Research Guides: Venture Capital Firms and Investors: Databases and Search Strategies

Welcome

This guide will introduce you to three databases available via Syracuse University Libraries that can be used to identify and create lists of venture capital (VC) firms and investors.

If you are a Syracuse University student, staff, or faculty entrepreneur who intends to approach VC firms or investors for funding, before you contact anyone, please reach out to the Blackstone LaunchPad for guidance at launchpad@syr.edu.

If you have questions about using the databases, please contact Librarian for Business, Management, and Entrepreneurship Steph McReynolds.

Databases

Databases for Identifying Venture Capital (VC) Firms and Investors

Directory of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms, Domestic and International
Information about United States and international venture capital firms.
New York Venture Capital & Private Equity Database
Directory of venture capital and private equity firms located in New York City, New York State, and Southwestern Connecticut.
Pitchbook
Private market data, focused on venture capital, private equity and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Users are required to register with their syr.edu email address and will be asked to login each time.
PrivCo
Users are required to register with their syr.edu email address and will be asked to login each time.

Company profiles on private (non-publicly traded) companies. Includes financials, venture capital and private equity funding, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

Search Strategies

Search Tips for Identifying VC Firms and Investors in Databases

The following pages provide guidance on how to use the databases to identify venture capital firms and investors.

Search Log

Because each database is so unique and you will likely be running multiple searches, creating a search log is recommended. In your search log, you can keep track of your search strategies, the type of results the searches returned, and document name(s) of results you downloaded. Your search log can be in document or spreadsheet format, whichever makes the most sense to you. Below is sample search log showing what you might include.

Sample Search Log

Date	Database	Search Strategy	Search Results	Notes	Related links/ docs
8/02/2022	New York Venture Capital	Firm type: Venture Capital, Private Equity, Incubator, Angel; Industry focus: Information Technology; Stage: Seed, Early	276 firms	Seem to be relevant. Downloaded PDF to review more closely. Might want to expand list by adding additional firm types and other industry focus.	new-york-venture-capital-information-technology-industry-2022-08-02.pdf
8/04/2022	Directory of Venture Capital Firms	Expert Search: ( Investment Criteria ALL early OR Investment Criteria PHRASE early-stage ) AND ( Geographic Preferences ALL northeast OR Geographic Preferences PHRASE east coast ) AND ( Industry Group Preferences ALL tech OR Industry Group Preferences ALL technology )	57 firms	Seem relevant, but short list. Will probably need to add more search terms to next search. Downloaded Excel list of firm names and MS Word full profiles. Saved search in database to refine later.	directory-of-venture-capital-firms-technology-short-list-2022-08-04.xlsx; directory-of-venture-capital-firms-technology-short-list-2022-08-04.docx
8/05/2022	PrivCo	Advanced Search; Investors; Filters: Investor Types: Angel/Individual, Angel Investor Group; Investor Stages: Early Stage, Seed; Industries: Technology; Sub-Industries: Software & Internet Services	275 firms	Seems relevant. Explored first 10 firms and will run this search again to further explore this list. Downloaded one investor tearsheet that seemed really relevant. Might want to add more search terms to expand this list.	privco-angel-investor-forum-2022-08-05.pdf

VC Firms and Investors List

You may also want to create your own unique master list of venture capital firms/investors. The list might include the name of the firm/investor and whether the firm/investor is relevant to you, the permalink to information in a database or filepath to the resource or document(s) that include more information about the firm/investor, and which resources you have searched (and still need to search) to find additional information about the firm/investor. Just as with any research, be sure to also note from which source(s) you have found specific pieces of data and information about the firm/investor.