Tristar Investigation

What Tristar Investigation does

Tristar Investigation is a licensed private investigation firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, founded in 1984 by Bruce Robertson. The company provides professional investigative services across four core service lines: attorney services (litigation support, witness location, asset searches, employment law investigations, trial preparation, and difficult service of process), individual services (infidelity investigations, missing persons, background checks, divorce cases, and personal fraud), insurance services (subrosa surveillance, workers' compensation fraud investigations, AOE/COE investigations, skip tracing, and bilingual claims investigation), and business services (employee theft, intellectual property protection, loss prevention, corporate intelligence, and asset recovery). The firm operates as a field-based service agency rather than a software platform, with investigations conducted by licensed California investigators using surveillance equipment, forensic research methods, internet forensics, skip tracing techniques, and traditional fieldwork. The technology stack is rooted in domain-specialized investigative craft — notably Sub Rosa covert surveillance for insurance and legal evidence, skip tracing for hard-to-locate individuals, and asset investigation for uncovering hidden financial holdings — rather than AI-enabled automation or digital platforms.

The revenue model is professional services billing, with fees charged on a per-project or hourly basis depending on the complexity and scope of each engagement. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the firm offers free consultations and quote-based engagement rather than published rate cards or pricing tiers. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer and direct-to-enterprise, acquiring customers through website inquiries, phone consultations, free consultations, and a steady stream of referrals from attorneys, insurers, and businesses — supported by an active content marketing blog, social media presence on Facebook, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn, and substantial earned media exposure for founder Bruce Robertson on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, NPR, History Channel, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle. The firm claims a 97% success rate with evidence accepted in legal settings, positioning its value proposition around experience, licensed investigators, legal admissibility of evidence, and discretion on sensitive matters. Customer segments span four primary verticals (attorneys/law firms, individuals and families, insurance carriers, and businesses/corporations), with primary service area in California and stated nationwide reach. The company is privately held, founder-owned, operates with 11–50 employees, and has no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, or external ownership.

Name

Tristar Investigation

Legal name

Tristar Investigation LLC

Website

https://tristarpi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tristar Investigation is a licensed private investigation firm founded in 1984 in Los Angeles, California, by Bruce Robertson. The company provides investigative services — including surveillance, skip tracing, asset searches, and litigation support — to attorneys, individuals, insurers, and businesses across California and nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Investigation Services

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611), Investigation and Security Services (5616)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation Support & Civil Investigations (Witness/Asset/Skip Tracing) (BPAKAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Domestic/Family & Matrimonial Investigations (BPAKAEAG), Corporate Due Diligence & Third-Party Risk Investigations (BPAKAEAC), Due Diligence & Investigative Research (BPAHALAI)

Keywords

• Private investigation services
• Surveillance and skip tracing
• Litigation support investigations
• Insurance fraud investigations
• Background check services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Investigation Services: Tristar Investigation generates revenue through fees charged for a comprehensive range of investigative services provided to attorneys, businesses, insurers, and individuals. Services are typically billed on a per-project or hourly basis depending on complexity and scope.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tristar Investigation is a licensed private investigation firm providing professional investigative services to attorneys, insurance companies, businesses, and individuals. Services include covert surveillance (sub rosa), skip tracing, asset investigation and recovery, witness location, difficult service of process, background checks, missing persons investigations, workers' compensation fraud investigations, corporate intelligence, and litigation support. All work is performed by licensed California investigators and documented to meet legal admissibility standards.

Product overview

Tristar Investigation is a licensed private investigation company providing a comprehensive suite of investigative services organized into four core service lines: Attorney Services (litigation support, witness statements, asset searches, employment law services), Individual Services (infidelity investigations, missing persons, background checks, fraud investigations), Insurance Services (subrosa surveillance, workers comp fraud investigations, skip tracing), and Business Services (employee theft, corporate intelligence, intellectual property protection, loss prevention). The company operates as a service-based agency rather than a software platform, with all investigations conducted by licensed investigators using fieldwork, surveillance, interviews, and research. Key specialized offerings include subrosa surveillance for insurance fraud detection, asset investigations for litigation support, and employment law services for class action and PAGA cases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Attorney Services Litigation support services for plaintiff and defense law firms, including witness locates, asset searches, trial preparation, employment law services (employee list research, witness outreach, missing plaintiff), accident investigations, difficult service of process, witness statements, missing persons, background checks, probate and estate investigations, intellectual property investigations, injury surveillance, bankruptcy and foreclosure fraud, divorce law investigations, and spouse and domestic surveillance.
• Individual Services Private investigation services for individuals and families handling cheating spouse investigations, asset investigations, background checks, missing persons, divorce investigation, probate and estate investigations, subpoena services, fraud and scams, runaway teenager location, and child protection.
• Insurance Services Insurance defense investigations including subrosa surveillance, insurance accident investigations, background checks, workers' compensation fraud subrosa investigations, AOE/COE investigations, bilingual (Spanish) claims investigation, and skip tracing for insurers and claims adjusters.
• Business Services Corporate investigation services including business surveillance, workers' compensation fraud investigations, background checks, intellectual property investigations, loss prevention, employee theft investigations, corporate intelligence, and asset recovery.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of cases resolved with evidence accepted in legal settings
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sterling: Sterling is a leading background screening and identity verification provider serving enterprise and legal clients — directly comparable to Tristar's background check and pre-employment screening services, but at vastly larger scale via a technology platform.
• Pinkerton: Pinkerton is a global, broad-scope security and investigations firm offering corporate investigations, surveillance, due diligence, and background screening — overlapping with Tristar's litigation support, asset, and corporate intelligence services but operating at a much larger scale across many geographies.
• HireRight: HireRight is a large background screening and due diligence platform serving employers and legal clients — comparable to Tristar's background check and due diligence offerings, differentiated by enterprise-scale technology vs. Tristar's manual investigator-led delivery.
• FTI Consulting: FTI Consulting's Forensic & Litigation Consulting segment provides investigations, asset tracing, and expert services for legal matters — comparable to Tristar's litigation support services but operating within a much larger global consulting platform.
• Kroll: Kroll is a large global risk and investigations firm offering due diligence, litigation support, background checks, asset tracing, and corporate intelligence — directly comparable to Tristar's high-end litigation, asset, and corporate intelligence work, with deeper institutional client reach.
• Berkeley Research Group: BRG provides expert consulting including investigations, asset tracing, and litigation support — overlapping with Tristar's attorney-facing asset search, witness location, and fraud investigation work as part of a broader professional services portfolio.

Direct peers

• Hillard Heintze: Hillard Heintze provides investigative and security consulting services to corporations and law firms including background checks, threat assessments, and due diligence — comparable to Tristar's corporate intelligence and litigation support offerings at a similar mid-market scale.
• Guidepost Solutions: Guidepost Solutions is a mid-to-large investigations and security consulting firm providing corporate investigations, background checks, and litigation support — directly comparable to Tristar's attorney and corporate service lines with a similar professional services delivery model.
• Mintz Group: Mintz Group is a dedicated investigations firm focused on due diligence, asset tracing, witness location, and litigation support for law firms and corporates — directly competing with Tristar's attorney and business service lines on complex, evidence-driven engagements.

Regional players

• Bishop & Associates Investigative Services: Bishop & Associates is a California-based private investigation firm providing surveillance, skip tracing, and litigation support — a regional peer competing directly with Tristar on attorney and insurance investigations within overlapping California markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TristarPI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TristarPrivateEye
• Facebookfacebook.com/273311322700035
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tristar-investigation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Tristar Investigation