Research Associates

What Research Associates does

Research Associates, Inc. (RAI) is a privately held corporate investigative services firm headquartered in Westlake, Ohio (Cleveland metropolitan area), founded approximately in 1974 based on the company's own "over 50 years" operating history claim. The firm employs 51–100 professionals and operates as a professional services provider rather than a software or platform company.

RAI offers two core service lines: Business Investigations (corporate due diligence revealing lawsuits, prior collections actions, and criminal histories of companies and executives) and Employment Screening (background verification covering false identities, fabricated credentials, fictional references, and concealed employment history). Service delivery is handled by professional investigators who produce detailed narrative reports rather than automated database outputs, with investigation capabilities spanning over 140 countries. The firm is PBSA (Professional Background Screening Association) accredited and positions compliance with state and federal privacy laws as a structural component of its RAI Difference platform.

The business model is professional services revenue: RAI sells to enterprise clients — primarily law firms, accounting firms, Fortune 500 companies, and large private organizations — through direct enterprise sales relationships and a dedicated client portal at i-verify.com. Pricing is quote-based and per-engagement, with services delivered on an ongoing account basis for clients with recurring investigative needs. Distribution is fully B2B and direct; there is no consumer-facing or self-serve channel. Marketing is conducted through a company LinkedIn presence, an e-newsletter, and a content/resource center featuring research reports such as the firm's resume-fraud study citing that 32% of Americans admit to lying on resumes.

Name

Research Associates

Legal name

Research Associates, Inc.

Website

https://raiglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Research Associates provides corporate investigative services to law and accounting firms, Fortune 500 companies, and private organizations. The firm delivers business investigations and employment screening across 140+ countries through professional investigators producing detailed narrative reports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Investigative Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Due Diligence & Investigative Research (BPAHALAI)

Keywords

• Corporate investigative services
• Background screening services
• Employment background checks
• Business due diligence
• International pre-employment screening

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Investigative Services: Professional investigative services for businesses including background checks, employment screening, and business investigations. Services are delivered on a per-engagement or subscription basis depending on client needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Research Associates, Inc. (RAI) provides worldwide corporate investigative services for law and accounting firms, Fortune 500 companies, and private organizations. Its core offerings include Business Investigations (revealing lawsuits, collections actions, and criminal histories of companies and executives) and Employment Screening (background checks uncovering false identities, fake credentials, fictional references, and concealed job histories) delivered through professional human investigators and detailed narrative reports.

Product overview

Research Associates, Inc. (RAI) is a corporate investigative services firm that operates as a unified platform delivering professional investigative services. The company offers two primary service lines: Business Investigations and Employment Screening, both supported by the RAI Difference platform framework that encompasses Compliance Management, Investigative Reporting, and International Coverage capabilities. RAI has been providing investigative services for over 50 years and operates across 140+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Investigations Corporate investigation services that reveal lawsuits for non-performance, prior collections actions, and criminal histories of companies and their key executives, helping clients identify potential problems before they become issues. Targeted at law firms, accounting firms, and businesses conducting due diligence on counterparties.
• Employment Screening Background verification services that detect false identities, fake educational credentials, fictional references, and concealed unsatisfactory job history through professional investigators who produce thorough narrative investigative reports. Targeted at employers conducting pre-employment and ongoing screening.
• International Coverage Investigations Cross-border investigative service delivery spanning over 140 countries, enabling clients to obtain vital information on businesses and individuals across jurisdictions for due diligence and employment screening needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32% of Americans admit to lying on resumes, highlighting the critical need for thorough screening services

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Control Risks: Global risk consultancy with corporate investigations and due diligence capabilities, serving enterprise and law firm clients. Comparable investigative offering to RAI's business investigations service line, though broader risk focus.
• Kroll: Global investigations, risk advisory, and due diligence firm with significant overlap to RAI's business investigations and due diligence practice. Broader portfolio (cyber, valuation) but comparable corporate investigative offering for law firms and enterprises.
• Pinkerton (Corporate Investigations): Established corporate investigations and background screening firm with international reach. Comparable to RAI's business investigations and employment screening for Fortune 500 clients, with broader security services portfolio.

Direct peers

• Sterling (Sterling Talent Solutions): Direct competitor in employment background screening and corporate investigations; serves large enterprises and offers technology-enabled screening, similar to RAI's Fortune 500 client base. Sterling is a major scaled competitor with broader technology integration.
• Checkr: Tech-forward background screening platform competing in the same employment screening market. Direct peer in Fortune 500 and enterprise screening, representing the automation-first threat to RAI's human-investigator model.
• First Advantage: Global background screening provider serving enterprise and SMB customers; directly comparable to RAI in pre-employment screening, with international coverage and compliance offerings.
• Accurate Background: Background screening provider serving enterprise customers with employment screening services. Direct peer in the employment screening segment with comparable enterprise client focus.
• HireRight: Direct competitor in background screening serving multinational employers with global screening capabilities. Comparable to RAI in serving enterprise hiring and compliance needs, though typically more automated.
• Mintz Group: Specialist corporate investigations and due diligence firm serving law firms and Fortune 500 clients. Closely comparable to RAI in human-led investigative approach, narrative reporting, and international coverage.

Emerging players

• Diligent (corporate investigations): Provides due diligence and corporate intelligence solutions with focus on governance and risk. Adjacent peer to RAI's business investigations service line, particularly for legal and compliance due diligence workflows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/research-associates-inc-
• Facebookfacebook.com/researchassoc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Research Associates