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The GenAI revolution gets visual, with Sam Pickover

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Roni Kripper

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HOME
WHO WE ARE
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299 Broadway
Suite 1200
New York, NY 10097

212.609.2700
cortico-x@acquisconsulting.com

GET IN TOUCH

Cortico-X and The DRG Announce Strategic Merger to Fuel the Future of Experience

Sujay Saha, President and Founder of Cortico-X, Lanie Johnson, President & CEO of The DRG, Robert Dieringer, Sr., Founder (Retired) of The DRG.

New York, NY and Brookfield, WI – August 20, 2025 — Cortico-X, an experience-led strategy and transformation consultancy, and The DRG, a leading and long-standing market insights and analytics firm, today announced a strategic merger designed to redefine how organizations understand and shape customer experience.

Experience strategy is only as strong as the insights behind it. By joining forces, Cortico-X and The DRG unite two essential sides of the same coin: deep expertise in customer experience transformation and the power to turn customer, brand, and employee insights into meaningful business outcomes. The combined firm will expand its market reach and bring clients integrated, human-centered business solutions grounded in real-world insights.

Under this agreement, The DRG will become a division of Cortico-X, retaining its name, team, and trusted reputation for delivering high-quality, insight-driven outcomes. Clients of both organizations will benefit from broader industry expertise, integrated analytics and strategy services, and modern, AI-ready insight delivery.

Cortico-X specializes in people-first transformation, helping organizations earn trust and loyalty through intuitive, inclusive experiences. “This merger marks a major step forward in how insights and strategy come together to serve the market,” said Sujay Saha, Founder and President of Cortico-X. “Organizations are overwhelmed with data but still struggle to act on it. Together with The DRG, we’re changing that, connecting the dots between what customers say, what they need, and how brands deliver. It’s about providing seamless, integrated intelligence that powers better decisions, faster, and with more confidence.”

The merger is rooted in a strong existing relationship between the two companies and is designed to expand reach and deepen expertise across key verticals, particularly healthcare and financial services. By integrating customer-centered analytics, data science, and strategic consulting disciplines, the combined organization will help clients modernize insight delivery, unlock the full potential of AI, and meet evolving expectations across both customer and employee experience.

“This partnership is a leap forward for our team and our clients,” said Lanie Johnson, President and CEO of The DRG. “Joining forces with Cortico-X allows us to invest in innovation, expand our impact, and keep delivering the thoughtful, strategic insights our clients trust—now with greater speed and scale. We are thrilled to be part of a shared vision that’s truly fueling the future of experience.”

Financial terms of the merger remain confidential. The integration is slated for completion in Q4 2025, with all ongoing client projects and engagements continuing without interruption.

About Cortico X

Cortico-X is an experience-led strategy and transformation consultancy based in New York, NY. The firm helps organizations unlock sustainable growth by taking a human-centered approach to define strategy and align execution. With a focus on intuitive experiences that build trust and loyalty, Cortico-X delivers measurable impact across customer, employee, and business transformation initiatives.

About The DRG

The DRG is a full-service marketing insights and analytics firm based in Brookfield, WI. For 50 years, it has helped businesses in healthcare, insurance, banking, financial services, and consulting keep customers at the center, build profitable brands, refine products, and optimize market strategies.

Industrial manufacturing company embarks on digital reinvention

Problem
A leading manufacturing company identified an opportunity to leverage the data collected by its products to provide new value to its customers. The company engaged Cortico-X to create a digital services strategy, define the operating model and identify emerging technologies to power the platform.
Solution
The manufacturing company’s new data platform will share insights with clients on potential issues that could disrupt business operations. For example, a client may receive an alert that a piece of equipment requires maintenance, providing time to fix the issue before the equipment breaks down. The platform will also integrate third-party data related to weather, shipping times and supply chain disruptions, helping clients to determine the optimal times to take equipment offline for maintenance.
Result
By prioritizing the business goals, Cortico-X identified several technologies and processes that will help the manufacturer evolve from a product-based company to a data service company, including generative AI design and chaos engineering. With its new data and services platform, the company will continue to grow its business in the digital era.

Industrial manufacturing company embarks on digital reinvention

Problem
A leading manufacturing company identified an opportunity to leverage the data collected by its products to provide new value to its customers. The company engaged Cortico-X to create a digital services strategy, define the operating model and identify emerging technologies to power the platform.
Solution
The manufacturing company’s new data platform will share insights with clients on potential issues that could disrupt business operations. For example, a client may receive an alert that a piece of equipment requires maintenance, providing time to fix the issue before the equipment breaks down. The platform will also integrate third-party data related to weather, shipping times and supply chain disruptions, helping clients to determine the optimal times to take equipment offline for maintenance.
Result
By prioritizing the business goals, Cortico-X identified several technologies and processes that will help the manufacturer evolve from a product-based company to a data service company, including generative AI design and chaos engineering. With its new data and services platform, the company will continue to grow its business in the digital era.

Sports league breaks down barriers between digital and physical experiences

Problem
A premier sports league sought to answer a big question: how do we attract the next generation of fans and engage them in the sport? To find the answer, the league turned to Cortico-X to create a new fan platform that would break down boundaries between physical and digital experiences. The league aimed to turn games into interactive experiences that bring together fans at home and in the stadium.
Solution
Through the new platform, fans will be able to play along with games as they happen. They will take the role of team coach in a simulation, seeing if they can beat the coach on the field by making different decisions, like swapping in new players. Powered by advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and digital twins, the platform will allow fans to engage with and compete against each other. Soft LED touchscreens and concave screens will bring the virtual game into the stadium, enhancing the immersive experience.
Result
The league anticipates that the new platform will help to engage younger fans and break down geographic barriers—while providing the tech foundation to be ready to jump into the metaverse.

Sports league breaks down barriers between digital and physical experiences

Problem
A premier sports league sought to answer a big question: how do we attract the next generation of fans and engage them in the sport? To find the answer, the league turned to Cortico-X to create a new fan platform that would break down boundaries between physical and digital experiences. The league aimed to turn games into interactive experiences that bring together fans at home and in the stadium.
Solution
Through the new platform, fans will be able to play along with games as they happen. They will take the role of team coach in a simulation, seeing if they can beat the coach on the field by making different decisions, like swapping in new players. Powered by advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and digital twins, the platform will allow fans to engage with and compete against each other. Soft LED touchscreens and concave screens will bring the virtual game into the stadium, enhancing the immersive experience.
Result
The league anticipates that the new platform will help to engage younger fans and break down geographic barriers—while providing the tech foundation to be ready to jump into the metaverse.

Health system leaders
walk a mile in employees’ shoes

Problem
A major health provider embarked on an ambitious journey to uplift the voice of their employees and embed the patient experience into its culture and operating model. In order to more meaningfully achieve their goals, leaders knew they needed to get closer to the frontline experience and more intimately understand the challenges faced by employees each day.
Solution
Acquis Cortico-X partnered with the company to develop an immersive experience in which leadership worked to strengthen the connection with the frontline. Through the program, referred to as “Walk a Mile in MY Shoes,” executives are paired with and actively shadow employees across various functions for one to two days, when they are trained in the respective functional work areas. Through the experiential learning experience, they witness first-hand the day-to-day duties, tasks and challenges encountered while working to deliver exceptional care to patients.
Result
With two pilots completed to date, Walk a Mile is resulting in renewed perspective and strengthened connections across the organization. Employees reported feeling valued and heard on a new level, while leaders found it refreshing to step away from their often 50,000-foot view to build a greater understanding of critical responsibilities and work processes that drive strategic endeavors. While the initiative primarily aims to build empathy, leaders also collaborate with the frontline to identify solutions that alleviate challenges, improve inefficiencies and support a positive working experience. The company is now scaling the program so that it is embedded in each of its seven markets. Ultimately, the organization hopes the deepened synergies between leaders and frontline employees will improve the patient experience in previously unimagined ways.

Health system leaders walk a mile
in employees’ shoes

Problem
A major health provider embarked on an ambitious journey to uplift the voice of their employees and embed the patient experience into its culture and operating model. In order to more meaningfully achieve their goals, leaders knew they needed to get closer to the frontline experience and more intimately understand the challenges faced by employees each day.
Solution
Acquis Cortico-X partnered with the company to develop an immersive experience in which leadership worked to strengthen the connection with the frontline. Through the program, referred to as “Walk a Mile in MY Shoes,” executives are paired with and actively shadow employees across various functions for one to two days, when they are trained in the respective functional work areas. Through the experiential learning experience, they witness first-hand the day-to-day duties, tasks and challenges encountered while working to deliver exceptional care to patients.
Result
With two pilots completed to date, Walk a Mile is resulting in renewed perspective and strengthened connections across the organization. Employees reported feeling valued and heard on a new level, while leaders found it refreshing to step away from their often 50,000-foot view to build a greater understanding of critical responsibilities and work processes that drive strategic endeavors. While the initiative primarily aims to build empathy, leaders also collaborate with the frontline to identify solutions that alleviate challenges, improve inefficiencies and support a positive working experience. The company is now scaling the program so that it is embedded in each of its seven markets. Ultimately, the organization hopes the deepened synergies between leaders and frontline employees will improve the patient experience in previously unimagined ways.

Major health provider
creates patient
listening platform

Problem
A major health provider was struggling with how to understand customer needs in real-time, not to mention act in the moment to remedy problems.
Solution
Acquis Cortico-X worked across the organization to stand up a new patient experience function. This started with embedding new ways of listening through digital touchpoints, call centers and in-person moments. We developed a way to centralize data collected through surveys, QR codes and behavioral analytics in a dashboard. The dashboard collates insights at both the individual and aggregate level, enabling employees to understand priority needs and opportunities.
Result
Thanks to the listening platform, employees can now respond to real-time needs with closed loop feedback and continuously improve the patient experience across all interactions. Leaders are now working to embed the patient experience into the organizational culture through new patient-focused programs and rituals.

Major health provider creates patient listening platform

Problem
A major health provider was struggling with how to understand customer needs in real-time, not to mention act in the moment to remedy problems.
Solution
Acquis Cortico-X worked across the organization to stand up a new patient experience function. This started with embedding new ways of listening through digital touchpoints, call centers and in-person moments. We developed a way to centralize data collected through surveys, QR codes and behavioral analytics in a dashboard. The dashboard collates insights at both the individual and aggregate level, enabling employees to understand priority needs and opportunities.
Result
Thanks to the listening platform, employees can now respond to real-time needs with closed loop feedback and continuously improve the patient experience across all interactions. Leaders are now working to embed the patient experience into the organizational culture through new patient-focused programs and rituals.

Pharmaceutical company identifies social media influencers with AI

Problem
A leading pharmaceutical company sought to develop a digital engagement model to reach key decision makers in its buyer group. The organization needed an efficient way to analyze social media data to identify relevant influencers and drive future investment in the program.
Solution
That’s where Acquis Cortico-X came in. We used algorithms based on AI and natural language processing to build a social media influencer list. The list prioritized influencers based on their relevance to the selected therapeutic area, reach and resonance with their audience.
Result
The data-driven analysis enabled the business to reprioritize its influencer relationships and establish new cost-effective partnerships with individuals who would have the biggest impact with target buyers.

Technology company
charts a roadmap to
maximize data value

Problem
A leading technology company was struggling with how to maximize the value of its data. They faced inefficiencies and a lack of a single source of the truth, which was leading to high attrition among frustrated data talent and decreased confidence in their enterprise reporting and analytics.
Solution
The company engaged Acquis Cortico-X to assess their data management capabilities and develop a future state data strategy using the EDM Council’s DCAM assessment framework. In addition to developing key recommendations across all aspects of data management, we developed an enterprise data office operating model and served as interim chief data officer to get the program running. This led to the development of a roadmap that will enable the company to manage its data as an asset.
Result
The data management program is now expected to enable synergies for upcoming mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, the data team has seen efficiency gains, lowered attrition and reduced compliance risk.

Pharmaceutical company identifies social media influencers with AI

Problem
A leading pharmaceutical company sought to develop a digital engagement model to reach key decision makers in its buyer group. The organization needed an efficient way to analyze social media data to identify relevant influencers and drive future investment in the program.
Solution
That’s where Acquis Cortico-X came in. We used algorithms based on AI and natural language processing to build a social media influencer list. The list prioritized influencers based on their relevance to the selected therapeutic area, reach and resonance with their audience.
Result
The data-driven analysis enabled the business to reprioritize its influencer relationships and establish new cost-effective partnerships with individuals who would have the biggest impact with target buyers.

Technology company
charts a roadmap to
maximize data value

Problem
A leading technology company was struggling with how to maximize the value of its data. They faced inefficiencies and a lack of a single source of the truth, which was leading to high attrition among frustrated data talent and decreased confidence in their enterprise reporting and analytics.
Solution
The company engaged Acquis Cortico-X to assess their data management capabilities and develop a future state data strategy using the EDM Council’s DCAM assessment framework. In addition to developing key recommendations across all aspects of data management, we developed an enterprise data office operating model and served as interim chief data officer to get the program running. This led to the development of a roadmap that will enable the company to manage its data as an asset.
Result
The data management program is now expected to enable synergies for upcoming mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, the data team has seen efficiency gains, lowered attrition and reduced compliance risk.

Regional bank charts a
path to growth through
customer experience

Problem
A regional bank knew its customer experience lagged behind industry benchmarks but struggled with how to rally its employees around its basic experience program.
Solution
Acquis Cortico-X partnered with the bank’s newly established head of customer and employee experience to chart a new path to experience-led growth. Using our proprietary experience maturity framework, we evaluated and assessed the existing experience program, capabilities, interaction and operating model.
Result
Through our analysis, we discovered the current experience program was uncovering valuable customer insights but lacked a process to drive change based on those learnings. Together, we developed an actionable roadmap and a business case for change. The bank is now moving forward with developing a continuous improvement model that will enhance the customer experience, setting the stage for growth.

Regional bank charts a path to growth through customer experience

Problem
A regional bank knew its customer experience lagged behind industry benchmarks but struggled with how to rally its employees around its basic experience program.
Solution
Acquis Cortico-X partnered with the bank’s newly established head of customer and employee experience to chart a new path to experience-led growth. Using our proprietary experience maturity framework, we evaluated and assessed the existing experience program, capabilities, interaction and operating model.
Result
Through our analysis, we discovered the current experience program was uncovering valuable customer insights but lacked a process to drive change based on those learnings. Together, we developed an actionable roadmap and a business case for change. The bank is now moving forward with developing a continuous improvement model that will enhance the customer experience, setting the stage for growth.