Company and Industry Databases
Researching companies and industries helps us better understand family businesses by providing context for their challenges and opportunities. It allows comparisons with peers and reveals market trends, competition, innovations, best practices, and risk management strategies.
Below are several databases for researching family businesses. For more resources, please refer to our guides on Company Information Sources and Industry Information Sources.
- Fitch Solutions Country Industry ReportsInternational coverage of 22 industries and 35 commodities. Industry reports include: industry forecast, SWOT analysis, risk/reward indices, industry trends and top competitors. In-depth reports are released quarterly.
For reports from before 2018, see Business Monitor International. - CB InsightsMonitors global venture capital, angel investment, private equity, M&A, and IPO activity for private companies. Access requires creating an account with your BU email and using VPN for remote access.
- Data Axle Reference SolutionsCurrent and historical U.S. business directory. Allows searching by company name, location, business type, SIC code, revenue, employees, and ownership type, including "Home Based Business."
- First Research Industry ReportsIndustry reports focus on overview, sales, marketing, finance, regulation, regional issues, human resources, and statistics for 157 industries, with quarterly updates.
- Hoover's Company RecordsPublic and private company information. Includes location, competitors, financials, officers and company history. Add "family business" or "family-owned business" to search to find family businesses.
- Hoover's Industry SnapshotsProvides over 600 industry snapshots from Hoover's Industry Snapshots via Nexis Uni, featuring descriptions, terminology, associations, and selected resources.
- IBISWorldComprehensive industry reports by NAICS code covering competitive landscapes, supply chains, statistics, key facts, and industry challenges. Includes U.S. Specialized and Global Industry Reports.
- Mergent OnlineProvides detailed information on global public and private companies, including financials, company history, industry reports, and executive bios. Includes D&B Private Company Database.
- Mintel AcademicProvides market information on consumer products, travel, lifestyles, and leisure, with a focus on the U.S. Each report combines competitive landscape analysis with consumer profiles.
- PitchBookReal-time data for researching companies, startups, private equity, venture capital deals, funds, investors. Search deals, set benchmarks, and analyze data and comparables. Create account with BU email.
