There are many difficulties in researching private companies, defined here as companies that do not trade on stock exchanges. Consequently, researching private companies often requires considerable creativity and patience.
Unlike public companies, private companies are not required to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), so the type of information and the depth of information that can be found in those documents is not necessarily going to be available for private companies. There are however, two exceptions that can be used in limited cases. First, if the company you are researching merged with or was acquired by, a public company it is possibly that the public company may provide investors information about the deal via SEC filings. Second, if the company was once public but goes private, previous SEC filings will still be available and may can be helpful for a limited time.
After exhausting some of the more basic directories that are found in the Basic Information section, the sources and strategies suggested below might reveal more information. Keep in mind that for many companies, it is likely going to be hard to find information beyond name and location.
Below are databases and openly accessible sources that are company information - location, contact information, officers. It may be that you will find important information on private companies and their executive in full-text articles. For more general full-text news sources available at the Library of Congress see the Searching for the News tab.
The subscription resources marked with a padlock are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.
ReferenceUSA is compiled from over 5,000 Yellow page directories, Business White Pages, Corporate Annual Reports, SEC 10K reports, Chamber of Commerce Directories, state directories, and other public information sources. It is searchable by: Company or Executive name, and Ticker symbol SIC & NAICS codes city, MSA's, state, area code or zip code business size (sales, numbers of employees, etc.).
ReferenceUSA Avention (formerly OneSource) provides robust intelligence on companies, executives, and industries, as well as news, analyst reports and SEC filings. Use the search boxes on the database homepage, or use the menu tabs to build custom lists or search for analyst reports by brokerage house, company, or industry. Researchcompanies and their foreign parents and subsidiaries by: Business name Executive name Sales volume Company assets Number of employees and Geography.