NextStage Clinical Research
NextStage Clinical Research operates an embedded clinical trial site network across 18 sites in 5 US states, integrating research infrastructure into physician practices to serve pharmaceutical sponsors, biotechs, CROs, investigators, and patients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What NextStage Clinical Research does
NextStage Clinical Research is a privately held contract research organization that operates an embedded clinical trial site network across the United States, headquartered at 510 Bering Drive, Houston, Texas. The company integrates clinical research infrastructure directly into existing physician practices rather than staffing standalone research facilities, enabling physicians to run trials as an extension of routine care. Its platform spans central coordination for budgets, contracts, regulatory compliance, recruitment, and quality assurance across the network, supported by integrated Electronic Data Capture (EDC) systems and GCP-certified processes.
The company serves three principal customer groups: pharmaceutical sponsors and biotech companies seeking accelerated trial startup with diverse patient populations; contract research organizations needing reliable, consistent site performance; and physician practices that want to participate in research without absorbing the administrative burden. A fourth stakeholder group, patients, is reached through those practice partnerships. Revenue is generated through contract-based professional service arrangements with sponsors and CROs for patient recruitment, study execution, and regulatory-compliant data delivery. The company does not publish pricing and operates with no board of directors, which it cites as enabling faster site launches (weeks rather than months).
As of 2025, NextStage reports 18 active research sites across 5 states (Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Oklahoma) with 100+ investigators and a leadership team carrying 125+ years of combined healthcare, life sciences, and clinical operations experience. The company is co-founded and controlled by brothers Ned Schwing and Robert Schwing, who previously co-founded and exited multiple healthcare platforms including National Cardiovascular Partners (partnered with Bain Capital and acquired by Fresenius Medical Care). No institutional or private equity ownership has been disclosed.
NextStage Clinical Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NextStage Clinical Research
- Legal name
- NextStage Clinical Research
- Website
- https://nextstageclinical.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- NextStage Clinical Research operates an embedded clinical trial site network across 18 sites in 5 US states, integrating research infrastructure into physician practices to serve pharmaceutical sponsors, biotechs, CROs, investigators, and patients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NextStage Clinical Research industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Clinical Research Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination (HLAGACAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Patient Recruitment, Site Feasibility & Trial Enablement CROs (HLAGAAAI), Clinical Operations & Monitoring FSP (CRA/CTM/Start-up) (HLAGAOAA)
Keywords
Where NextStage Clinical Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices9 records
Markets served
NextStage Clinical Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Clinical Research Services: Provides clinical trial site services to pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs, including patient recruitment, study execution, data collection, and regulatory compliance support across their network of embedded sites. Revenue generated through contract-based arrangements for study execution.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
NextStage Clinical Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NextStage Clinical Research is a contract research organization (CRO) that operates an embedded clinical trial site network integrated into physician practices across 18 sites in 5 U.S. states. The company provides clinical trial site services to pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs, including patient recruitment, study execution, regulatory compliance, data collection, and centralized coordination across its network of 100+ investigators. Its embedded model brings research directly into existing physician offices rather than operating standalone research facilities.
Product overview
NextStage Clinical Research is a service-based clinical trial site network, not a product portfolio company. They provide an integrated suite of clinical research services including patient recruitment, site operations, centralized support (budgets, contracts, compliance), and access to diverse patient populations for clinical trials. The company operates across multiple states with a network of physician practices and research sites, serving sponsors, CROs, investigators, and patients. The offering is a unified service offering rather than distinct named software products or modules.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Embedded Clinical Trial Site Network Contract research organization services delivered through a network of embedded clinical trial sites integrated into existing physician practices, providing sponsors and CROs with access to 100+ investigators and diverse patient populations across Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma for clinical trial execution from feasibility to close-out.
- Centralized Trial Operations Support Centralized operations service that handles budgets, contracts, regulatory compliance, recruitment, quality assurance, and project management on behalf of investigator sites, allowing physician investigators to participate in clinical research without administrative burden and enabling sponsors and CROs to streamline multi-site trial execution.
Quantifiable outcome
- Launch studies in weeks, not months
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use NextStage Clinical Research
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
NextStage Clinical Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
NextStage Clinical Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
NextStage Clinical Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Velocity Clinical Research: Multi-therapeutic clinical research site network acquired by Global Medical Investment Holdings and expanded via acquisitions. Comparable as a multi-site SMO serving pharma sponsors with centralized operations and a focus on investigator recruitment.
- Elligo Health Research: Operates an "IntellingGo" direct-to-patient and embedded-physician site network that brings clinical trials into community practices. Most directly comparable to NextStage on the embedded-network model and diverse-patient-access positioning.
- Javara Inc. Integrated Research Organization (IRO) that embeds clinical research within large medical practice groups. Highly comparable business model—embedding research into physician practices with centralized infrastructure—targeting pharma and CRO clients.
- Centricity Research (formerly IACT Health): Integrated clinical research site network with multiple sites across North America serving pharma and biotech sponsors. Comparable multi-site SMO with centralized operations and therapeutic breadth.
Emerging players
- Science 37: Decentralized clinical trial operating company that conducts trials via telemedicine and mobile nursing rather than physical sites. Competes for the same sponsor dollars via a contrasting operating model that could pressure site-based revenue.
- Curebase: Decentralized clinical trial software and site-network operator that partners with physician practices for in-home and community-based trial delivery. Adjacent competitor pursuing a similar physician-embedded vision via technology-enabled DCTs.
- Walgreens Clinical Trials: Retail-based clinical trial site network leveraging pharmacy footprints for community-based trial access. Emerging alternative model for diverse patient recruitment that competes with embedded-practice site networks.
Broad incumbents
- IQVIA: Global full-service CRO and life sciences technology company with the largest site network footprint. Represents the dominant incumbent that NextStage competes against for sponsor RFPs, offering integrated clinical, data, and technology services.
- Labcorp Drug Development (formerly Covance/Fortrea): Global CRO with central laboratory and clinical trial services across multiple therapeutic areas. A relevant incumbent for sponsor decisions between using a global full-service CRO versus a specialized site network.
Others
- Medix Clinical Research: Specialized staffing and workforce solutions provider for clinical research, including site personnel and FSP models. Comparable in enabling clinical operations, though focused on staffing rather than site ownership.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
NextStage Clinical Research social profiles
Digital presenceNextStage Clinical Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NextStage Clinical Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
NextStage Clinical Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NextStage Clinical Research M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NextStage Clinical Research
What does NextStage Clinical Research do?
NextStage Clinical Research is a contract research organization (CRO) that operates an embedded clinical trial site network integrated into physician practices across 18 sites in 5 U.S. states. The company provides clinical trial site services to pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs, including patient recruitment, study execution, regulatory compliance, data collection, and centralized coordination across its network of 100+ investigators. Its embedded model brings research directly into existing physician offices rather than operating standalone research facilities.
Is NextStage Clinical Research a public or private company?
NextStage Clinical Research is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was NextStage Clinical Research founded?
NextStage Clinical Research was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is NextStage Clinical Research based?
NextStage Clinical Research is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does NextStage Clinical Research make money?
One revenue line is on record: clinical Research Services.
Who are NextStage Clinical Research's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Velocity Clinical Research, Elligo Health Research, Javara Inc. and Centricity Research (formerly IACT Health). Emerging players are Science 37, Curebase and Walgreens Clinical Trials. Broad incumbents are IQVIA and Labcorp Drug Development (formerly Covance/Fortrea). Medix Clinical Research is listed as an others.
Does NextStage Clinical Research have an API?
No public API is recorded for NextStage Clinical Research.
What industry is NextStage Clinical Research in?
NextStage Clinical Research's product category is Clinical Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGACAE, Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination, with a secondary code of HLAGAAAI, Patient Recruitment, Site Feasibility & Trial Enablement CROs. Its NAICS code is 54171 and its SIC code is 8731.