# Nihal Advani

> Nihal Advani is the founder and CEO of QualSights, a Chicago-based insights technology platform that helps global brands decode real-world human behavior through live video, mobile ethnography, sensors and AI. A former internationally ranked junior tennis player from India who came to the US on a full scholarship, he cut his teeth at Google and Microsoft before founding the travel startup Georama in 2012, then pivoting it into QualSights in 2018. On roughly $3.5M raised over a decade, he built one of America's fastest growing market research companies, ranked by Inc. as the fastest growing company in Illinois.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at QualSights
- **Organizations:** QualSights, Georama, Microsoft, Google
- **From:** India
- **Nationality:** Indian-American
- **Education:** BS, Business Management / Marketing, Stony Brook University (SUNY), MS, Engineering Management, Northwestern University
- **Known for:** Named the fastest growing company in Illinois and one of America's fastest growing consumer insights platforms by Inc., Ranked #22 on the Inc. 5000; roughly 20x revenue growth over two years, Built QualSights to work with Fortune 100, 500 and 1000 brands

## Career timeline

- **Teens** — Internationally ranked junior tennis player in India; came to the US on a full tennis scholarship
- **College** — Interned at Google while at Stony Brook University
- **2007-2012** — Joined Microsoft; roles across Search (Bing), Display and Program Manager for the Microsoft Media Network
- **2012** — Left Microsoft to found Georama, a travel technology startup
- **2015** — Georama won the Shark Tank competition at the Illinois Governor's Conference on Travel & Tourism
- **2014-2017** — Georama evolved into a live-streaming virtual travel platform serving tourism boards, hotels, museums and NASA
- **2018** — Pivoted and rebranded Georama into QualSights, an all-in-one qualitative insights platform
- **2022** — QualSights raised a $7.7M Series A; named fastest growing company in Illinois by Inc.

## Achievements

- Named the fastest growing company in Illinois and one of America's fastest growing consumer insights platforms by Inc.
- Ranked #22 on the Inc. 5000; roughly 20x revenue growth over two years
- Built QualSights to work with Fortune 100, 500 and 1000 brands
- Grew the company on approximately $3.5M raised over 10 years - a capital-efficient model
- Won the Shark Tank competition at the 2015 Illinois Governor's Conference on Travel & Tourism with Georama
- Member of the Forbes Technology Council and Fast Company Executive Board

## Latest updates

- **2022-11** — QualSights closed a $7.7M Series A, bringing total funding to roughly $10.4M
- **2025-06** — Continues to lead QualSights, expanding AI-powered analysis and sensor-based passive research (UseSights)

## Links

- Website: https://qualsights.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nihaladvani
- Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/GeoramaLive
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nihal.advani/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/QualSights

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nihal-advani
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-01