Company:SurveyMonkey

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SurveyMonkey Inc.
FormerlyMomentive Global Inc. (2021–23)
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] Headquartered in San Mateo, California, SurveyMonkey is used globally in business, education, healthcare, government, and non-profit sectors.[8][9][10][6][11][12]

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.[13]

As of 2022, SurveyMonkey employed around 1,400 people.[4]

In June 2023, the company rebranded itself back to SurveyMonkey after being acquired by an investor group led by Symphony Technology Group.[3][14]

History

Founding and early growth (1999-2009)

SurveyMonkey was founded in 1999 by Ryan Finley, who later brought on his brother, Chris Finley.[15][16] Seeking a simple way to collect customer feedback and finding no suitable tools available, he developed his own solution—SurveyMonkey.[17] In 2005, Finley relocated the company to Portland, Oregon, where he and his brother Chris transported the company’s servers themselves. By 2008, SurveyMonkey had experienced significant growth in both users and revenue.

Private equity investment and expansion (2009-2015)

In 2009, Spectrum Equity and Bain Capital acquired a majority stake in the company.[18] During this time, Dave Goldberg, a former Yahoo executive, served as CEO and led the company through a period of rapid growth.[19][16] This included growing from 12 employees to over 450, and helping the company achieve an almost $2 billion valuation.[20] The company also acquired startups, Wufoo and FluidReview (later renamed to SurveyMonkey Apply).[21][22]

In early 2013, SurveyMonkey relocated its headquarters from Portland to Palo Alto, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley.[23] In 2017, the company moved again, establishing a new, larger headquarters in San Mateo at One Curiosity Way.[24]

In 2010, the company received $100 million in debt financing from Bank of America Merrill Lynch and SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.[25] By 2013, SurveyMonkey raised $800 million in debt and equity valuing the company at $1.35 billion.[26] In September 2013, the company announced HIPAA-compliant features for premium subscription holders.[27]

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.[28]

Goldberg died in 2015.[20]

Product growth & diversification (2015-2020)

Following Goldberg’s death, in May 2015, Zander Lurie was named CEO,[29][30] 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.[31][32]

On August 3, 2015, Bill Veghte replaced Goldberg as SurveyMonkey CEO. Veghte held top posts at HP and Microsoft.[33] Veghte left the role after fewer than 6 months due to strategic differences with investors and was replaced by Zander Lurie in January 2016.[34]

In February 2016, SurveyMonkey began polling public opinion using the SurveyMonkey platform.[35] Poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight gives the poll a 'C' rating.[35]

In 2017, the company rolled out "SurveyMonkey Genius" which estimates survey performance and makes actionable suggestions to increase survey effectiveness.[36] In August, the company launched "SurveyMonkey CX" which assists organizations in managing their customer experience programs.[37]

IPO and Rebrand to Momentive (2018-2023)

SurveyMonkey went public on the Nasdaq under the ticker SVMK in September 2018.[38] At the time, board members included Serena Williams, Brad Smith, David Ebersman, and Sheryl Sandberg.[39][40]

Emory University Goizueta Business School dean Erika James joined the SurveyMonkey board of directors in 2018, creating Gender Parity on the company's board.[41][42]

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]

Momentive logo

In 2021, SurveyMonkey’s parent company rebranded as Momentive, keeping SurveyMonkey as the name of the core product.[11][43] The decision to rebrand was made to reflect a broader focus on experience management and enterprise applications.[43][11][13]

On October 28, 2021, Zendesk announced that it had agreed to acquire MomentiveAI for about $4.1 billion, in an all-stock deal.[44] 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.[45] Although shareholders of Momentive Global Inc. approved the deal, Zendesk's shareholders voted against the acquisition.[46] Subsequently the deal was terminated.[46]

Acquisition and Return to SurveyMonkey Brand (2023-present)

In March 2023, STG acquired Momentive in a $1.5 billion all-cash transaction.[47][48] 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.[49][50]

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][51][6][52][53]

Acquisitions

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.[54]

SurveyMonkey acquired TechValidate, a Canadian marketing content automation company in August 2015.[55]

Products and services

SurveyMonkey offers products for building and collecting information via forms as well as survey creation, distribution, data analysis, and reporting.[56]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Scott, Martin (27 August 2012). "Customer research easier in digital era". USA Today. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/MONEY/usaedition/2012-08-28-Efficient-Small-Business-Ecommerce_CV_U.htm. 
  2. ↑ "SurveyMonkey Office Locations". https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/aboutus/office-locations/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Momentive replaces CEO and changes name back to SurveyMonkey". 15 June 2023. https://www.research-live.com/article/news/momentive-replaces-ceo-and-changes-name-back-to-surveymonkey/id/5113423. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "US SEC: Form 10-K Momentive Global, Inc.". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 17 February 2023. https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1739936/000095017023003212/mntv-20221231.htm. 
  5. ↑ Molenaar, Koba (2025-03-01). "Top Software as a Service (SaaS) Influencer Marketing Campaigns" (in en-US). https://influencermarketinghub.com/saas-influencer-marketing-campaigns/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Survey software seller SurveyMonkey opens GCC in Bengaluru; plans to have 25% of its R&D team". The Economic Times. 2024-10-16. ISSN 0013-0389. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/survey-software-seller-surveymonkey-opens-gcc-in-bengaluru-plans-to-have-25-of-its-rd-team/articleshow/114285219.cms?from=mdr. 
  7. ↑ Lunden, Ingrid (2016-04-06). "SurveyMonkey expands into app insights after quietly acquiring Renzu, founded by Zynga alums" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2016/04/06/surveymonkey-expands-into-app-insights-after-quietly-acquiring-renzu-founded-by-zynga-alums/. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Martin, Asia (September 16, 2024). "SurveyMonkey talks new San Mateo office". Silicon Valley Business Journal. https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2024/09/16/survey-monkey-rightsizing-real-estate.html.  This article incorrectly states that Franklin Templeton Investments' headquarters is located four miles away from Bay Meadows in downtown San Mateo; it is actually located only about a half mile east of Bay Meadows.
  9. ↑ Alba, Davey. "SurveyMonkey Has Quizzed Us Since 1999. Now It Has Answers" (in en-US). Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. https://www.wired.com/2015/04/surveymonkey-quizzed-us-since-1999-now-answers/. Retrieved 2025-10-29. 
  10. ↑ Bajkowski, Julian (2014-05-22). "SurveyMonkey swings into the Australian polling market - and Malcolm Turnbull" (in en-US). https://www.governmentnews.com.au/surveymonkey-swings-australian-polling-market-malcolm-turnbull/. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Swant, Marty (9 June 2021). "SurveyMonkey Rebrands As Momentive To Fuel Its Growing Enterprise Business". https://www.forbes.com/sites/martyswant/2021/06/09/surveymonkey-rebrands-as-momentive-to-fuel-its-growing-enterprise-business/?sh=4f76edef2189. 
  12. ↑ "Exploring the Fun Side of SurveyMonkey: Interesting Facts | AbcSubmit" (in en-US). 2023-10-04. https://www.abcsubmit.com/site/interesting-facts/exploring-the-fun-side-of-surveymonkey-interesting-facts/. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "How to Use Online Tools for Customer Surveys". 15 June 2021. https://www.inc.com/guides/2010/07/how-to-use-online-tools-for-customer-surveys.html. 
  14. ↑ Dorbian, Iris (1 June 2023). "STG-led investor group completes take-private $1.5bn acquisition of Momentive". https://www.pehub.com/stg-led-investor-group-completes-take-private-1-5bn-acquisition-of-momentive/. 
  15. ↑ staff, CNBC com (2015-05-12). "14. SurveyMonkey" (in en). https://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/12/y-disruptor-50.html. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Coster, Helen. "SurveyMonkey CEO Dave Goldberg on Tech Valuations, Growth and an IPO" (in en). https://www.forbes.com/sites/helencoster/2012/01/30/surveymonkey-ceo-dave-goldberg-on-tech-valuations-growth-and-an-ipo/. 
  17. ↑ Lurie, Zander. "What's the origin/founding story of SurveyMonkey?". https://quorasessionwithzanderlurie.quora.com/Whats-the-origin-founding-story-of-SurveyMonkey-Who-started-it-and-how-did-they-get-going. 
  18. ↑ "Timeline How Survey Monkey rebranded as Momentive" (in en). https://issuu.com/gigabitmagazine/docs/technology_magazine_-_february_2022/s/14715103. 
  19. ↑ Novet, Jordan (29 August 2018). "SurveyMonkey files to go public, lost $27 million on $121 million in sales in first half of 2018". https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/29/surveymonkey-is-going-public.html. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Seetharaman, Deepa (2015-05-03). "David Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey and Husband of Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg, Dies" (in en-US). Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. http://www.wsj.com/articles/david-goldberg-surveymonkey-ceo-dies-at-age-47-1430672009. 
  21. ↑ Staff, Techopia (2017-07-24). "SurveyMonkey surpasses 100 employees in Ottawa" (in en-US). https://obj.ca/surveymonkey-surpasses-100-employees-in-ottawa/. 
  22. ↑ Schonfeld, Erick (2011-04-25). "Another Y Combinator Win: WuFoo Exits For $35 Million, After Raising Only $118,000" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2011/04/25/wufoo-35-million-surveymonkey/. 
  23. ↑ "SurveyMonkey's Future Is Focused On One Word: Curiosity" (in en-US). Fast Company. 2017-07-17. https://www.fastcompany.com/40440186/surveymonkeys-future-is-focused-on-one-word-curiosity. 
  24. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2017/08/14/surveymonkey-bay-meadows-san-mateo-development-hq.html. 
  25. ↑ Equity, Spectrum (1 April 2009). "SurveyMonkey Receives Investment from Spectrum Equity". https://www.spectrumequity.com/news/surveymonkey-receives-investment-from-spectrum-equity. 
  26. ↑ Lynley, Matthew (3 November 2010). "SurveyMonkey bucks the trend, picks up $100M in debt financing". https://venturebeat.com/2010/11/03/surveymonkey-debt-financing/. 
  27. ↑ "SurveyMonkey IPO". Fortune. 25 June 2021. http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/01/17/surveymonkey-ipo/. 
  28. ↑ Konrad, Alex (18 November 2018). "SurveyMonkey Jumps Into Enterprise Market With New Product For Businesses". https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2013/11/18/surveymonkey-launches-enterprise-product/?sh=4fbb4b9e65e0. 
  29. ↑ Lorenzetti, Laura (15 December 2014). "SurveyMonkey is worth $2 billion after new $250 million fundraising round". https://fortune.com/2014/12/15/surveymonkey-is-worth-2-billion-after-latest-fundraising-round/. 
  30. ↑ Minaya, Ezequiel (2016-01-14). "SurveyMonkey Names Zander Lurie CEO" (in en-US). Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. http://www.wsj.com/articles/surveymonkey-names-zander-lurie-ceo-1452732656. 
  31. ↑ "SurveyMonkey buys Usabilla for $80 million" (in en). https://www.zdnet.com/article/surveymonkey-buys-usabilla-for-80-million/. 
  32. ↑ Hollenbeck, Amanda (2019-09-04). "SurveyMonkey Acquires GetFeedback" (in en-US). https://www.demandgenreport.com/industry-news/surveymonkey-acquires-getfeedback/5850/. 
  33. ↑ Hardy, Quentin (6 July 2015). "Sheryl Sandberg Joins SurveyMonkey's Board". https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/06/sheryl-sandberg-joins-surveymonkeys-board/?_r=0&mtrref=undefined&gwh=BAED67F055E64199A54CEFB5086CC0B6&gwt=pay&assetType=PAYWALL. 
  34. ↑ Zhang, Maggie (7 July 2015). "HP's Bill Veghte Joins SurveyMonkey As New CEO". https://www.forbes.com/sites/mzhang/2015/07/07/hps-bill-veghte-joins-survey-monkey-as-new-ceo/?sh=58e2b7005ef8. 
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Silver, Nate (2021-03-25). "Pollster Ratings - SurveyMonkey" (in en). https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/pollster-ratings/. 
  36. ↑ Live, Research (15 January 2016). "VEGHTE OUT AND LURIE IN AS SURVEYMONKEY CEO". https://www.research-live.com/article/news/veghte-out-and-lurie-in-as-surveymonkey-ceo-/id/5001462. 
  37. ↑ Del Rowe, Sam (17 July 2017). "SurveyMonkey Announces People Powered Data Platform". https://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=119389. 
  38. ↑ "SurveyMonkey Goes Public, and Demand Is High: What to Watch Today (Published 2018)" (in en). 2018-09-26. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/business/dealbook/surveymonkey-initial-public-offering.html. 
  39. ↑ McBride, Sarah (2015-07-07). "Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg joins board of SurveyMonkey" (in en-GB). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/business/facebook-executive-sheryl-sandberg-joins-board-of-surveymonkey-idUSKCN0PH06L/. 
  40. ↑ Swisher, Kara (2017-07-10). "Serena Williams is joining the SurveyMonkey board" (in en). https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/10/serena-williams-is-joining-the-surveymonkey-board.html. 
  41. ↑ Sonenshine, Jacob (26 September 2018). "Survey Monkey Pops 43% on IPO". https://www.thestreet.com/markets/ipos/survey-monkey-ipo-14724704. 
  42. ↑ Mohan, Pavithra (14 August 2018). "SurveyMonkey's board is now 50% women". Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/90218542/surveymonkeys-board-is-now-50-women. 
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Vanian, Jonathan (9 June 2021). "SurveyMonkey changes its name as it expands beyond surveys". https://fortune.com/2021/06/09/surveymonkey-changes-name-momentive-expands-beyond-surveys/. 
  44. ↑ "Zendesk to Buy SurveyMonkey Parent Momentive Global" (in en). Bloomberg.com. 2021-10-28. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-28/zendesk-to-buy-surveymonkey-parent-momentive-global. 
  45. ↑ Hu, Krystal; Hussain, Noor Zainab (2021-10-28). "Software services firm Zendesk to buy SurveyMonkey parent for nearly $4 bln" (in en). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/software-services-firm-zendesk-buy-surveymonkey-parent-nearly-4-bln-2021-10-28/. 
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Jacob, Denny (2022-02-25). "Zendesk Terminates Deal With SurveyMonkey Parent" (in en-US). Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. https://www.wsj.com/articles/zendesk-terminates-deal-with-surveymonkey-parent-11645830504. 
  47. ↑ Stephen, James (2023-03-14). "Symphony Technology Group Acquires Momentive for $1.5BN" (in en-GB). https://www.cxtoday.com/voice-of-the-customer/symphony-technology-group-acquires-momentive-for-1-5-billion/. 
  48. ↑ Mathews, Eva (13 March 2023). "SurveyMonkey owner Momentive Global to be taken private in $1.5 bln deal". Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/momentive-global-be-acquired-by-symphony-led-consortium-15-bln-deal-2023-03-13/. 
  49. ↑ Ball, Jason. "Monkeying with Success: SurveyMonkey's Brand Shift" (in en). https://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/learning-from-surveymonkeys-rebranding-strategy-u-turn/. 
  50. ↑ Stephen, James (2023-06-14). "Momentive Appoints New CEO, Revives the SurveyMonkey Name" (in en-GB). https://www.cxtoday.com/voice-of-the-customer/momentive-appoints-new-ceo-revives-the-surveymonkey-name/. 
  51. ↑ "SurveyMonkey: Announced first Indian office in Bengaluru" (in en). 2024-10-16. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/surveymonkey-establishes-first-indian-office-in-bengaluru/article68760364.ece. 
  52. ↑ Murillo, Erick (2025-06-08). "CEO de SurveyMonkey: "Estamos en Costa Rica por el buen talento humano que hay" | CR Hoy" (in es). https://crhoy.com/ceo-de-surveymonkey-estamos-en-costa-rica-por-el-buen-talento-humano-que-hay/. 
  53. ↑ Gutierrez, Erick Josué (2025-05-22). "SurveyMonkey apuesta por América Latina: abre su primera oficina en Costa Rica para impulsar su crecimiento global" (in es-GT). https://centranews.com.gt/negocios-y-tecnologia/surveymonkey-apuesta-por-america-latina-abre-su-primera-oficina-en-costa-rica-para-impulsar-su-crecimiento-global/. 
  54. ↑ Mandel, Eric (14 August 2018). "SurveyMonkey adds Emory Dean to Board of Directors". https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2018/08/14/surveymonkey-adds-emory-dean-to-board-of-directors.html. 
  55. ↑ MacMillan, Douglas (5 August 2014). "SurveyMonkey Acquires Smaller Canadian Rival". Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-DGB-36910. 
  56. ↑ Pickavance, Mark (2021-12-03). "Best survey tool of 2025" (in en). https://www.techradar.com/best/best-survey-tools. 



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