Data Screening

What Data Screening does

Data Screening (DataScreening) is a US-based, privately held background screening company founded in 1996 and headquartered in Woodland Park, New Jersey, with a secondary office in Montville. The company provides employment and tenant background checks — including criminal and legal record searches, drug and occupational testing, driving records, credit and Social Security searches, verifications (employment, education, professional license, military), and international searches — delivered through a proprietary online platform with integrations to more than 50 ATS, HRIS, and onboarding platforms as well as major property management systems. Its core technical differentiation is direct courthouse sourcing of criminal records via a national correspondent network, layered with automated FCRA compliance workflows, a live tracking dashboard, and an AI-enhanced social media screening add-on that uses natural language processing with 11 risk classifications across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

Data Screening operates a per-transaction revenue model on most products (with fixed-price tenant packages at $15, $20, and $34 per person), supplemented by subscription-based I-9 management with E-Verify. Go-to-market combines a self-serve online platform for SMB and mid-market clients with a direct sales motion (dedicated account managers, sales consultants, and US-based compliance support) for enterprise accounts across staffing, financial services, healthcare, legal, transportation, and technology verticals. Distribution is reinforced by deep embedded integrations with ADP, Workday, SAP, Oracle, iCIMS, Greenhouse, BambooHR, and other HR platforms, as well as Yardi, Entrata, RentManager, and other property management systems for the tenant screening line.

The company is founder-owned and founder-led, with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no M&A activity to date. Leadership comprises CEO and founder Karen Jacobsen (30+ years in credit and screening, formerly of Equifax and Credit Resources Inc.), President Kimberly Slezak (promoted from Director of Sales), and VP of Operations and Business Development Fred Amicucci (FCRA Advanced Certification through PBSA). Data Screening holds PBSA accreditation (held by fewer than 9% of background check companies) and WBENC Women's Business Enterprise certification, and reports double-digit revenue growth every year for more than 22 years.

Name

Data Screening

Legal name

Data Screening

Website

https://datascreening.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Data Screening is a US-based, PBSA-accredited background screening company founded in 1996 that delivers employment and tenant screening services — criminal records, verifications, drug testing, and AI social media checks — through a proprietary platform integrated with 50+ ATS, HRIS, and property management systems for employers, staffing firms, and property managers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Background Check Services

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Pre-Employment Background Checks & Screening (BPAKAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tenant & Rental Background Screening (BPAKAEAB), Social Media & Online Reputation Screening (BPACALAL), Continuous Monitoring & Post-Hire Screening (BPACALAJ), Global / International Background Screening (BPACALAI)

Keywords

• Background check services
• Employment screening
• Tenant screening
• Criminal records search
• FCRA compliance software

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Employment Background Screening Services: Per-transaction fees for background checks including criminal searches, verifications, drug screening, driving records, credit checks, and social media searches. Pricing varies by package and search type. Revenue derived from per-screen fees charged to employers.
2. Tenant Screening Services: Per-transaction fees for tenant screening including credit reports, eviction records, criminal checks, and verification services. Also includes integrated property management software subscription.
3. Package Deals: Bundled tenant screening packages at fixed per-person pricing: Package 1 at $15, Package 2 at $20, Package 3 at $34
4. I-9 Management Solution: Electronic I-9 management solution with optional Remote Agent Service for Section 2 completion. Subscription or per-use pricing model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Data Screening sells a proprietary background check platform and screening services to employers, staffing agencies, and property managers across the United States. Customers order employment and tenant screenings through a self-serve portal that integrates with over 50 ATS/HRIS systems; the company performs criminal, civil, federal, drug, driving, credit, verification, international, and AI-based social media checks, with courthouse direct-sourcing for accuracy and PBSA-accredited FCRA compliance.

Product overview

Data Screening offers a unified background screening platform with two main service categories: Employment Screening Services and Tenant Screening Services. The core platform provides customizable screening packages integrated with over 50 ATS and HRIS systems. Employment services include Criminal and Legal Record Searches (county, state, national, federal), Drug Screening and Occupational Testing, Driving Records, Credit and Social Security Searches, Verifications (employment, education, professional license), International Searches, and an AI-enhanced Social Media Background Check. Tenant services include Credit Reports, Eviction Records, Criminal and Legal searches, Verifications, and bundled Package Deals, all supported by an Integrated Property Management Software Solution. Additional compliance tools include an Electronic I9 Management System with E-Verify. The platform emphasizes direct courthouse sourcing for accuracy, FCRA compliance, PBSA accreditation, and 89% of reports completed in under 24 hours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Criminal and Legal Record Searches Comprehensive suite of criminal background checks including County Criminal Search (physical courthouse search), Statewide Criminal Search, National Instant Criminal Records Search (covering 115+ million records), Federal Criminal Search, County Civil Search, and Federal Civil Search, for employers and property managers.
• Drug Screening and Occupational Testing Drug testing services including 5-panel and 10-panel urine tests, instant 5-panel testing, and DOT-mandated testing, with collection at Quest and LabCorp and Medical Review Officer (MRO) review; plus occupational health tests such as physicals, pulmonary function tests, audio/vision tests, and vaccinations for employers.
• Driving Records (MVR) Motor Vehicle Record checks providing instant state-specific driving history, including citations, accidents, license revocations, and insurance cancellations, plus Commercial Driving Records (CDL) search via CDLIS for FMCSA compliance.
• Credit and Social Security Searches Employment-purpose credit reports from national repositories meeting FCRA compliance, and Social Security verification (SSN) searches including SSA Direct verification with the Social Security Administration, for employer use.
• Verifications Verification services including Employment Verification, DOT Employment Verification, DOT Drug and Alcohol Employer Questionnaire, Education Verification, Professional License Verification, Personal Reference Verification, Media Search, and Military Verification, for employers.
• International Searches Global background check services including International Criminal Search, International Employment Verification, and International Education Verification for candidates in nearly any country, for employers with global hiring needs.
• Social Media Background Check AI-enhanced social media screening using natural language processing with 11 risk classifications and keyword matching. Screens Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn posts and delivers results with screenshots of flagged content, for employers seeking non-traditional risk signals.
• Compliance Watchlist and Continuous Monitoring Services Additional screening services including Sex Offender Search, OFAC (Office of Foreign Asset Control) Search, OIG and GSA exclusion searches, Worker's Compensation History, Global Homeland Security Search, Healthcare Continuous Monitoring, Continuous Monitoring Background Checks, Electronic I-9 with E-Verify, and Physicals and Pulmonary Function Testing, for employers in regulated verticals.
• Tenant Credit Report Tenant credit report drawn from one of three national credit repositories meeting FCRA compliance, with credit score included, for landlords and property managers screening prospective tenants.
• Tenant Score Card Scoring tool that combines the applicant-provided monthly rent and stated income with the credit report data to generate a pass/fail recommendation with suggested actions such as approve, decline, or approve with double deposit, for landlords and property managers.
• Eviction Records State-level eviction records search by name and address to determine whether prospective tenants have prior eviction history, for landlords and property managers.
• Tenant Verifications Tenant verification services including Social Security Verification, Employment Verification, Landlord Rental Verification, and Commercial Rental Vendor References, for landlords and property managers.
• Electronic I-9 Management System Automated electronic I-9 completion, signature, storage, and tracking system with E-Verify integration, including error-detecting pop-ups, auto alerts for expiring documents, audit logs, and an optional Remote Agent Service with access to over 14,000 trained consultants, for employers.
• Integrated Property Management Software Solution Online application form with configurable legal disclosures, automated applicant communication, and automated lease agreements, integrated with major property management platforms (Yardi, Entrata, RentManager, ResMan, iRent, Infor, AMSI), for property management companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 89% of criminal records returned in less than 24 hours
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration75 records

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• ADPcoreTechnology or IntegrationDataScreening is integrated with ADP's HR and payroll platform for seamless employment background screening within ADP workflow
• BambooHRcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with BambooHR ATS for background check ordering directly within the hiring platform
• iCIMScoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with iCIMS talent acquisition platform for embedded background screening services
• SAPcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with SAP HR systems for enterprise background screening integration
• Oracle/TaleocoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Oracle Taleo talent acquisition platform for background screening workflow
• Workday/UKGcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Workday and UKG HR platforms for seamless screening integration
• GreenhousecoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Greenhouse ATS for hiring workflow automation
• LevercoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Lever talent engagement platform
• JazzHRcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with JazzHR hiring platform for small and medium businesses
• YardicoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Yardi property management software for tenant screening services
• EntratacoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Entrata property management platform for automated tenant screening
• RentManagercoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with RentManager property management software
• LabCorpcoreTechnology or IntegrationLabCorp provides specimen collection services for drug screening at Patient Service Centers nationwide
• Quest DiagnosticscoreTechnology or IntegrationQuest Diagnostics provides specimen collection services for drug screening at national labs
• eScreencoreTechnology or IntegrationeScreen electronic screening system for automated drug testing results management
• PBSA (Professional Background Screening Association)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association for background screening companies. DataScreening is PBSA accredited and certified staff have earned FCRA certifications through PBSA. Fred Amicucci serves on industry committees
• SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association for HR professionals. DataScreening is a member and speaks at SHRM chapters on background screening topics. Provides FCRA compliance education to HR community
• ASA (American Staffing Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrade association for staffing companies. DataScreening is an ASA member with extensive experience serving the staffing industry for over 20 years
• NJSA (New Jersey Staffing Alliance)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Jersey staffing industry association. DataScreening is on the Board of Directors and multiple executive team members have served on the board. Primary industry partner for staffing vertical
• WBENC (Women's Business Enterprise National Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's business enterprise certification organization. DataScreening is a nationally certified WBE. Karen Jacobsen served on the certification committee for 10 years

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Checkr: Leading VC-backed background screening platform offering criminal, employment, and drug screening via API and ATS integrations. Closely comparable on core offering (employment background checks) and integrations, but at significantly larger scale and with venture funding.
• Accurate Background: Mid-market background screening company offering employment background checks, verifications, drug testing, and integrations. Closely comparable on customer base and product mix, particularly for staffing and SMB verticals that DataScreening serves.
• TransUnion SmartMove: Tenant screening service from TransUnion offering credit reports, eviction history, and criminal background checks for landlords and property managers. Direct overlap with DataScreening's tenant screening vertical and bundled packages.

Broad incumbents

• Sterling: Large incumbent background screening provider (formerly Sterling Talent Solutions) offering global employment screening, identity verification, and compliance services. Comparable core product set but with much larger scale, broader geographic coverage, and post-merger private equity backing.
• HireRight: Global background screening provider serving enterprise employers with criminal, employment, drug, and tenant screening services. Overlapping product set and similar integration-heavy GTM, though serving predominantly large enterprise customers.
• First Advantage: Publicly traded background screening provider (ticker: FA) offering employment, tenant, and resident screening globally. Comparable product breadth and ATS/HRIS integration strategy, but at meaningfully larger scale and with international infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Certn: Tech-forward background screening platform focused on API-first delivery and faster turnaround. Comparable on AI-augmented screening and developer-friendly integrations, but earlier-stage and with a narrower product set.
• Veremark: Tech-driven background screening and credential verification provider with global coverage. Comparable on digital-first delivery and international background check capability, though smaller scale than DataScreening.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DataScreening
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/datascreening-background-screening?trk=tyah&trkInfo=tarId%3A1403002294860%2Ctas%3Adatascreening%2Cidx%3A1-1-1

Compliance1 record

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 Data Screening