Subject Guides: MKTG 250: Fundamentals of Marketing and Business Communication: Company Research

Introduction to Company Research

The databases listed below can be used for researching companies. Note that different tools are better at researching some types of companies than others. First and foremost, it is always easier to find information on public companies, which are required to regularly disclose financial information to the US Securities & Exchange Commission. With that said, some of our company research tools specialize in finding information about private companies, while some are best for public companies, and some provide information about nonprofit organizations.

Main Company Research Databases

GuideStar Pro
Search for reports on non-profits, including organizations and more than 3.3 million individuals. For some groups, up to 5 years' worth of IRS tax forms, balance sheet, and income and distribution data is available.
** This database can only be accessed when connected to the secure campus network (includes AU VPN). **
** Users must create a personal account to access downloads of up to 1,000 records per month from search results. **
Hoover's
Proprietary information on more than 65 million public and private companies, along with executive biographies and industry descriptions.
**Access limited to 51 concurrent users. Please click on 'Rolling User' > 'Logout' when exiting to release the session for another user.**
Mergent Market Atlas
Provides corporate information on over 50,000 US and foreign public companies, current and historical (past 15 years) firm descriptions, statistics, financial information and ratios, annual reports, mergers, acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, long-term debt, capital stock, and insider trading.
Market Atlas replaces Mergent Online, which was discontinued in August 2025.
PrivCo
PrivCo is a source for business and financial data on US-based major privately held companies, including family owned, private equity owned, and venture backed companies. PrivCo covers more than 180,000 private companies, including financial data, more than 70,000 M&A transactions, and more than 50,000 funding rounds. It also includes more than 10,000 investor profiles.
**Create an account for personalization using your AU credentials or access the database by clicking the 'Direct Access' button on the landing page.**
PitchBook
PitchBook tracks the private and public equity markets. It provides data on the venture capital, private equity and M&A landscape, including information about funds, limited partners, service providers, founders, investors and buyers.
* Problem logging in to PitchBook? Select Log in with SSO. *