Career Research Guide
This guide lists library resources commonly used by GSB students and alumni when job hunting and exploring career opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions & Top Resources
Our top recommendations for getting information about startups or VC deals, funds, and firms are listed below. You can always Ask Us for specific recommendations.
- PitchBook This link opens in a new windowIf you're not on the "Stanford" WiFi network, you must use the VPN. See PitchBook access.
Research companies, deals, funds, and investors across the private investment lifecycle worldwide. Great for venture capital (VC) and startup research.
For: Current Stanford faculty, staff, and students.
Help: PitchBook accounts | Pitchbook mobile app access | Video tutorials
- CB Insights This link opens in a new windowTracks venture capital (VC) backed private companies and their investors, as well as private company M&A and IPO activities worldwide. "Expert Intelligence Reports" are not available to academic institutions.
For: Current Stanford faculty, staff, and students.
Help: CB Insights accounts| CB Insights search help - Tracxn This link opens in a new windowGlobal startup company profiles, financials, news, and PE/VC & M&A data.
For: Current Stanford GSB faculty, staff, and full-time students (MBA, MSx, PhD).
Help: Tracxn accounts - Preqin This link opens in a new windowFinancial data and information on the alternative assets market worldwide. Data covers private capital and hedge funds, including fund, fund manager, investor and deal information, as well as market-wide benchmarks.
Help: Preqin access help - PrivCo This link opens in a new windowPrivate U.S. company data, including family owned, private equity owned, venture backed companies and startups.
For: Current Stanford faculty, staff, and students.
Help: PrivCo access instructions - LSEG Workspace This link opens in a new windowFinancial terminal from the London Stock Exchange Group (formerly Thomson Reuters and Refinitiv). Provides access to global pricing data (stocks and bonds), company fundamentals, I/B/E/S estimates, ESG data, deals and league tables, analyst reports, and more. Replaced Eikon.
For: Current Stanford faculty, staff, and students.
Help: LSEG Workspace access information | Video Tutorials | Analyst/Equity Reports
VC/PE Industry Analysis
Reports & Statistics
There are many groups that create reports and gather statistics about the VC landscape.
Industry Associations
Look for sections on their website titled "Resources", "Publications", "Data". Some materials may be restricted to members. Some examples are:
- National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) YearbookThe latest edition available in PDF format.
Print copies back to 1999 are available at Stanford Libraries. - American Investment CouncilProvides current information about investment trends, fund performance, sector-specific investment, and private equity returns to pension funds.
Additional Resources
Some other places to get reports and statistics on the VC industry include:
- The Global Venture Capital and Private Equity Country Attractiveness IndexThe annual index created by IESE Business School, University of Navarra.
- PitchBook This link opens in a new windowSee PitchBook Access help.
To find reports and analysis on the VC/PE industry, on the left panel go to Library > Research Center.
Note: We may not have access to all content. - CB Insights This link opens in a new windowSee CB Insights Access help.
To find reports and analysis on the VC/PE industry (typically focused on VC funding in X industry), do a keyword search in the main search box and look for Research Briefs.
Note: "Expert Intelligence" reports are not included in our subscription. - Statista This link opens in a new windowStatistics on many topics, industries, and markets. Use the Source tab on the chart page to track down more data. Go to Insights > Consumer Insights to get country-level consumer behavior and brand preference data.