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Science & Business Research Guide: Company Research

Library Research

What is Company Research?

There are many reasons you may want to research a company. For example, you may be interested in starting a business in a specific company's industry and you want to learn more about different models of success.

Regardless of the reason, there are some common features you may be looking out for, such as:

  • is the company private or public
  • management/ownership structure
  • key performance indicators (KPIs)
  • financial figures
  • sales and marketing strategy

Crafting your Search

In order to get good company research, we need a good strategy. In this case, a good strategy is comprised of an effective search strategy.

Creating the Strategy

The reality of company research is that not all of the information you may be looking for can be found in one place. Or depending on how public the company is, it may not be found at all. 

In order to find good company research, we need to use a combination of searching the web and traditional databases. 

Looking up the company's name and finding their website might give us key information like:

  • the mission/vision statements
  • letter from CEO
  • annual reports
  • information about key individuals

Using a few traditional databases, like Pitchbook or GlobalData Explorer, might give us information like:

  • SWOT analyses
  • key statistics like the stock exchange history
  • news

In order to demonstrate company research, we will look at the company BioNTech in Pitchbook and GlobalData Explorer.

Slide 1: Finding Company Research – BioNTech in Pitchbook & GlobalData Explorer

The Library Home Page, with the Search function in the centre of the page, menu options across the top of the header and body, and the Quick Links menu to the left. A purple arrow points to the Quick Link “Databases.”

Slide 2: Navigating to Pitchbook

To find Pitchbook, go to the Library Home Page. Click on the Databases Tab.

The Database search results, with a link to Pitchbook in the centre of the screen, followed by a description of the database.

Slide 3: Navigating to Pitchbook

In the Databases search bar, search for Pitchbook.

The Pitchbook homepage. The box to input your organization’s network email is centre of the screen. At the bottom of the screen is a blue banner, with a button to Request Access.

Slide 4: Searching on Pitchbook

Before you can start searching in Pitchbook, you need an account. If you don’t already have an account, make one by pressing the “Request Access” button and using your University of Waterloo email.

Slide 5: Searching on Pitchbook – the Results

Searching for our company, BioNTech, we get a mix of results for both the company and relevant reports.

: The beginning of a company profile. The column on the left is the navigation menu for the contents of the profile. Centre to the screen is the company profile, with several statistics and graphs, and across the top of the screen are more options for exploring the profile.

Slide 6: Searching on Pitchbook – Section Highlight

Since we are interested in doing some general company research, let’s take a look at the company’s profile. Depending on the company, different information may be available, for example not every company has ESG information available.

On the left, we have our navigation menu, called “Contents” for the profile.

The first section most profiles start with is the “Highlights,” which contains key statistics at a glance.

The contact information and industries, verticals, & keywords section of the company report. Both sections consist of lists of information and search terms, respectively.

Slide 7: Searching on Pitchbook – Section Highlight

Some sections that may be of interest you include “Contact Information,” which is the contact information of the company. Other sections concerning the structure of the organization include, “Team,” and “Board Members.”

You may also be interested in the “Industries, verticals, & Keywords” section, which will give you relevant search terms to help you find similar companies, in Pitchbook.

The “Deal History” tab of the company profile. Centre screen there is a table containing a list of deals BioNTech has done and relevant information about those deals.

Slide 8: Searching on Pitchbook – Section Highlight

If you are interested in the financial history of your company, the “Deal History,” which contains the history of deals your company has made. More tabs for financial information include the “Timeline,” and “Financials” tabs.  

The Companies & Deals Search section of Pitchbook. The left-most column is in blue allows you to navigate throughout the Pitchbook platform. Centre of the screen is the search builder, with various boxes to input keywords or select search options.

Slide 9: Searching on Pitchbook – Using the Companies & Deals Search

If, for example, you do not have a company or you want to find more companies in your research area, you can use Pitchbook’s “Companies & Deals Search,” located in the blue navigation bar.

To use this feature, build your search using different search terms and options that Pitchbook provides.

The landing page of Global Data Explorer, a white screen with grey and blue accents. The search box is centre of the screen. Across the top of the screen is a banner to search for specific resources. Below the search bar are various statistics about the database. There is a purple arrow pointing to the companies tab.

Slide 10: Searching on GlobalData Explorer

To begin searching on GlobalData Explorer, navigate to the database by using the library website.

Since we are interested in company research, let’s use the “Companies” tab.

Slide 11: Searching on GlobalData Explorer – the Results

Searching for BioNTech, we get several company listings, some of which are subsidiaries of the parent company. Make sure you select the correct company.

Alternatively, on the “Companies” tab landing page, there is a tool called the “Company Screening Tool,” which like Pitchbook’s “Companies & Deals Search,” will allow you to build a search for companies that match your criteria.

The landing page of a company report. Centre of the screen is the Company Overview containing a short description of the company. And to the left of the screen is the navigation pane.

Slide 12: Searching on GlobalData Explorer– Section Highlight

Inside this report, there are several sections that may be of interest to us. To navigate to these sections, we can use the navigation tab in the left column. Just like Pitchbook, depending on the company some of these sections may not be available.

The first sections in a GlobalData Explorer company profile are the “Overview” and “Key Stats.”

the News tab of the company profile. It is organized as a table containing a list of news headlines, as well as relevant information about those headlines, like their dates.

Slide 13: Searching on GlobalData Explorer – Section Highlight

Under the “Signals” section of the navigation pane, there are several sections that might be of use to us. For example, the “News” tab. This section contains major developments about the company.

Centre screen is a bar graph, with blue bars, which describe statistics about the company’s deal history. Below is a table listing different various deals and their statuses. Across the top of the screen is a banner that allows you to look at more specific types of deals.

Slide 14: Searching on GlobalData Explorer – Section Highlight

Also, under the “Signals” section is the “Deal Trends” tab. The “Deal Trends” tab contains historical information about various types of deals that the company has been engaged in.

: Centre of the screen is this company’s SWOT analysis. It begins with a rectangle divided into 4 boxes, for each letter of SWOT, with a few keywords to describe this company’s performance for each group. Below is a table containing an in-depth expansion of the SWOT analysis.

Slide 15: Searching on GlobalData Explorer– Section Highlight

For BioNTech, and many other companies, there is a SWOT analysis available, which will provide you a more in-depth analysis of the company.

 

Library Resources

Pitchbook 

How to Use Pitchbook for Company Research?

On Pitchbook, you can search for companies in the top search box, or use the Companies & Deals Screener to search for companies by keyword. Find key company statistics, facts, news, and people.   

GlobalData Explorer 

How to use GlobalData Explorer for Company Research

Search for companies by using their name. Or use GlobalData Explorer's "Company Screening Tool" to build search criteria to find companies.

Mergent 

How to use Mergent for company research? 

Learn how to access company profiles in Mergent through the Business Information Skills Certificate course, or via the video below. Note: these resources were created by other universities, so access will differ for Waterloo library. 

Statista 

How to use Statista for company research? 

Search for companies by name, or watch the video below to learn how to use the Company Insight tool.

 

Openly Available Resources

Directories of Canadian Companies 

SEDAR 

EDGAR 

How to use EDGAR for company research? 

CRA - List of charities 

Rankings 

It is important to know that there are many more potential tools, beyond these curated ones, which you could use for company research. Depending on your topic, some of these tools may be more or less useful to you. As you get comfortable with your problem space and searching, feel free to explore beyond what's offered here.