CIENCE ranked #32 on the Clutch 1000: placing in the top 1% of B2B service providers worldwide, the top 3% of all award recipients: backed by verified client reviews from 2,500+ companies across 250+ industries. The Clutch 1000 represents the most exclusive tier of the platform's half-million-plus firms. We were top 32 globally in services. Now we're deploying globally as a platform.
Last refreshed March 2026: updated to reflect CIENCE's transition to graph8 and the Forward Deployed Engineer model that replaced legacy outsourced SDR delivery.
From Thomas Cornelius, Founder & CEO, graph8 (formerly Founder, CIENCE): "Being ranked top 1% globally in services taught us the ceiling of what a services model can achieve. We didn't iterate on it: we rebuilt GTM as an engineering discipline, because that's the only way the economics ever improve at scale."
What the Clutch 1000 Taught Us
Clutch's methodology for the 1000 list goes beyond revenue. They measure "ability to deliver": a composite score of review quality and recency, client portfolio, competitive specializations, and brand recognition. Ranking #32 meant CIENCE wasn't just growing fast: we were delivering at a level that put us ahead of 99% of B2B service providers on the planet.
But that delivery came at a cost the ranking didn't show. Every verified review represented a client engagement that required dedicated SDR headcount. Every campaign that earned a five-star rating was powered by humans doing manual prospecting, personalized email sequences, and multichannel follow-up. The service quality was undeniable: clients like Bryce Garoutte at Silicon Valley Insight saw 500% increases in sales appointments. But the model that produced those results couldn't scale without linearly scaling costs.
Being in the top 1% of global services companies taught us something uncomfortable: even the best services company in the world is still constrained by a services model. Our 668% three-year revenue growth was proof of execution. It was also proof that we were approaching the ceiling.
Why the Outsourced SDR Model Hits a Ceiling
If you're buying outsourced sales development: or running it in-house: you've felt this ceiling. Your provider delivers decent results, but costs keep climbing. Your internal team is solid, but every incremental improvement requires proportionally more investment.
You've added AI tools to the stack. You've optimized your cold email subject lines. You've tested every sequencing platform on the market. And yet your cost per meeting keeps rising because the fundamental delivery model hasn't changed: human-powered outbound, scaled through headcount, with diminishing returns at each new layer.
The services model was built for a different market. In 2026, buyer inboxes are saturated, generic outbound is ignored, and the companies winning pipeline are the ones that treat go-to-market as an engineering problem, not a staffing problem.
"Thanks to CIENCE Technologies' efforts, the client has seen a 500% monthly increase in their new sales appointments.": Bryce Garoutte, Sr. VP, Silicon Valley Insight
If your outsourced lead gen is delivering meetings but the economics keep getting worse, the problem isn't the provider: it's the model.
From People to Platform
Top 32 globally in services. Now deploying globally as a platform. When CIENCE became a graph8 company, we didn't iterate on the services model: we replaced it.
Graph8's model is built on Forward Deployed Engineers, borrowed from Palantir's playbook. Palantir doesn't sell software and walk away. They embed engineers: with proprietary AI platforms and domain expertise: directly into client environments to solve problems that generic tools can't touch. Graph8 applies that same approach to go-to-market.
Instead of an SDR team grinding through volume, our Forward Deployed Engineers deploy graph8's AI platform against 300M+ validated lead records. They build multichannel campaigns across email, LinkedIn, phone, and programmatic advertising, optimizing continuously based on real conversion data. The quality that earned a #32 global ranking is still there: but the delivery mechanism has fundamentally changed.
The result: cost-per-meeting drops 40-60% in the first two quarters. The same caliber of client results: now backed by AI infrastructure instead of headcount. The reviews that put us in the top 1% of Clutch are now generated by a model that can scale without the constraints that defined the old one.
"They definitely supersede our internal capabilities.": Candice Long, Marketing Director, Learning Ally
Why This Matters Now
The Clutch 1000 measured the best service providers in the world. But in 2026, the best pipeline builders aren't service providers: they're platform companies. CIENCE, as a graph8 company, made that transition, and the results speak for themselves.
We maintain the #1 position on Clutch's lead generation list for three consecutive years. We hold a 4.6/5 rating on Capterra across 200+ reviews. We're a 4x Inc. 5000 honoree. But the graph8 platform that powers today's engagements bears little resemblance to the services operation that earned those early accolades.
Engagements start at $5K one-time setup + $2,499/mo for managed services, or $499/mo for self-serve access to the graph8 platform. You work with a Forward Deployed Engineer, not a team of junior SDRs. And graph8's AI platform gets smarter with every campaign across our 2,500+ client base: which means the graph8 model improves with scale instead of getting more expensive.
We were top 32 globally in services. Graph8 is what happens when the top 1% stops being a ceiling and starts being a launchpad.
"CIENCE delivered a 10% conversion rate and more than 150 qualified companies in our pipeline: the results were fantastic.": Client, Turn Technologies
Get a Free GTM Diagnostic
When you reach out, our Forward Deployed Engineers run a full diagnostic on your targeting, channel mix, and conversion rates. No services pitch: just math. They'll map your true cost-per-meeting, identify where your funnel leaks, and show you exactly how graph8's AI platform would change the economics.
Whether or not you work with us, you'll walk away with a clear picture of your pipeline math.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Clutch 1000 and how did CIENCE rank?
The Clutch 1000 features the top 1% of companies on Clutch's platform: evaluated on verified review quality and recency, client portfolio, competitive specializations, and brand recognition. CIENCE ranked #32 globally, placing in the top 3% of all award recipients across every B2B service category worldwide.
How does graph8's Forward Deployed Engineer model work?
Inspired by Palantir's approach, graph8's Forward Deployed Engineers embed with your sales development operation, deploying AI-powered targeting against 300M+ validated lead records and building multichannel campaigns across email, LinkedIn, phone, and digital advertising. Instead of scaling headcount, the graph8 platform scales intelligence: delivering pipeline at a fraction of traditional outsourced SDR costs.
What results can CIENCE clients expect today?
Clients typically see cost-per-meeting drop 40-60% in the first two quarters. Engagements start at $5K one-time setup + $2,499/mo and include a dedicated Forward Deployed Engineer, access to graph8's AI platform and data infrastructure, and multichannel campaign execution. CIENCE has served 2,500+ clients across 250+ B2B industries with a 4.6/5 Capterra rating.
The Clutch 1000 still proves CIENCE could win the old service game. The graph8 model turns that proof into a system: platform, engineers, data, and execution working from one signal rail.