Research Guides: Business: Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA): Key Resources

Industry Research

IBISWorld: Industry
A collection of market research reports for over 700 U.S. industries and almost 60 global industries.

Use the Industry Wizard (Products > Tools > Industry Wizard) to create a list of industries based on variables like industry growth rate, market share concentration, or revenue volatility.

Browse US industries by NAICS industry classifications
BizMiner
Use the Industry Market Profile for granular and niche industry statistical reports and market analysis at the national and local levels down to the zip code.
EMIS Intelligence
Market research reports from a range of publishers on global/country/regional industries including, communication, consumer services/discretionary/staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, materials, and utilities.
Frost & Sullivan
Especially good for tech-related industries. Various types of market research reports include growth opportunities, trends analysis, and forecasting models.
PitchBook
Use PitchBook's industry and vertical classifications to create a list of companies. The overview tab will aggregate data about your selections.
MarketLine Advantage
Country-specific industry reports include market overviews, data, segmentation, outlook and five forces analysis. Company reports include financials, top competitors, deals and SWOT analyses.

Trade Show Calendar - Trade Show Network
Trade show websites can be great sources for lists of attendees and/or exhibitors for a specific industry
Trade Associations
Most industries have a trade association, search for them on the web (add your industry name to a search like this). Trade association websites may have industry information/data and lists of members, and organizations are typically happy to engage with students.

D&B Hoovers
162 million+ public, private, and nonprofit global companies. Screen for companies based on criteria like industry, geography, number of employees, year founded, and revenue.
Experiment with different industry classifications in the dropdown. US 8-Digit SIC will be the most specific
PrivCo
Business and financial research on non-publicly traded corporations, including family-owned, private equity-owned, venture-backed and international unlisted companies. PrivCo also covers venture capital funding deals, private equity deals, and merger acquisition data.

Factiva
Indexes and provides full text to 33,000 news and business information sources from 200 countries in 28 languages, includes regional and industry publications, newspapers, newswires, Web and blog content.

EBSCO Regional Business News
Full-text regional business publications for the United States and Canadian provinces.

BizMiner
Use the Industry Financial Profile to benchmark company financials to industry averages, find ratios, and valuation multiples.

2024 Search Fund Study (Stanford)
The 2024 Search Fund Study reports on the financial returns and key qualities of search funds formed in the United States and Canada since 1984. This report updates the previous 2022 study with data through December 31, 2023.
Search Fund Primer (Stanford)
See "Part IV: Setting Criteria for Evaluating Industries", "Part V: The Search - Sourcing Acquisition Opportunities", and "Part IV: Evaluating Target Businesses" for guidance on the research process
HBS Podcast - Think Big, Buy Small
Professors Rick Ruback and Royce Yudkoff explore the path to entrepreneurship through the acquisition of an enduringly profitable small business. Based on their Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition course, episodes feature firsthand accounts from acquisition entrepreneurs and other stakeholders, along with insights and guidance on this unique journey.