What Velocity Clinical Research does

Velocity Clinical Research is a privately held, integrated clinical trial site organization headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, operating 50+ research sites across the United States, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The company serves pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as Contract Research Organizations (CROs), by providing site management, patient recruitment, investigator staffing, and data collection services for clinical trials. Velocity traces its operational roots to 1986 through predecessor Meridian Clinical Research, and has grown aggressively through more than ten acquisitions completed between 2019 and 2023, expanding from a U.S. primary care research operator into a transatlantic multi-therapeutic site network with dedicated capabilities in cardiometabolic, MASH, respiratory, vaccine, and women's health trials.

The company's core technology asset is the VISION platform, an AI-enabled site operations platform built specifically for clinical trial sites. VISION integrates multimodal large language models (including GPT-4o) for patient-trial matching, automated patient outreach, protocol assistance, and enrollment forecasting, and extends into VISION Engage (a patient-facing mobile application) and VISION Recruit (a recruitment optimization tool). The technology stack is supported by specialized programs including PIVOT (Principal Investigator Onboarding and Training), CARE Councils (therapeutic excellence networks), and a global laboratory network with CLIA-certified facilities and PBMC processing capabilities. The company holds EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and GDPR/CCPA certifications, reflecting the regulatory complexity of its multi-jurisdiction operations.

Velocity generates revenue through custom, quote-based per-study contracts with pharmaceutical and biotechnology sponsors and CROs, structured as multi-year professional services engagements. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales, supplemented by event-driven engagement (SCOPE conference participation), direct-to-consumer patient recruitment via regional VelocityClinicalTrials portals, and channel partnerships with technology firms (HealthMatch) and CROs. Named enterprise customers include Regeneron, Sanofi, Ipsen, Zydus Therapeutics, and Cognivue, spanning both large-cap pharma and emerging biotech across multiple therapeutic areas.

Name

Velocity Clinical Research

Legal name

Velocity Clinical Research Inc.

Website

https://velocityclinical.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Velocity Clinical Research is a privately held, integrated clinical trial site organization operating 50+ sites across the U.S. and Europe, providing site management, patient recruitment, and investigator services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology sponsors. Its AI-enabled VISION platform powers patient-trial matching and trial operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Trial Site Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination (HLAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Site & Investigator Platforms (Site Payments, Feasibility, Activation) (HLACAOAJ), Precision Clinical Trials Enablement (patient matching, site matching, adaptive trials) (HLAAANAI), Clinical Trial Informatics (EDC/CTMS/eCOA/eTMF) (HLAGAJAM)

Keywords

• Clinical trial site services
• Clinical research organization
• Patient recruitment services
• Site management organization
• Clinical trial data management

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Clinical Trial Site Services: Velocity provides integrated clinical research site services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies conducting clinical trials. Revenue is generated through per-study contracts where Velocity delivers sites, investigators, patients, and research staff for clinical trials. The company operates as a site organization rather than a traditional CRO, providing unified research site solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Velocity Clinical Research operates an integrated network of 50+ clinical trial research sites across the U.S. and Europe, providing pharmaceutical and biotechnology sponsors with end-to-end site services including patient recruitment, investigator staffing, protocol execution, and data collection. The company's proprietary VISION AI-enabled technology platform unifies site operations, automates patient-trial matching, and supports the delivery of high-quality clinical trial data for drug development programs.

Product overview

Velocity Clinical Research operates as an integrated site organization offering clinical trial services through a unified platform architecture. The core offering is the VISION technology platform, which powers patient-trial matching, recruitment automation, and operational efficiency across the company's global network of research sites. Supporting products include VISION Engage (mobile app for patient participation), VISION Recruit (recruitment tool), and specialized CARE Councils for therapeutic excellence in Cardiometabolic, MASH, Respiratory, Vaccine, and Women's Health areas. The company also offers investigator expertise, patient recruitment and retention services, and global laboratory capabilities. Velocity's model integrates operational processes with next-generation technology to deliver high-quality clinical trial data and patient care across U.S. and European sites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VISION: Velocity's AI-enabled technology platform for clinical trial management
• VISION Engage
• VISION Recruit
• PIVOT
• CARE Councils

Products and services

• Clinical Trial Site Services Integrated clinical trial site services delivered through 50+ research sites across the U.S. and Europe for pharmaceutical and biotechnology sponsors. Services include site management, patient recruitment, investigator staffing, study conduct, and data collection for drug development programs. Revenue is generated through per-study contracts where Velocity delivers sites, investigators, patients, and research staff for clinical trials.
• VISION Platform Velocity's proprietary AI-enabled technology platform that unifies operational processes across the company's global site network. It provides patient-trial matching, automated outreach, enrollment forecasting, and protocol assistance capabilities that power the delivery of Velocity's site services.
• VISION Engage Mobile Application Mobile application for patient recruitment and engagement, allowing prospective participants to find and engage with clinical trials through their mobile devices across the U.S., UK, Poland, and Germany.
• VISION Recruit AI-powered recruitment technology that matches patients with appropriate clinical trials using patient data and trial protocol requirements, supporting faster and more accurate patient-trial matching.
• CARE Councils - Therapeutic Excellence Networks Therapeutic expertise networks providing specialized clinical research capabilities across Cardiometabolic (including Diabetes and Obesity), MASH, Respiratory, Vaccine, and Women's Health. CARE Councils bring together leading investigators and operational staff for knowledge sharing, best practice development, and consistent trial delivery across the Velocity site network.
• Global Laboratory Network Specialized laboratory and diagnostic services including CLIA-certified lab facilities at dedicated sites and PBMC (peripheral blood mononuclear cell) processing at 30+ locations across the U.S. and Europe, supporting trial sample handling, biomarker analysis, and specialized diagnostic needs.
• Patient Recruitment and Retention Services End-to-end patient recruitment and retention services for sponsors, leveraging the VISION platform, VISION Engage mobile app, the VelocityClinicalTrials.com patient portal, and HealthMatch partnership to identify, enroll, and retain diverse patient populations across the U.S. and Europe.

Quantifiable outcome

• 61 FDA-approved products supported since 2020
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AdvarracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Velocity is a founding member of the Council for Responsible Use of AI in Clinical Trials, convened by Advarra. CTO Raghu Punnamraju contributed to the new risk-based AI governance framework announcement. The cross-industry group brings together leaders from biopharma to advance responsible AI in clinical trials.
• HealthMatchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Velocity announced a partnership with HealthMatch for patient recruitment. The partnership was announced at the SCOPE conference in Orlando, Florida, with Velocity's COO Nick Spittal and HealthMatch CEO Manuri Gunawardena presenting joint results from an unprecedented patient recruitment pilot.
• SanoficoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Joint podcast on patient centricity featuring Pat Roselle (Global Head of Patient Stakeholder Engagement) and Jimmy Bechtel from SCRS, with Velocity's Nick Spittal. Discussed patient insights and translating them into actions for clinical trial improvement.
• SCRS (Site Compliance Research Solutions)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through joint podcast and industry collaboration on site-related issues. Jimmy Bechtel from SCRS participated in patient centricity discussions with Velocity leadership.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• IQVIA: Global clinical research services giant with a substantial site management organization (SMO) network offering patient recruitment, site management, and decentralized trial capabilities. Overlaps directly with Velocity's integrated site services but operates at significantly greater scale across a broader CRO portfolio.
• PPD (Thermo Fisher Scientific): Clinical research services business within Thermo Fisher, providing site management, patient recruitment, and full-service CRO capabilities. Overlaps with Velocity's core SMO offering but sits inside a much larger life-sciences tools and diagnostics conglomerate.

Direct peers

• ICON plc: Global CRO formed through the merger with PRA Health Sciences, offering full-service clinical research including site management and patient recruitment. Directly competes with Velocity for sponsor site-services contracts and operates across similar therapeutic areas and geographies.
• Syneos Health: Now privately held clinical and commercial solutions provider with dedicated site management and patient recruitment capabilities. Competes head-to-head with Velocity for biopharma site-services mandates, particularly in the U.S. and Europe.
• Medpace: Mid-sized full-service CRO with strong site relationships and therapeutic expertise across cardiometabolic, oncology, and rare disease. While Medpace runs fewer captive sites than Velocity, its sponsor relationships and operational model are directly comparable for site-services RFPs.
• Parexel: Global CRO with significant site-services and patient-recruitment capabilities post the Parexel and PRA site-network integration. Directly comparable to Velocity for biopharma sponsors seeking integrated clinical trial execution and site management.
• Fortrea: Post-spin CRO from Labcorp Drug Development offering clinical trial management and site services globally. Directly competes with Velocity for sponsor site contracts and recently hired former Velocity CRO Andrew Reina as VP, underscoring the talent and capability overlap.
• Worldwide Clinical Trials: Mid-sized global CRO with therapeutic specialization in neuroscience, cardiometabolic, and rare diseases. Competes with Velocity for specialized site-services mandates, particularly in complex Phase 2/3 trials requiring therapeutic depth.
• Celerion: Specialized early-phase clinical research organization with significant site and patient-recruitment infrastructure. Comparable to Velocity in operating model (site-centric) and customer base (biopharma sponsors), with focus on Phase I healthy-volunteer and patient studies.

Emerging players

• Catalyst Clinical Research: Privately held clinical research site and CRO services provider focused on oncology, nephrology, and other specialty therapeutic areas. Closely comparable to Velocity's integrated site-services model with similar therapeutic focus areas (e.g., MASH, cardiometabolic).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/velocitycr
• Facebookfacebook.com/velocityclinical
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/velocity-clinical
• Instagraminstagram.com/velocityclinical

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A10 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Velocity Clinical Research