Capital IQ

Strengths:  Includes PE and VC investments, funded firms, and deal data. Can also add HBS alumni affiliation as search criteria. Granular data screening options.  

Create a list:

1. Click Screening > Companies.
2. Search criteria appear below.  Common screening criteria are in the Company Details section. (Review video above for more detailed instructions).
3. Click "View Results" which can be exported to Excel. 

Screening Tip: If companies you are expecting to see aren't included in the results, click "Where's My Company?" to see which criteria don't match. 

Video of Using Capital IQ:

Orbis

Strengths: Particularly strong coverage of international companies; also, financial filings for private companies in countries where those are required are included.

Create a list:

From the home page, you can view the menu of search criteria.

1. Click on location to select a particular country, region, state, city, or zip code to add to search.  You can also do a proximity/radius search.  Click OK after making your selection(s).
2. Click on Activities and Industry to limit by industry.  Select Industry Classification to limit to particular SIC, NAICS, or NACE codes.  Or, select Activity text search to search business descriptions using keywords. Click OK after making your selection(s).
3. Click on Financials, then select Key financials and employees to add size parameters around revenues or number of employees. Orbis defaults to Operating Revenue; click Edit to change criteria to other financial parameters or employee count.  Note you can enter ranges or select quartiles or Top X companies. Click OK after making your selection(s).
4. Add any other desired criteria.  When finished, click View Results.
5. Export as is to Excel, or click Add/Remove columns to customize your output.

Other databases:

Pitchbook, Preqin, and CB Insights are particularly useful for creating lists of startups by industry, geography, and size. See our related Fast Answer, Startups: venture-backed, by industry, geography, funding amounts & rounds