6][11][12][13][14]

On June 9, 2021, SurveyMonkey announced its rebrand to Momentive with the intent to better represent their business-to-business product suite. SurveyMonkey continued to operate as a subsidiary survey platform.[11] The Momentive Inc. product portfolio included Momentive, GetFeedback, Techvalidate, and SurveyMonkey.[15]

In June 2023, the company rebranded itself back to SurveyMonkey after being acquired by an investor group led by Symphony Technology Group.[3][16]

History

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Founding and early growth (1999-2009)

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SurveyMonkey was founded in 1999 by Ryan Finley, who later brought on his brother, Chris Finley.[17][18] Seeking a simple way to collect customer feedback and finding no suitable tools available, he developed his own solution—SurveyMonkey.[19] In 2005, Finley relocated the company to Portland, Oregon, where he and his brother Chris transported the company’s servers themselves. While the company was initially bootstrapped, it grew in popularity to a rumored $30 million in revenue.[18]

Private equity investment and expansion (2009-2015)

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In 2009, Spectrum Equity and Bain Capital acquired a majority stake in the company.[20] During this time, Dave Goldberg, a former Yahoo executive, served as CEO and led the company through a period of rapid growth.[21][18] This included growing from 12 employees to over 450, and helping the company achieve an almost $2 billion valuation.[22] The company also acquired startups, Wufoo and FluidReview (later renamed to SurveyMonkey Apply),[23][24] and released its first mobile app[25] and enterprise-focused plan.[26][18][24]

In early 2013, SurveyMonkey relocated its headquarters from Portland to Palo Alto, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley.[27] In 2017, the company moved again, establishing a new, larger headquarters in San Mateo at One Curiosity Way.[28]

In 2010, the company received $100 million in debt financing from Bank of America Merrill Lynch and SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.[29] By 2013, SurveyMonkey raised $800 million in debt and equity valuing the company at $1.35 billion.[30] In September 2013, the company announced HIPAA-compliant features for premium subscription holders.[31]

In 2014, the company raised $250 million in equity financing from Google Capital (now CapitalG), Tiger Global Management, Baillie Gifford, T. Rowe Price and Morgan Stanley.[32]

Goldberg died in 2015.[22]

Product growth & diversification (2015-2020)

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Following Goldberg’s death, in May 2015, Zander Lurie was named CEO,[33][34] and the company expanded into new lines of business, acquiring several startups, including Usabilla, a website and app survey company, and GetFeedback, a customer experience company.[35][36]

On August 3, 2015, Bill Veghte replaced Goldberg as SurveyMonkey CEO. Veghte held top posts at HP and Microsoft.[37] Veghte left the role after fewer than 6 months due to strategic differences with investors and was replaced by Zander Lurie in January 2016.[38]

In February 2016, SurveyMonkey began polling public opinion using the SurveyMonkey platform.[39] Poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight gives the poll a 'C' rating.[39]

In 2017, the company rolled out "SurveyMonkey Genius" which estimates survey performance and makes actionable suggestions to increase survey effectiveness.[40] In August, the company launched "SurveyMonkey CX" which assists organizations in managing their customer experience programs.[41]

IPO and Rebrand to Momentive (2018-2023)

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SurveyMonkey went public on the Nasdaq under the ticker SVMK in September 2018.[42] At the time, board members included Serena Williams, Brad Smith, David Ebersman, and Sheryl Sandberg.[43][44]

Emory University Goizueta Business School dean Erika James joined the SurveyMonkey board of directors in 2018, creating Gender Parity on the company's board.[45][46]

After the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, SurveyMonkey used its own survey product to determine its employees' preferences as to their working arrangements. 84% voted for a flexible work policy, 81% wanted to work from home up to three days per week, and only 5% preferred to be back in the office all the time.[8]

File:Momentive-logo.png
Momentive logo

In 2021, SurveyMonkey’s parent company rebranded as Momentive, keeping SurveyMonkey as the name of the core product.[11][47] The decision to rebrand was made to reflect a broader focus on experience management and enterprise applications.[47][11][15]

On October 28, 2021, Zendesk announced that it had agreed to acquire MomentiveAI for about $4.1 billion, in an all-stock deal.[48] Chief executive Mikkel Svane of Zendesk said of the acquisition, "We have a big overlap in customers. It's incredibly powerful. And we believe that it will create a whole new, richer picture of your customers," according to Reuters.[49] Although shareholders of Momentive Global Inc. approved the deal, Zendesk's shareholders voted against the acquisition.[50] Subsequently the deal was terminated.[50]

Acquisition and Return to SurveyMonkey Brand (2023-present)

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In March 2023, STG acquired Momentive in a $1.5 billion all-cash transaction.[51][52] Following the acquisition, the company returned to the SurveyMonkey brand to unify the company's portfolio under a single brand, and Eric Johnson was named CEO.[53][54]

As of 2025, the company has physical locations in San Mateo, California, United States; Portland, Oregon, United States; Ottawa, Canada; Dublin, Ireland; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Padua, Italy; and Bengaluru, India; and Heredia, Costa Rica.[8][55][6][56][57]

Acquisitions

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The company has acquired three other survey tools: Precision Polling, Wufoo, and Zoomerang, as well as a 49.9 percent stake in the UK-based Clicktools.[58]

SurveyMonkey acquired TechValidate, a Canadian marketing content automation company in August 2015.[59]

Products and services

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SurveyMonkey offers products for building and collecting information via forms as well as survey creation, distribution, data analysis, and reporting.[60] As of 2025, the company’s platform has been used by over 250,000 organizations worldwide and has collected more than 100 billion questions answered, supported by 42 million global users.[61][62]

Products

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As of 2025, SurveyMonkey’s products include:

  • SurveyMonkey (for surveys and forms)[63][60]
  • SurveyMonkey Audience (helps users find survey panel respondents for market research)[63][10]
  • SurveyMonkey Enterprise (for businesses)[64]
  • SurveyMonkey Apply (application management software for grants, scholarships, and awards)[65][66]

Services

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SurveyMonkey provides the following services:

  • AI-assisted question generation and analysis[67][68]
  • Survey templates and question bank[69]
  • Multiple question types and advanced logic[69]
  • Custom branding and survey design[64]
  • Collaboration features for teams[70]
  • Real-time analytics and dashboards[12][71]

To recruit panel respondents for SurveyMonkey Audience, SurveyMonkey offers SurveyMonkey Contribute and SurveyMonkey Rewards.[72][73] SurveyMonkey Contribute lets users donate to a charity of their choice after taking a survey.[74] Participating charities have included Doctors Without Borders, American Red Cross, and The Humane Society of the United States.[74] Through SurveyMonkey Rewards, users take paid surveys and earn rewards, which can be redeemed as gift cards or donated to charity.[73]

Business model

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SurveyMonkey operates on a freemium and subscription-based model,[75][76] offering individual, team, and enterprise plans, along with services and add-ons for enterprise customers.[77][64] It serves a global customer base including Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions,[9][12] startups,[78] and nonprofits.[11][79][14]

Research

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SurveyMonkey regularly conducts research into HR-focused topics such as workplace culture and trends,[80] workforce happiness,[81] and gender and generational divides.[82]

Leadership

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Notable SurveyMonkey leadership includes:

  • Ryan Finley, Co-founder[17][18]
  • Dave Goldberg, CEO (2009–2015)[22]
  • Zander Lurie, CEO (2016–2023)[54]
  • Eric Johnson, current CEO (2023-present, post-acquisition by STG)[54][51]

See also

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References

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  • Official website
    • Historical business data for Momentive Global Inc:
    • SEC filings

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