Creating a List of Companies
These are some of the main sources that will let you create a list of companies that match criteria you specify (such as where they are located, their industries, size, etc.).
- Capital IQUse to create lists by industry, location, size, et cetera. Requires registration for a personal account.
- UniworldUse to find multinational companies by location, size, and industry.
- PitchBookPitchBook is a private equity and venture capital database with in-depth information and statistics on companies, deals and investors. Use PitchBook to establish benchmarks, find real time data on deals, identify and analyze comparables, and search investor details. Users must create an account using your Cornell email address. Log in > Log in with SSO > [Cornell email address].
Finding Industry Codes
What is an industry code?
SIC and NAICS are classification systems for industries. They allow you to group together companies in a specific industry in a standardized way.
Where can I find industry codes?
The Census website has SIC and NAICS codes and code definitions.
For example, the NAICS code for alternative energy (e.g., geothermal, ocean wave, solar, wind) is 237130.
Search Tips
Hey, there are some companies missing!
If you have ever tried to the search for a list of companies and noticed a major player is missing from your list, take a look at how narrow a search you have put together. As a rule of thumb, start broad and then narrow the results by one data point at a time.
To avoid this problem start broad:
- Do not limit the location for your first search.
- Use broad industries and use the appropriate industry code to search for your companies. For example, many databases will have GE Wind listed as a turbine manufacturer (SIC:3511, NAICS:333611) rather than an alternative energy manufacturer.
- Use more than one resource when creating lists of companies.