BackCheck

What BackCheck does

BackCheck operates as Sterling Backcheck Canada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Advantage (NASDAQ: FA) following First Advantage's 2022 $2.2 billion acquisition of Sterling Check Corp. Founded in 1997, the company provides pre-employment background screening services from its Toronto headquarters, serving Canadian enterprise employers, government agencies, healthcare organizations, financial institutions, gig economy platforms, staffing agencies, and individual consumers across more than a dozen vertical use cases.

The core product suite spans criminal record checks (including Canadian-specific E-PIC, Vulnerable Sector, and Quebec Criminal Court Search variants), identity verification (Sterling Identity Verification, Identity Cross-Check, Verifiable ID Badges), credential verifications (employment, education, professional credentials, reference checks), and global screening for multinational hiring programs. The platform is delivered through three branded tiers — SterlingONE for enterprise, ScreeningDirect for mid-market self-service, and myBackCheck.com for consumer personal checks — and exposes programmatic access through the Sterling API for integration into ATS platforms such as iCIMS. The proprietary technology differentiators cited are identity verification safety architecture, API integration interoperability, and ease of implementation via digital ID badges.

Revenue is generated through enterprise subscription contracts (quote-based monthly billing with recurring per-screening fees) and transactional fees on self-service personal background checks. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales with dedicated account managers, inside sales for mid-market accounts, self-service portals for SMBs and individuals, and channel partnerships through HR technology integrators. Geographic reach extends across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Singapore, and Latin America via the broader First Advantage / Sterling global network.

Name

BackCheck

Legal name

Sterling, a First Advantage company

Website

https://backcheck.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BackCheck, operating as Sterling Backcheck Canada, provides pre-employment background screening — criminal record checks, identity verification, and credential checks — to enterprise employers, government, healthcare, and gig platforms across Canada and globally as a subsidiary of First Advantage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Background Screening Services

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611), Employment Services (5613)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Criminal Background Checks (National/State/County) (BPACALAA)

Keywords

• Background screening services
• Pre-employment checks
• Criminal background checks
• Employment verification
• HR screening solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Surrey

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Background Screening Services: Criminal record checks, identity verification, employment and education verification services provided to employers for pre-hire and post-hire screening
2. Personal Background Checks: Individual consumers can purchase personal criminal record checks through myBackCheck.com self-service portal

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BackCheck (Sterling Backcheck Canada) provides pre-employment background screening services including criminal background checks, employment and education verification, and other HR-related screening offerings. The company serves Canadian employers on a subscription basis and individual consumers on a per-transaction basis, operating as the Canadian subsidiary of First Advantage (NASDAQ: FA).

Product overview

BackCheck (operating as Sterling Backcheck, a First Advantage company) is a comprehensive background screening platform offering a multi-product portfolio. The core offering includes identity verification services (Sterling Identity Verification), criminal record checks, global screening across international markets, and employment/education/professional credential verifications. The company serves different client segments through specialized products: ScreeningDirect provides self-service screening access, SterlingONE offers an enterprise platform for larger organizations, and myBackCheck.com enables individuals to obtain their own personal criminal record checks. Additional specialized services include vulnerable sector checks, social media searches, credit bureau inquiries, driver abstracts, tenant screening, contractor credentialing, and verifiable ID badges. The Sterling API provides programmatic access for integration into client systems and workflows. The platform supports multiple industries including healthcare, financial services, government, gig economy, and staffing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers2 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• First AdvantageflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Advantage completed the acquisition of Sterling Check Corp for $2.2 billion. Sterling Backcheck now operates as Sterling, a First Advantage company. The acquisition combines Sterling's background screening expertise with First Advantage's global HR background check services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Checkr: Checkr is a leading tech-forward background screening platform serving U.S. employers, gig platforms, and enterprises with API-first screening — directly comparable to BackCheck's enterprise criminal checks, identity verification, and ATS-integrated screening model.
• Accurate Background: Accurate Background is a U.S.-focused background screening company offering criminal checks, verifications, and drug screening with ATS integrations — a direct comparable in product breadth and enterprise GTM motion.
• Universal Background Screening: Universal Background Screening provides comprehensive background checks, drug testing, and occupational health services to employers — comparable in product scope and mid-market enterprise positioning.
• HireRight: HireRight is a global background screening provider offering criminal, identity, employment, and education verification to enterprise and mid-market employers — overlapping nearly 1:1 with BackCheck's product portfolio and global delivery model.

Emerging players

• Certn: Certn is a Canadian-based background screening startup offering API-first criminal, identity, and employment checks — an emerging player competing in BackCheck's home market with a more modern tech stack.
• Truework: Truework is an emerging employment and income verification platform offering payroll-linked verifications — overlapping with BackCheck's employment verification line and representing a tech-native threat to traditional screening providers.

Broad incumbents

• Pinkerton (Corporate Risk Division): Pinkerton offers corporate background screening and employee vetting as part of a broader security, investigations, and risk consulting portfolio — comparable in screening services but operating as a broader incumbent.
• First Advantage: First Advantage is BackCheck's parent company and a global HR technology and background screening leader with a broader product suite (screening, verification, analytics). It is comparable as the incumbent operating parent shaping BackCheck's strategic direction.
• ADP Screening and Selection Services: ADP offers background screening and tax credit services as an extension of its payroll and HR outsourcing platform — a broad incumbent competing on distribution rather than screening specialization.

Regional players

• Apex Background Check: Apex Background Check is a regional U.S. screening provider offering criminal, employment, and tenant screening — a regional player with overlapping product mix but limited geographic and scale parity with BackCheck.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=ALRzCeeg6-o
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/backcheck

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 BackCheck