The table below compares the attributes of the following databases:
| Attributes | Pitchbook | Preqin | CB Insights | Capital IQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottom Line | Great for portfolio companies, really helpful verticals and emerging spaces, detailed contact and valuation info. Intuitive interface, basically NO downloading | Great for VCPE firms and fund-specific info. Great contact info for firms. Skews to the PE end of the VCPE spectrum. Geographic filtering can be a little non-standard for US GEOs as Preqin is non-US owned (e.g. greater metro area categories often not available) | Great for portfolio companies, really helpful "collections" (verticals) but often tech-specific | Great all-around company database with granular screening criteria. Can also save screens at HBS level to share with others. VERY generous with downloading (no cap overall - only per search at 10K). Nice Idea Generation screen area to show use cases of Cap IQ. However, interface is not intuitive |
| Access | Current Harvard affiliates | Current Harvard affiliates HBS graduating class (for career purposes thru mid-Aug) Lifetime onsite access for HBS alumni Mediated search for all HBS alumni for career search | Current HBS affiliates HBS graduating class (for career purposes thru mid-Aug) | Current Harvard affiliates HBS graduating class (for career purposes thru mid-Aug) Mediated search for all HBS alumni for career search |
| Date coverage (VCPE related entities and transactions) | 1865 (Coverage is thin until 1980) | 1950's- present (Coverage is thin until 1980) | 1960s (Coverage is thin until 1980) | 1950s (Coverage is thin until 1980) |
| \# VCPE backed companies | 3.6 MM | 170K | 383K | Not available (10MM private companies in total) |
| \# VCPE firms | 63K | 28K | 31K | 44K |
| \# VCPE funds | 115K | 124K | not available | 50K |
| \# deals | 325K VC 376K Corp/Strategic M&A 142K Buyout 75K Private Debt 72K IPO | 146K PE/Buyout 319K VC 20K Private Debt 106K Real Estate | 430K VC 505K Buyout | 515K VC 938K M&A/Buyout 487K IPOs |
| Industry categories | Strong | Strong | Strong | Standard |
| Verticals | Strong | Solid | Strong for tech related verticals | None. Recommend using keyword search in Business Description |
| Geographic Granularity | Zip level | City level | City Level | Zip level |
| Downloading | Extremely limited (10 rows of data per day; 25 per month) | Limit 1000 per search for Companies/Deals. Very high limit for firms/funds (over 20K) | 5,000 per year per user | 10,000 results per download |
| Portfolio company info | Very strong | Strong | Strong | Strong |
| VCPE firm info | Strong | Very strong | Strong | Strong |
| Boolean (And/Or) Searching | Yes | Limited to Boolean within Industries/Verticals | Limited to Boolean within Keywords | Yes |
| Contacts - Firms | Yes (Direct emails) | Yes (Direct emails) | C-Suite Only (LinkedIn profiles) | Yes (limited direct contact info but goes beyond C Suite) |
| Contacts - PCs | Yes (Direct emails) | C-Suite Only (LinkedIn profiles) | C-Suite Only (LinkedIn profiles) | Yes (limited direct contact info but goes beyond C Suite) |
| HBS alumni screening variable? | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Research/reports | Emerging Industries reports, Morningstar reports | Private Capital Compensation Report; other reports on private capital markets | Yes, but not all research included in subscription. (No Market Maps, for example) | Yes (CFRA Industry Overviews) |
| Saved searches/screenings | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Alerts | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Notes on screening variables | Comprehensive financials and valuation info for portfolio companies. Extensive screening and reporting data for firms and companies overall | Extensive screening criteria specific to VCPE; Filter by minority/women owned VCPE firms, charts & league tables, Benchmarks, ESG criteria; Strong fund performance, firm AUM, etc.; financials, valuation, employee count for portfolio companies | Good screening specific to VCPE; coverage includes top-level information on the venture financing space, providing a snapshot of investors, deals, and companies | Extensive screening criteria specific to VCPE; very extensive and granular criteria for portfolio companies. Solid info on VCPE firms; financials and valuation for portfolio companies fairly limited. Does provide snapshot of deals |
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