Empowering Investors with Proprietary Financial Data on Private Companies

Since Grata’s founding, the #1 customer request has been financial data on private companies. 

Some called it the holy grail, others called it impossible. 

We're calling it Financial Profiles.

The Journey to Financial Profiles

Let’s back up a bit.

Grata’s path to Financial Profiles started simply: with headcount and growth data. Other providers were giving you ranges. We got precise.

Our data improved headcount accuracy beyond LinkedIn’s estimates by utilizing:

• Multiple sources, including government filings
• More detailed insight into employee locations and roles
• More sophisticated anomaly detection for those data points that just don’t make sense. Take a look at the example below.

If you’re in the business of sizing private companies, relying too much on social media can be detrimental. In the case of Norman Smile Center, LinkedIn shows nearly 45K “associated members” and a range of 11-50 employees. Something doesn’t add up. 

Luckily, Grata detects anomalies and applies insights from government loan data to normalize the headcount. We also adjust revenue estimates based on 14% of their workforce being located in the United Kingdom.

In response to the overwhelming demand for revenue data, we leveraged our experience in M&A to develop a transparent model that not only provides revenue information for millions of private companies but also offers clear explanations for the data presented. 

We continue to refine our revenue model with feedback and contributions from our network of M&A users. 

And for the skeptics among you, we added detailed revenue per headcount benchmarks so you could run your own calculations. 

Data and Insights That Go Beyond Headcount Proxies

But what about industries that aren’t as “online” as tech, like home services or retail stores? Roofers and customer service reps typically aren’t using LinkedIn to draw in customers, so headcount data isn’t very helpful here.

So we got creative.

Say, for example, that local retail business has an e-commerce offering. Our web traffic data can be used as input to model sales and revenue.

And while services businesses might not have LinkedIn profiles, they almost always have pages on Yelp, Google Business, and other review sites. The number and quality of online reviews can indicate market leadership and the number of jobs completed — leading again, to revenue.

Delivering Context Around the Data

The analysis doesn’t end at sizing a business. Being an effective analyst isn’t just about the hard data — context is just as important. 

That’s why we built Ana, an AI-powered analyst that contextualizes the numbers and presents actionable insights. Ana can help you answer key questions that influence the scope of the deal, like how the company will perform in a recession.

Expanding Financial Profiles: M&A and Funding Rounds

Our latest release introduces a comprehensive suite of transaction-level data points, designed to deliver deeper, enhanced financial profiles of companies that have been through private markets.

This includes detailed information sourced from reliable and verified sources:

• Deal types
• Deal values
• Valuations
• Deal dynamics, such as size and growth at the time of the transaction

Additionally, we've integrated investor data so you can see who’s funding which rounds, who’s leading deals, and what their portfolios look like. 

Here’s an example of transaction data on an ed-tech company, Turnitin:

Some of the financial data, like valuations and deal dynamics, simply can’t be found publicly. Sources like Crunchbase can even miss acquisitions. In this case, if you only relied on Crunchbase, you’d have missed two of Turnitin’s acquisitions: GradeHub and ProctorExam.

Source: Crunchbase

Valuation Comps: Benchmarking Private Companies

But we didn't stop there. Just when you thought you were tapped out (probably because that's all of the data that PitchBook offers), we've gone further to offer even more comprehensive insights. 

Doing private deals isn't just about company financials — you need to contextualize private companies within their market. That's why we're excited to announce private market data, right in company profiles. Our AI delivers more comps than you could even think of, so you can value companies from every angle.

The best part? Comps aren’t just for VC and PE-backed companies. Grata gives you comps even for bootstrapped companies, so you get deep financial data no matter what company you’re researching.

Similar companies. Now with financial benchmarks allowing you to see how you stack up.

M&A comps. The closest acquisitions in your market, with acquisition values, enterprise values, and deal dynamics. Gain insight into what similar deals look like.

VC & Growth Comps. Funding rounds, with the amount raised, valuations, enterprise values, rounds, and round dynamics. See what similar fundraises look like.

Public Comps. Understand how public markets value similar companies. Analyze multiples and aspirational operating benchmarks like growth, margins, and more.

At Grata, we’re laser-focused on providing our users with the most reliable financial data on private companies. Through our tireless efforts, we are one step closer to what many consider to be the 'holy grail' of private company financial information. 

Our Financial Profiles, combined with our extensive private market data, offer an unparalleled level of depth and breadth, empowering you to navigate the complex landscape of private markets with confidence.

Discover more, win more. Get started today!