Database of the Month: PrivCo

Trying to find financial information on private companies?  The Bentley Library has just added PrivCo, a database specializing in hard to find data on major private companies, to its growing list of electronic databases.  PrivCo provides access to detailed information on private company financials and revenues,  private merger and acquisition deals, private firm valuations,  private equity deals, venture capital fundings, private and family ownership breakdowns, bankruptcies, and restructurings. According to its website, PrivCo has reports on over 228,000 private companies, 12,500 private investors, 44,000 private merger and acquisition deals, and 37,000 VC funding rounds.

Searching

You can search for an individual company or investor directly by simply entering the name in the search box in the upper right corner of the screen.  If you want to generate a list of companies or investors that fit certain criteria, use the Advanced Search option.   In the Advanced Search option, you can limit your search for companies or investors by:

• Region or industry
• Annual revenues, growth rates, and total number of employees within a certain range
• Investor type and preferred stage of investment
• Deal size, funding round size, and total funding raised

Company Information

The amount of information contained in a company report will vary depending on the company but often includes the following:

• Business summary
• Overview and corporate organization
• Competitors & comparables
• Ownership
• Charts, financials, and statistics, including revenues, gross profits, total employees, productivity, and total locations
• Detailed business description, including information on strategy, products, marketing, industry trends, history, and lawsuits and controversies.

Investor Information

The amount of information will also vary by investor but will most likely include the following:

• Investor summary
• Recent news, updates, and analysis
• Investor overview
• Investor contacts
• Private deal history, including total deal amount

Knowledge Bank

PrivCo also has a section called the Knowledge Bank which is a repository of general information on private companies, private company valuation, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, and bankruptcy and restructuring.  The entries in this section are detailed and extensive and are designed to help users navigate and understand the ins and outs of the private market. PrivCo is available through the Bentley Library’s Databases A to Z listing.  For further assistance using the PrivCo, please contact the Reference Desk.