Your next breakthrough is already out there. We find it before your competitors do
GreyB’s research analysts, with deep domain knowledge across 30+ industries, scan patents, scientific literature, global startup databases, supplier ecosystems, and market data to give your R&D and innovation teams the external intelligence they need. They move from brief to decision in weeks, not months.
Over 1000+ Users and 100+ Brands Trust GreyB
The client aimed to identify new technologies for refrigerator doors to enhance efficiency without increasing overall costs. Many alternative solutions in this industry, such as Vacuum Insulation Panels and Low-E coatings, were expensive. Therefore, the client required a cost-effective solution that would outperform their existing products. This challenge involved more
The Innovation team at a leading personal care company wanted to identify next-generation product and packaging innovations in the wipes category to strengthen its mid- to long-term innovation pipeline across key global markets. The company was looking to understand emerging developments across product formats, substrate materials, packaging solutions, and user
A leading cosmetics company wanted to evaluate a regional market where cosmetic procedures were being adopted, but where clinic networks, treatment adoption, consumer preferences, and procedure-level demand remained largely undocumented. Fragmented information, including variations in clinic maturity, service infrastructure, and consumer behavior, made it difficult to determine which procedures were
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How a GreyB engagement works,
from brief to decision-ready output
At GreyB, we follow a structured yet flexible process to ensure every engagement delivers actionable outcomes.
Discovery & Scanning
We capture opportunities from global datasets, patents, startups, suppliers, and markets to map the innovation landscape.
- Patent and market scans
- Startup and supplier ecosystem tracking
- Academic and industry research monitoring
Filtering & Prioritization
Expert-driven filtering highlights the most relevant opportunities aligned with your goals.
- Custom relevance scoring
- Market readiness assessment
- Strategic fit evaluation
Analysis & Evaluation
Our experts validate technologies, partners, and markets for feasibility and impact.
- Competitive benchmarking
- Risk-benefit assessment
- Opportunity validation reports
Delivery & Integration
We deliver insights in formats that empower action and long-term success.
- Executive summaries
- Strategic roadmaps
- Ongoing monitoring & updates
Success Stories
Real outcomes from our open innovation projects, helping global enterprises uncover opportunities and accelerate growth.
Global Dairy Leader
Dairy Industry
Challenge
A U.S.-based global food and dairy company needed to understand Chile’s plant-based milk market to position its products effectively amid shifting consumer demands and rising competition.
Solution
Research into consumer preferences, buying behavior, competitor claims, and packaging revealed gaps in price, variety, and nutrition. These insights guided strategies for pricing, diversified product lines, and nutrition-focused formulations.
Outcome
The company gained strategic clarity, achieving 15% faster market entry, 25% higher consumer satisfaction, and 20% more product variety in Chile’s plant-based milk sector.
Key Results
25%
Rise in consumer satisfaction
15%
Faster market entry
3
Leading consumer motivations identified
A Global Nutrition Company
Infant Formula
Challenge
The company needed an infant formula tailored to C-section-born babies that could restore gut microbiota, reduce infection risks, and meet parental concerns while ensuring regulatory compliance.
Solution
Through ingredient research and clinical trials, a blend of GOS/FOS prebiotics, Bifidobacterium breve M-16V, Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716, and targeted vitamins was developed. This met regulations, delivered proven results, and built parental trust.
Outcome
The formula combined prebiotics, probiotics, and vitamins to restore gut microbiota, reduce infection risks, and improve infant health. It supported clear product claims and positioned the company as a market leader in regions with high C-section birth rates.
Key Results
50+
Publications, clinical trials, and patents analyzed
4
Ingredient combinations identified
3
Leading brands benchmarked
Why choose GreyB your next partner?
Scouted by GreyB
When your innovation discovery requires verified results, GreyB goes beyond desktop research to validate, verify, and benchmark innovations against the metrics that matter most to you. Explore our Scouted By GreyB series to see how we do it for startup and suppliers.
Startup Database
Discover early-stage startups with groundbreaking innovations. By tapping into a curated list of emerging companies, you can identify potential partners, investment opportunities, and disruptive technologies that are shaping the future across industries.
EIC Partner
GreyB is trusted by the European Innovation Council to deliver strategic insights and tailored solutions that drive innovation, reflecting our commitment to helping businesses achieve long-term success.
Accelerate Innovation Discovery with SLATE
AI-driven platform that streamlines innovation discovery. With a centralized database of research, patents, and industry trends, Slate helps you track competitors, explore new materials, and make faster, data-backed decisions in R&D.
Exceptional Team, Rewarding Results.
After all these years, that’s what I value most: good judgment, open communication, and a team that’s genuinely committed to getting the search right.
GreyB has invested in AI and modern search technology, and that’s important. But what impressed me more was that they knew when technology could help and when experience and conversation mattered more. They didn’t force one approach. They used the right approach for the problem.
The team explained why they were searching in certain directions, walked me through the references they were finding, listened to my feedback, and adjusted the search as our discussions evolved. That gave me confidence that they were trying to find the best answer, not just deliver a report.
I’ve worked with a number of search providers over the years, and what stood out about GreyB was their willingness to stay engaged throughout the search. Other providers often treat those discussions as optional. I don’t. If I’m trusting somebody to do something as important as a prior art search, how can they possibly do their best work if they’re not talking to me while the work is happening?
I’m a retired patent litigator, and after spending decades in this profession, I’ve learned that good prior art searches don’t come from simply running more tools. They come from people who know how to think through the problem and are willing to work with the client.
Data is almost free now. What adds value is the judgment on top of the data. That’s the scarce thing.
That kind of insight only comes from really digging into the file wrappers and understanding what was missing. The motivation to combine was only identified by going into the file wrapper and finding the reference that fills exactly the gap the PTO said was missing.
I like the idea that you’re getting nuanced about implicit disclosures and inferences. Because if it’s expressed, it’s easy. It’s almost never fully expressed. That’s the hard part, and that’s where the value sits.
IDS Manager has been a great asset to our IDS workflows. The team is very responsive to feedback and continues to add useful features that truly make a difference. We appreciate their support and customer-first approach.
GreyB’s team brought a refreshingly interactive approach to our 5G wireless invalidation project. I wasn’t used to it, but it worked well. Arjun kept things organized and on track. Preetika, the technical lead, was well-prepared with highlighted passages during our interim discussions. That made it easy to follow, even with limited prep time. GreyB clearly showed how the invention evolved within the standards. It helped us see where the novel
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Join 500+ companies that trust GreyB to explore new technologies, identify hidden opportunities, and build stronger innovation strategies.
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Technology Scouting
Know what technologies exist globally that could solve a specific problem. You get a structured shortlist of technologies, companies, and research groups ranked by maturity, commercial availability, and fit to your criteria. Typical turnaround is 3 to 6 weeks.
Technology Landscape Analysis
Know who is doing what in a technology space, how mature it is, and where it’s heading. You get a complete map of technology activity by player, geography, patent filing trend, and academic research volume. This is the foundation for a credible R&D roadmap or investment decision.
Supplier Scouting
Know who can supply what you’re looking for and whether their claims hold up. You get a globally sourced, technically assessed supplier shortlist. For high-stakes sourcing, our Scouted by GreyB programme physically tests supplier claims before they reach you.
White Space Analysis
Know where the gaps in the market are that no one has claimed. You get a mapped view of underserved needs, unclaimed technology niches, and unaddressed consumer segments, built on evidence rather than intuition.
Market Research
Know what the market wants and whether there’s demand evidence for what you’re planning to build. You get consumer demand analysis, competitive product benchmarking, regulatory landscape context, and channel dynamics, distilled into a brief your product team can act on straight away
Competitive Analysis
Know what your competition is doing in R&D that their product launches don’t show. You get a patent-intelligence view of competitor R&D investment, covering where they’re filing, what they’re protecting, and where the signals suggest they’re heading next.
Ingredient Scouting
Find ingredients globally, including from non-obvious or novel sources, that could replace or improve what you’re currently using. You get a research-led ingredient landscape covering natural alternatives, bio-derived options, and emerging outputs from synthetic biology, with patent status, supplier availability, and regulatory pathway noted for each candidate.
Startup Scouting
Know which early-stage companies are working in a given space and whether any are ready for a partnership conversation. You get a curated longlist narrowed to a vetted shortlist, with each startup assessed for funding stage, IP position, key team, and strategic fit. We verify claims in the field where the decision warrants it.
Custom Data to Innovate Faster
Maximize your open innovation efforts with tailored data analysis. From patent landscapes to emerging technology scouting, our customized insights provide actionable recommendations that drive revenue and accelerate product development. Leverage our expertise to turn complex data into strategic advantages for your innovation initiatives.
Read Recent Case Studies
The client aimed to identify new technologies for refrigerator doors to enhance efficiency without increasing overall costs. Many alternative solutions in this industry, such as Vacuum Insulation Panels and Low-E
The Innovation team at a leading personal care company wanted to identify next-generation product and packaging innovations in the wipes category to strengthen its mid- to long-term innovation pipeline across
A leading cosmetics company wanted to evaluate a regional market where cosmetic procedures were being adopted, but where clinic networks, treatment adoption, consumer preferences, and procedure-level demand remained largely undocumented.
A leading food manufacturing company was exploring a new application for a specialized food texturizer. Led by its R&D and Open Innovation team, the initiative aimed to identify external partners
Can APET replace cPET and PP in microwaveable trays without losing access to APET recycling streams? For a global APET sheet manufacturer, this theoretical concern represents a concrete market opportunity.
Modified PET Applications to Replace Engineering 0Resin in Automotive, Electronics, Packaging, and Medical Sectors A leading PET resin manufacturer wanted to identify where modified PET could realistically replace engineering resins
Our Core Strengths, Vouched By 1000+ Clients
Agility: Adapt Fast, Adapt Now.
Fast-track your time-sensitive decisions with insights you need, when you need them.
Strategy: Goal-specific, Impact-driven.
Embark on a purpose-driven winning course of action. Drive real impact with problem-specific plans.
Expertise: Delivered On The Go.
Worried about uncertainty? Access independent advice from industry-leading subject matter experts.
Research: Quick, Easy, Best-In-Breed.
Say goodbye to data overload. Get crystallized research that simplifies complex insights to share easily with your team.
Industries We Serve
Our technology scouting expertise spans across diverse industries, delivering sector-specific insights and opportunities.
Food & Beverages
Driving innovation in alternative ingredients, sustainable packaging, and health-focused products.
Consumer Goods
AI, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and emerging software platforms.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Digital health, biotechnology, medical devices, and pharmaceutical innovations.
Automotive & Mobility
Electric vehicles, autonomous driving, and next-gen transportation solutions.
Consumer Electronics
Wearables, smart devices, AR/VR, and next-generation consumer tech.
Sustainability & Packaging
Renewable energy, smart grids, energy storage, and sustainability technologies.
Talk to our Leaders With 1500+ Open Innovation Triumphs.
Sr. Vice President
Group Manager
Manager
Excellence & Experience
Most Asked Questions
What does GreyB do in open innovation that my internal team can't?
Your internal team knows your technology and your business well, and that’s not something we replace. What GreyB adds is external reach and research speed. We access patent databases across 100+ jurisdictions, scientific literature in multiple languages, proprietary startup and supplier networks, and primary sources that aren’t indexed publicly. A brief that would take your team 3 to 4 months of part-time search effort typically takes GreyB 4 to 6 weeks of focused work, and we bring domain analysts who’ve run this specific type of search dozens of times in your industry. You receive a decision-ready shortlist, not a raw dataset your team has to triage.
How long does a typical technology scouting or startup scouting project take?
Most focused scouting projects, where the brief is well defined, run between 3 and 6 weeks from confirmed brief to final delivery. A startup scouting sprint for a specific technology area typically takes 4 weeks. A full technology landscape, covering patent activity, academic research, commercial players, and competitive moves, takes 6 to 8 weeks. We give you a specific timeline at scoping stage, before any commitment. If your internal deadline requires a faster turnaround, tell us at the outset. We can structure the engagement to deliver a phased output rather than a delayed complete one.
We've used technology scouting vendors before and received a list of companies that weren't relevant. Why would this be different?
That missmatch comes from one of two places. Either the brief wasn’t sharpened enough before the search started, or the vendor used a single database and filtered on keywords rather than applying domain expertise. GreyB’s first step in every engagement is brief refinement. We ask the questions that surface what you’re trying to achieve, not just what you’ve asked for. We then search across multiple proprietary and public sources, and every shortlist is reviewed by a senior analyst with experience in your specific domain before it reaches you. We run a mid-project check-in to confirm we’re on track before we go deep on the final shortlist.
What does GreyB's "Scouted by GreyB" programme mean in practice?
It means we go beyond desk research. For supplier scouting and startup evaluation assignments where the stakes are high enough to warrant physical verification, GreyB researchers visit sites, order samples, test claims against published specifications, and report back on what holds up before a supplier or partner makes your shortlist. We deployed this for a global cosmetics company evaluating monomaterial packaging suppliers. We ordered samples from eight shortlisted suppliers and tested their recyclability claims against EU packaging regulations before presenting a verified shortlist of three. Not every brief needs this level of verification, but for high-conviction sourcing decisions, it’s available as part of the engagement.
Can you sign an NDA before we discuss our brief?
Yes, and we prefer to. We don’t start scoping conversations that involve sharing your brief without a mutual NDA in place. Your project brief is siloed to your dedicated engagement team. It’s not visible to other client teams, even those in adjacent industries. All research outputs are your intellectual property. We retain no rights to use, publish, or reference your findings without your explicit written consent. We maintain a conflicts register and flag any potential overlap before a project begins.
Who actually does the research, senior analysts or junior researchers?
Your engagement is led by a senior researcher with specific industry and technology domain experience, supported by a specialist analyst team. The same lead who scopes your brief runs your engagement and presents your findings. There’s no handoff to a junior team after the sale. For food and beverage projects, for example, the lead analyst has typically worked on 30 to 50 prior engagements in the same sector. They already know which databases yield useful signal, which supplier categories are hard to source, and which technology claims hold up against marketing noise. That pattern recognition produces a high-relevance shortlist rather than an exhaustive list you have to work through yourself.
We don't have a fully formed brief yet. Can GreyB help us define the problem first?
Yes, and this is where many of our best engagements start. A brief that arrives as “we want to understand the alternative protein space” typically becomes something much more precise after one conversation. It might end up as a request to find startups using mycoprotein or single-cell protein with a TRL of 6 or above, commercially active in Europe, with no existing exclusive relationships with your three key competitors. That sharpening process happens before you commit to anything. We run a complimentary 30-minute scoping conversation for any serious enquiry. Come with a rough direction and we’ll help turn it into a precise question.
Do you cover all industries or do you focus on specific sectors?
GreyB has dedicated analyst teams for 30+ industries, with deep track records in food and beverages, healthcare and life sciences, consumer goods, chemicals, automotive, packaging, and sustainability. Within those broad sectors, we work at the sub-vertical level. In food, that means dairy, infant nutrition, alternative protein, and sugar reduction. In life sciences, it means oncology, diagnostics, and medical devices. In automotive, it means EV batteries, autonomous systems, and tyres. If your technology area sits at the intersection of two industries, for example bio-inspired packaging materials that cross chemistry, food contact regulations, and sustainability, that’s where our cross-industry approach finds the most useful answers, because we know where to look in each domain at the same time.
How does GreyB compare to AI tools for research?
AI tools are useful for initial orientation. They help you understand a technology area at a high level, generate a starting list of names, or explain what a term means. They’re not reliable for research that sits behind actual R&D decisions. AI models produce fabricated patent citations and company data at a rate that makes them untrustworthy for anything compliance-sensitive or investment-grade. They don’t have access to supplier databases, private company registries, or non-English language sources. They also can’t conduct primary outreach. GreyB uses AI tools as one layer of a multi-source research process, not as a substitute for expert-led investigation.
Can GreyB work on a retainer for ongoing technology monitoring?
Yes. For technology areas where you need continuous visibility, including competitor patent activity, startup ecosystem movements, regulatory changes, or ingredient availability shifts, GreyB offers monitoring retainers. These deliver a structured intelligence brief on a defined cadence, monthly, quarterly, or triggered by significant events. Rather than commissioning a new landscape each time something changes, you get a standing watch on the domains that matter to your roadmap. Retainer clients also get access to Slate, GreyB’s R&D and IP intelligence platform, where your landscape data is maintained as a living, searchable dataset.
Exceptional Team, Rewarding Results.
After all these years, that’s what I value most: good judgment, open communication, and a team that’s genuinely committed to getting the search right.
The team explained why they were searching in certain directions, walked me through the references they were finding, listened to my feedback, and adjusted the search as our discussions evolved. That gave me confidence that they were trying to find the best answer, not just deliver a report.
I met Ayushi through GreyB. She’s my point of contact there. Always available, and really committed to exceeding our expectations she positively reinforced about the quality of the GreyB staff, and consequently, the deliveries they make. In a special way, I would like to highlight her kindness and cordiality during the entire process, and even after the end of the project. Thank you Ayushi and I hope continue working with
I had the pleasure to meet Ayushi through a Project we had with GreyB. She and her team are one of the most incredible people and teams I have ever worked with! They were always exceeding our expectations, great Communication, follow up, speed and quality information along the project! Thank you Ayu!!
Jatin and the GreyB team recently completed an excellent piece of work for us. They comprehensively searched large quantities of information, summarized key points, and identifying key trends. They kept in contact throughout the work to ensure outputs were fit for purpose. They also used their in house software to great effect allowing us to find specific bits of information in the large volume of literature very efficiently.
We are very happy on how elaborative and comprehensive of the report for the available tools. GreyB team really looking into different aspect and they also tried to hands-on using the app which is very beneficial as the first hand user will give a unique perspective to the report. Appreciate that GreyB covers a lot of data sources as well. We really appreciate the effort and hard work from the
Jatin and the GreyB team were great in taking the weight of a key project off my hands, doing the majority of the data collection and assessment that I can then use as the basis for the final report. Jatin was accessible and helpful, ensuring the project was properly scoped at the beginning, communication flowed well, and everything was just generally easy. Thanks all!
I would like to share with the technical community that Jatin is a great partner to work with big challenges. He provides all support and information you will need to take a big decision. Was a pleasure to explore innovation opportunities inside the hydrogen value chain.
GreyB provided an outside perspective that was very helpful as an unbiased, objective frame of reference. We were happy that many of our (subjective) assumptions were validated by GreyB’s analysis and some new aspects were added to the picture. The analysis also helped us to better understand which market niches and entry approaches might be most suitable for Smart Reporting.
Working with Jatin has been, in short, brilliant. Jatin’s professionalism and responsiveness, coupled with his ability to communicate even the most technical dairy science, have made him and GreyB our go to partners for tech scanning and patent analysis. Nothing we’ve asked has ever phased Jatin, even in the midst of a global pandemic – I would recommend working with Jatin to anyone.
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