Private Company Research: Home

Private companies are those for which there is no public ownership of its shares or assets.

In the United States, the majority of businesses are privately held. Because private companies are not required to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) the information sources for private company research are reduced considerably.

Consequently, researching a private company may require considerable creativity and persistence. After consulting some of the basic directories like ReferenceUSA Business, some of the sources in this guide may include more substantive information.

• Directories - links to databases and websites listing hundreds of thousands corporations and information about them. Includes rankings, links to websites with lists of companies according to various criteria.
• Executives and Employees - links to databases and websites useful in searching for the people in business
• Investment Information - links to databases and websites relating to the financial side of business
• Company News - links to databases and websites providing detailed information about different companies