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Startup Research & Due Diligence

How to research startups, their funding, and their competitive landscape — useful for VC roles, entrepreneurship classes, or your own venture.

4 steps

1PitchBook

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2Preqin

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3Capital IQ

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4Factiva

Map the funding history and investors

See every funding round, valuation, and cap table detail.

💡 Pro tip: Use the 'Similar Companies' feature to map the competitive landscape.

Database$15,000/yr value

PitchBook

Financial Data & Markets

Research and analyze companies, deals, funds, investors, and service providers across the entire private investment lifecycle. Essential for PE, VC, and M&A research.

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Research the VCs backing the startup

Understand fund strategy, track record, and portfolio overlap.

💡 Pro tip: Check fund vintage year and DPI to assess investor quality.

Database$500/yr value

Preqin

Financial Data & Markets

Financial information and data on alternative asset markets worldwide. Includes private equity, venture capital, private debt, real estate, hedge funds, infrastructure, sustainability/ESG, and Preqin Insight+ analysis.

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Pull comparable company financials

Build a comp table to benchmark the startup's metrics.

💡 Pro tip: Use the screening tool to find public comps by SIC code.

Database$24,000/yr value

Capital IQ

Company & Industry Data

Data on public and private companies, financial statements, M&A/deals, PE/VC, LBOs, and executives and boards worldwide. Use the screening and charting features to create lists of firms for investment analysis coursework or job searches.

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Build a comprehensive news timeline

Track press coverage, product launches, and executive changes.

💡 Pro tip: Set up a news alert to monitor the company going forward.

Database$948/yr value

Factiva

News & Media

U.S. and international newspapers (HTML full text), news transcripts, trade journals, newsletters, industry snapshots, and market data charts for recent stock prices. Coverage spans the late 20th century to present.

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