What Tessera Data does

Tessera Data is a criminal background data intelligence company that aggregates and distributes criminal records via developer-friendly APIs. The company's core technology is a proprietary National Criminal Database spanning 2,400+ authoritative sources at municipal, county, state, and federal levels, covering over 98% of the US population and refreshing more than 4.5 million records daily. The product suite is organized around this database and includes Automated Criminal Records (direct-to-source court retrieval), Continuous Monitoring (post-hire alerting across 3,000+ sources), Driver History (MVR across 51 jurisdictions), ID Match (government ID validation via AAMVA), Alias & Address History (300M+ consumer records, 40-year lookback), and Safety Screening (low-cost Trust & Safety queries at tens of cents per search). Underlying infrastructure is built and maintained by 75-100+ in-house engineers, with a stated 99.9% API uptime SLA.

The business operates on a primarily usage-based pricing model with per-search fees, supplemented by enterprise/multi-year contracts negotiated through direct account representatives. Tessera primarily sells to Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) and Trust & Safety teams, with growing footprint in rideshare, car rental/carsharing, online marketplaces (INFORM Consumers Act compliance), and physical-space operators (workplace/school visitor management via the Envoy integration). Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales, API-first developer acquisition, event-driven demand generation (PBSA, TrustCon), and an API Platform Partner reseller channel.

Tessera Data, Inc. is incorporated in California and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Checkr, a leading background screening company. The company's strategic positioning leverages Checkr's distribution and brand while operating as a distinct data-infrastructure brand within the parent ecosystem. Customers include both large and mid-market CRAs (e.g., Associated Background Check Inc., Information On Demand Inc., Total Screening Solutions), and Tessera self-reports working with hundreds of customers across its target segments. No public revenue, funding history, or ownership percentage is disclosed.

Name

Tessera Data

Legal name

Tessera Data, Inc.

Website

https://tesseradata.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Tessera Data is a criminal background data intelligence company and Checkr subsidiary that aggregates 2,400+ authoritative criminal record sources via APIs, serving Consumer Reporting Agencies and Trust & Safety teams in employment screening, rideshare, marketplaces, and physical-space security use cases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Background Check Software & Data APIs

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Data Discovery, Classification & Labeling (HDADAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Data Quality, Lineage & Regulatory Data Management (FSAFAOAM)

Keywords

• Criminal background data
• Background check APIs
• Identity verification services
• Trust and safety screening
• Motor vehicle records

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Criminal Data API Access: Revenue generated through API access to criminal background data, including national criminal database searches, automated criminal records, and continuous monitoring services. Usage-based pricing with per-search fees.
2. Identity Verification Services: ID Match product providing identity verification through government ID validation against authoritative sources. Sold as a complementary solution to existing identity biometric and ID scan solutions.
3. Driver History / MVR Searches: Motor vehicle record searches across all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. Per-search fees plus state DMV fees passed through to customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tessera Data provides criminal background data intelligence through a proprietary platform connecting to 2,400+ authoritative criminal data sources including courts, DMVs, sex offender registries, and government agencies across the United States. The company delivers this data via people-data APIs and an enterprise client portal, offering products such as the National Criminal Database, Automated Criminal Records, Continuous Monitoring, Driver History, ID Match, Alias & Address History, and Safety Screening for Consumer Reporting Agencies, Trust & Safety teams, and other enterprises.

Product overview

Tessera Data is a criminal background data intelligence company offering a unified platform of criminal record products and services. The core offering consists of the National Criminal Database (spanning 2,400+ sources, 98% US population coverage), complemented by six integrated modules: Automated Criminal Records (direct-to-source court records), Continuous Monitoring (ongoing post-employment monitoring), Driver History (MVR searches across 51 jurisdictions), ID Match (identity verification), Alias & Address History (personal history traces), and Safety Screening (lightweight screening for Trust & Safety teams). All products are accessible via Tessera's people-data APIs, enabling integration into customer workflows.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Criminal Database Tessera's flagship comprehensive criminal database built, managed, and maintained by 75-100+ in-house engineers, covering 2,400+ authoritative criminal data sources across municipal, county, state, and federal levels spanning 98% of the US population. Updates over 4.5 million records daily with 70%+ sources refreshed within a week.
• Automated Criminal Records (ACR) On-demand automated retrieval of court records directly from source, delivering real-time results 98% faster than traditional court runners with 35% lower costs across thousands of US counties including Kansas (40+ counties) and Arizona (15 counties).
• Continuous Monitoring Post-employment criminal monitoring service that tracks individuals over time across 3,000+ data sources including the National Criminal Database, Sex Offender Data, Security Watch Lists, Department of Corrections, and Arrest records, alerting customers to new criminal activity.
• Driver History (MVR Search) Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) search service providing driving records from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico, delivered as standardized reports including license information, traffic violations, DUI convictions, accidents, suspensions, and restrictions.
• ID Match Identity verification product that matches PII on government-issued IDs (driver's licenses, state IDs) against authoritative sources from all 51 jurisdictions via AAMVA partnership, validating that identities actually exist as a pre-validation step before full background checks.
• Alias & Address History Trace service providing access to over 300 million consumer records and up to 40 years of personal history data, identifying potential aliases and addresses to enable comprehensive background check searches across jurisdictions and name variations.
• Safety Screening Lightweight, cost-effective criminal screening solution for Trust & Safety teams at online marketplaces and communities, providing real-time screening at onboarding with customizable crime filters, priced at tens of cents per query with instant turnaround.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% faster turnaround for automated criminal records vs traditional providers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EnvoycoreTechnology or Integration · 25 October 2023Partnership to integrate Tessera criminal data signals into Envoy's visitor management system for real-time safety screenings at physical spaces including schools, hospitals, offices, and workplaces. Tessera screens for high-risk flags like sex offender registry, assault, and other crimes within seconds during the check-in process. Enables compliance with SOC 2 and audit requirements through universal logs.
• AAMVA (American Association of Vehicle Administrators)coreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership with AAMVA.org to access trusted and authoritative DMV/government data sources for ID Match identity verification product. Enables validation of driver licenses and government IDs against official issuing sources across all 51 jurisdictions with near-instant turnaround times.
• Google AnalyticsminorOthersWeb analytics service used to analyze website visitor behavior, understand which pages are viewed and what features engage visitors, helping improve user experience.
• MarketominorOthersMarketing automation platform used to analyze Business Visitors' engagement with marketing emails and improve marketing communications.
• Google AdsminorOthersOnline advertising platform used to track when visitors view specific pages or take actions like filling out contact forms, enabling retargeting with Tessera advertisements.
• Google Search ConsoleminorOthersSEO monitoring tool used to track how the Tessera website appears in Google search results to improve search rankings.
• AtlassianminorOthersAtlassian's service desk platform used to deliver status alerts to customers when services, software systems, or information sources have outages or performance issues.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sterling: Major background screening provider serving employers with criminal, MVR, identity, and continuous monitoring services. Directly comparable to Tessera's customer offerings and competes for the same CRA and enterprise employment screening buyers.
• People Data Labs: API-first provider of people data for identity, fraud, and risk use cases. Closely comparable to Tessera's developer-focused, API-driven people data distribution model.
• Accurate Background: Background screening company offering criminal records, MVRs, and identity verification across US jurisdictions. Comparable in product mix and CRA-style customer base.
• HireRight: Global background screening provider with extensive criminal, identity, and MVR data assets. Comparable in serving enterprise CRAs and direct employers with multi-jurisdictional background data.
• Pipl: Identity resolution and people search data provider used for fraud, trust & safety, and KYC. Comparable in delivering people data via APIs for online platforms.
• IDology (a GBG company): Identity verification and fraud prevention provider. Comparable in identity-related data APIs used by marketplaces, CRAs, and Trust & Safety teams.

Broad incumbents

• Checkr: Parent company and one of the largest background screening platforms. Checkr offers end-to-end employment screening and uses Tessera's data infrastructure; directly comparable in CRA-serving background check capabilities but operates a broader platform.
• First Advantage: Large publicly-traded background screening provider with global operations. Comparable in criminal data aggregation and serves the same enterprise screening market.

Emerging players

• Certn: Tech-forward background screening platform offering criminal, identity, and continuous monitoring via APIs. Comparable in API-first delivery model targeting digital-first employers and platforms.
• Verato: Identity data and master person index provider for healthcare and enterprises. Comparable as a backend people-data infrastructure layer, though more identity-resolution-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tesseradata
• Xx.com/Tessera_Data

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Tessera Data