Our mission.

At Proven, we're on a mission to help companies move beyond guesswork by providing independent, actionable customer intelligence that fuels growth, optimizes retention, and supports critical business decisions.

Founded by Sarah Davis, a former enterprise software professional with over 10 years of experience in customer discovery and business intelligence, Proven was built to deliver faster, more focused, and more transparent customer insights than traditional consulting approaches.

We believe that understanding your customers is the foundation of every great business decision and we've built proven methodologies to make that understanding accessible, reliable, and impactful.

  • Deep Insights, Not Just Data: We go beyond surface-level metrics to uncover what truly drives your customers.

  • Tailored for Growth: Our solutions adapt to meet the needs of startups, growth-stage businesses, and exit-focused companies.

  • Built on Expertise: With decades of experience, we’ve developed a platform that combines cutting-edge AI with real-world business insight.

Why Proven?

About Proven.

  • We conduct independent customer research using professional interview methodology and structured analysis. Our approach uncovers authentic customer motivations, competitive positioning, and retention risks that surveys and internal feedback often miss. Whether you need ongoing insights or project-based intelligence, we deliver the customer truth that drives confident business decisions.

  • Sarah Davis

    Co-Founder & CEO

    Sarah Davis is the co-founder and CEO of Proven, where she leads the strategic development of customer intelligence solutions. Her work focuses on helping companies—from startup to growth stage—make informed decisions based on deep customer insights. With expertise in artificial intelligence and business strategy, Sarah leverages predictive analytics and customer research to help companies understand market trends and customer behavior.

    Before founding Proven, Sarah built extensive experience in business strategy, software sales, and go-to-market execution at several fast-growing technology companies. This unique blend of strategic thinking and hands-on market experience has been instrumental in developing customer intelligence methodologies that enhance business planning and competitive positioning.

    Sarah is dedicated to ensuring that companies can build products and strategies customers will support. Her approach continues to shape Proven's mission: guiding businesses to understand what their customers need and how to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market.

    Contact: sarah@provencompanies.io | (828) 638-0299

    Mark Brenner

    Co-Founder

    Mark Brenner is a co-founder of Proven and the founder of NarrowCast Ventures, an advisory firm that helps companies achieve successful growth and strategic outcomes through transformative business development strategies. NarrowCast focuses on identifying and executing the key activities that create significant enterprise value.

    Mark is a serial entrepreneur who founded four companies—two of which achieved billion-dollar valuations. He successfully raised between $6 million and $40 million in funding and led each company as CEO to successful outcomes. His ventures include Prevue/TV Guide Interactive, reaching 60 million homes; TVG/FanDuel Racing, with over $3 billion in annual transactions; Vidavee, acquired by a major technology company; and WEST, serving 125 clients.

    With over 20 years of experience in business strategy, venture capital, and advisory roles, Mark has helped more than 125 companies reach critical milestones. He has facilitated numerous strategic transactions and business development initiatives that have generated $875 million in value for founders and their companies.

    Mark's mission is to empower founders to achieve the success they deserve—a commitment he refers to as delivering Return on Sacrifice (ROS).

  • Proven Business Success: Our founders bring combined decades of experience building and scaling successful companies, with a track record of billion-dollar valuations and successful outcomes.

    Deep Market Understanding: Sarah's experience in sales and Mark's entrepreneurial background provide unique insights into what drives successful business decisions and customer relationships.

    Customer-Centric Approach: Our team understands that customer intelligence is critical to business success, whether for strategic planning, product development, or competitive positioning.

    Independent Perspective: With extensive experience in business strategy, our team maintains objectivity and professionalism in all customer intelligence engagements.

  • To be the definitive source for unbiased customer intelligence that empowers companies to make their most important decisions with complete confidence. We envision a business world where leaders have direct access to customer truth—not filtered through internal perspectives or wishful thinking.

Get started today

Our Proven process.

Professional standards methodology

Research approach:

We use structured interview protocols developed over 10+ years of customer research experience. Our methodology ensures consistent, reliable results while maintaining complete confidentiality and professional standards.

Confidentiality Protocols:

All research is conducted under strict confidentiality agreements. Customers never know the specific business context of interviews, ensuring authentic, unbiased responses.

Quality Assurance:

Every project includes recorded interviews, detailed transcripts, professional analysis, and executive summary with actionable recommendations.