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Finding and using financial data at Princeton University

Guide to major sources of financial data available to Princeton University researchers for academic research.
Preqin* Major source for private equity and venture capital data.  Earliest data tends to be around 1980.  Includes data on hedge funds in the native interface. Online.  Also available through WRDS.
PitchBook* Research and analyze international companies, deals, and investors across the entire private investment lifecycle.  Major source for private equity and venture capital data. Online.  Available through WRDS.

Venture Financings 

(VentureXpert)*

 Allows detailed searches on venture capital. While the scope is international, foreign coverage is select. The United States market is well covered. Coverage begins in 1970.  LSEG has reported that this module has not been back tested so use with caution.  Part of Refinitiv Workspace.
WRDS Venture Capital Firms privately placing equity or debt issues in the U.S. may hit certain regulatory triggers, requiring them to file either with the SEC or under the state Blue Sky Laws. WRDS has created 5 datasets from these filings, covering all federally filed private placements. These datasets, Forms 1-A, 1-K, 1-Z, C, and D, identify dates, issuance size and goals, placement agents, and other key variables related to private firm issuance. Altogether, these datasets contain metrics on over 438,000 placements beginning 2002 to the present. WRDS suggests users supplement WRDS’ VC Suite data with Preqin’s Venture Capital and Private Equity data products, for the most complete possible sample for Venture Capital and Private Equity research. To aid this, WRDS has also created links between firms in each of the datasets within the WRDS VC Suite to portfolio firms identified in Preqin’s Venture Capital Deals Detail file. Online through WRDS.
Capital IQ* Information on over 60,000 public companies, 685,000 private companies, 10,600 private capital firms, 312,000 transactions, and 1,000,000 professionals worldwide. Coverage begins in 1994 for public data; 1998 for United States private equity data and 2000 for international private equity data. Also available without requiring a personal account on the restricted workstations in Available on the workstations located near Firestone A-13-J.(available from the Start Menu).  
National Venture Capital Association Yearbook HG4961.N382 (2007); 2010 and 2012+ online
BCVA Some free information on venture capital and private equity in the United Kingdom. Online.
Scorecard Latin American Private Equity & Venture Capital Association Online.  2006+
CrunchBase Crowd sourced listings of startup activity.  Free registration is required for limited information. An academic institutional license is not available. PhD students can request access to CrunchBase's Academic Research Access Program. Online.
VentureSource Data Snapshot Investors

Covers 1996-2018. Any publications must cite Dow Jones VentureSource data. Restricted to Princeton University faculty, PhD students, and masters students for academic purposes.   Contract prohibits undergraduate use.  For access please email Bobray Bordelon.

 Restricted server.

For an excellent overview of major sources, see the working paper by Maria Borysoff (Nykyforovych), Paul Mason, and Steven Utke Understanding Private Equity Funds: A Guide to Private Equity Research in Accounting.
*Must be used for academic purposes only, that is, to support the teaching and research of Princeton University.

Also consult the FAQs .