Exponent, Inc. got its start in 1967 when a group of Stanford professors and engineers founded Failure Analysis Associates, to study how and why engineering failures, accidents, and structural collapses occur. Over time, as the firm’s expertise expanded beyond mere post-failure investigation, it rebranded as Exponent and grew via acquisitions and geographic expansion. Its evolution reflects a shift from a niche forensic specialist to a multidisciplinary consulting firm addressing the deeper technical and scientific problems that underlie failures, risks, and design challenges.
In operations, Exponent assembles teams of scientists, engineers, physicians, statisticians, and technical consultants across more than 90 disciplines. It operates globally from offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, offering services in failure analysis, product design support, materials science, biomedical and health science, environmental and earth science, human factors, structural engineering, and risk assessment. Its work often involves analyzing complex systems, investigating accidents and product malfunctions, advising on regulatory or legal matters, and designing solutions to mitigate future risk.
Exponent has positioned itself as a premium, high-specialty technical consultancy—not a general engineering firm but one called in when problems are deeply technical, controversial, or high-stakes. Because its value comes not from scale but from depth, reputation, and cross-disciplinary insight, its clients tend to include legal firms, corporations facing risk exposure, regulatory agencies, manufacturers, and institutions with complex safety or failure-analysis needs. By blending scientific credibility with consulting agility, Exponent aims to be the go-to partner when technical rigor and independent judgment are critical to decisions, defenses, or redesigns.