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The Founders and Leaders Series
The Founders and Leaders Series

Episode 7: Daniel Graff-Radford, CEO, Discuss

06 February 2026 28:52 Mike Stevens, Insight Platforms

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About this episode

Episode Overview

Daniel Graff-Radford explores the evolution of research tech platform Discuss, combining qual research with the Voxco survey and Ascribe AI text analytics platforms.

Episode Highlights

  • The merger story: How Discuss brought together Voxco's quantitative surveys, Ascribe's text analytics, and Discuss's qualitative platform to create an integrated research solution marking the company's 50th anniversary
  • AI as thought partner, not replacement: Why AI should enhance researcher expertise rather than replace it, and how quality questions from trained researchers deliver better insights than automated shallow analysis
  • The full-stack researcher: How AI tools are breaking down rigid qual-quant specialisms, enabling researchers to blend methodologies and apply the right approach for each question
  • Avoiding startup pitfalls: Lessons from building five companies, including the importance of customer focus over investor pitches, cultural fit in M&A, and documenting decisions for continuous learning
  • The future of research workflows: Why startups fail when they skip steps to reach a three-year vision, and how established players can light the path from current capabilities to AI-powered research ecosystems
  • Building culture over strategy: Why hiring carefully, fostering a culture where mistakes drive learning, and maintaining customer obsession matter more than brilliant strategy

About the Guest

Daniel Graff-Radford is CEO of Discuss, leading the integration of three established research technology companies: Voxco (quantitative surveys), Ascribe (text analytics and AI insights), and Discuss (qualitative research). This is his fifth company and second role as CEO, with a track record of building businesses that achieve over $10 million in recurring revenue with positive outcomes for investors. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, he brings decades of experience in research technology and a customer-focused approach to building company culture and product strategy.

Learn more about the impact of technology and AI on research, insights & analytics at Insight Platforms.

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