Guides: Company Research: Company Research

Introduction to Recommended Resources

Many of the resources featured here require that you login with your Bronco name and password. If you have any questions, please contact librarian Julie Shen at jshen@cpp.edu.

Tutorial

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Recommended Resources

ABI/INFORM Complete
* Business news and analysis.
* On the Advanced Search page, type the name of the company you are researching in the Company/Organization box to get the fastest results.
* If a company name is too common, add one of their products/services or the location of their headquarters to your keyword search.
Business Source Premier
* Business news and analysis.
* To find a SWOT analysis of your company, search for company name AND swot.
* On the Advanced Search page, type the name of the company you are researching in the Company/Entity box to get the fastest results.
Company Investigator
*As part of Westlaw, this database provides information on domestic and international public and private companies ranging from corporate filings, news, business subsidiaries, organizational structures and changes, financial information, and more.
*On the homepage, click on Company Investigator to access the search. Check this screenshot for the link's location.
IBISWorld
* Over 5,000 company reports available, including public and private companies.
* Also, search for mentions of your company in industry reports to see how it compares with competitors.
International Directory of Company Histories
* Encyclopedic coverage of public and private companies considered to be influential in a particular industry or geographic location.
* Entries provide information on founders, expansions and losses, mergers, labor/management actions, NAICS codes, key dates, ticker symbol, principal subsidiaries, principal divisions, principal operating units, principle competitors, and other significant milestones.
Market Share Reporter
* Market share data compiled from published sources.
* Search by company, brand, or industry.
Winmo
* Current data for 15,000+ companies and 100,000+ brands.
* Search by company or brand to see media spending by type.

Additional Tips & Resources for Researching Private Companies

Because private companies are not required to disclose much information, private company research can be challenging. In addition to the recommended resources above, here are some tips and resources to help you find the information you need on private companies.

Google.com
Search for the company's website and check for press releases, annual reports, and financials. You can also look for phone/email and try reaching out to the company. They may be willing to share some information with students who are doing research for educational purposes.
LinkedIn
Social networking site for professionals. Search for profiles of private companies to look for information such as size, key employees, and new hires.
Roster of Secretaries of State/Lieutenant Governors (National Association of Secretaries of State)
Every state makes some level of private business incorporation information available online. Can range from limited information such as name availability to a wider range of private company business records. Most offer access at no charge.
Secretaries of State and Business Entity Search (LLCUniversity.com)
Links to websites for all 50 Secretaries of State as well as their Business Entity search pages.
USPTO Patent Public Search
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office's new search tool for patents.
America's Largest Private Companies (Forbes.com)
The companies on this list are either too few shareholders to be required to file financial statements with the Securities & Exchange Commission or whose shares are restricted to some group, like family members or employees. The list can be searched or ordered by rank, name, state, industry, revenue, or number of employees.
Inc. 5000: The Fastest Growing Private Companies in America
The Inc. 5000 is an expansion of the Inc. 500, which was introduced in 1982 and offers a comprehensive look at the 5000 fastest growing private companies in America.
Red Herring's 100 Awards
Compiles a list of the top 100 private technology companies in each of the Global, Americas, Europe, and Asia categories.
The Complete List of Unicorn Companies (CBInsights.com)
A unicorn company, or unicorn startup, is a private company with a valuation over $1 billion. As of June 2023, there are over 1,200 unicorns around the world.

Also See

Industry Research
by Julie Shen Last Updated Aug 27, 2025 56 views this year

Library of Congress - Doing Company Research: A Resource Guide
Created and maintained by business librarians at the Library of Congress.