Lighthouse Research & Advisory

Lighthouse Research & Advisory: Practitioner-Led HR Analyst Firm

Lighthouse Research & Advisory is an independent analyst firm covering talent, learning, and HR technology through practical, hands-on research. Ben Eubanks, the firm's Principal Analyst (also referred to as Chief Research Officer in some materials), has led Lighthouse since June 2016, after previously serving as an HR executive for an Inc. 500-ranked global technology startup (upstartHR "About," 2026; thebeneubanks.com, 2026). Eubanks is based in Huntsville, Alabama, and founded the HR blog and community upstartHR back in 2009, which the site says has reached more than one million readers since its inception (Amazon author page, 2026). Eubanks is the author of multiple books, including "Artificial Intelligence for HR: Use AI to Build a Successful Workforce" (which debuted at #1 on Amazon's New and Noteworthy list) and "Talent Scarcity," and hosts "We're Only Human," a podcast on the intersection of people and technology at work syndicated on the HR Happy Hour network (SHRM speaker bio; achieve Engagement bio, 2026).

What Lighthouse Research & Advisory does

Lighthouse produces original, practitioner-grounded research on HR technology, talent practices, and learning strategy, examining competitive practices and emerging technologies across the HR tech landscape (ZoomInfo, 2026). The firm runs the annual Lighthouse Tech Awards, recognizing standout HR technology solutions across categories, and hosts events including HR Summer School, a recurring virtual event for HR practitioners. Lighthouse also tracks and publishes an annual roundup of HR tech M&A activity, a widely referenced resource for tracking consolidation and investment trends across the HR technology market.

Where it fits

Lighthouse works with HR, talent, and learning leaders across the globe who want research grounded in real practitioner experience rather than purely theoretical frameworks. It's a fit for organizations evaluating HR technology purchases, tracking market trends, or looking for credible, independent third-party research to support internal business cases for new tools or strategies.

Why this matters for people leaders

Most HR technology research comes from vendors with an obvious interest in the outcome, or from generic industry analyst firms with limited hands-on HR operating experience. Eubanks's own background as a practicing HR executive before becoming a full-time analyst gives Lighthouse's research a credibility that's harder to find elsewhere in the category. For organizations focused on Culture, Performance, and Retention, that independence and practitioner grounding matters most at decision points, evaluating a new HR technology vendor, understanding what recent HR tech M&A activity means for a tool an organization already relies on, where advice colored by a vendor relationship carries real risk.

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