What Socrates does

Sterling, now operating as a brand under First Advantage following a $2.2 billion acquisition, is a global background screening and identity verification platform serving primarily enterprise employers. The company reports that 100% of Fortune 500 companies are customers and serves 17 distinct industry verticals across 230+ countries and territories. Its service catalog is organized into identity-first offerings, pre-hire screening (criminal, civil court, credit, employment and education verifications, motor vehicle records, drug and health screening, fingerprinting, sanctions and social media screening), onboarding compliance (E-Verify and Form I-9), post-hire monitoring (continuous criminal and medical license monitoring), and contingent workforce screening.

The underlying platform combines a public API for programmatic access, ATS and HRIS integrations, a candidate-facing Candidate Hub, a client portal, reporting and analytics, and technology-enabled compliance tools. Sterling's enterprise field sales model targets large employers with custom quote-based pricing and multi-year contracts, supported by localized country websites for regional go-to-market. Revenue is generated through a mix of transaction-fee screening packages and subscription-based recurring monitoring services.

The business model combines one-time per-screening transaction revenue with recurring subscription revenue from post-hire monitoring. Sterling has been acquired by First Advantage and now operates as a brand within that strategic parent, with ongoing operations continuing under the Sterling name alongside the First Advantage corporate identity.

Name

Socrates

Legal name

First Advantage

Website

https://socratessa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sterling, now a First Advantage brand, is a global background screening and identity verification platform serving enterprise employers across 230+ countries, with 100% of Fortune 500 customers and a mix of pre-hire screening plus recurring post-hire monitoring services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Background Screening Services

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611), Investigation, Guard, and Armored Car Services (56161)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Pre-Employment Background Checks & Screening (BPAKAEAA)

Keywords

• Background screening services
• Identity verification
• Criminal record checks
• Employment verifications
• Compliance screening

Headquarters

HQ city

Jacarepaguá

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pre-Hire Background Screening: One-time background check services performed during the hiring process including criminal records, credit checks, verifications, drug screening, and motor vehicle records. Revenue generated per screening package sold to enterprise clients.
2. Identity Verification Services: Digital identity verification solutions to confirm candidate identity and mitigate identity fraud during hiring
3. Post-Hire Monitoring Services: Continuous monitoring services for existing employees including criminal monitoring and medical license monitoring. Recurring revenue from ongoing monitoring subscriptions.
4. Global Screening Services: International background check services across 100+ countries and territories for companies with global hiring needs
5. Contingent Workforce Screening: Specialized screening solutions for gig economy, temporary, and contingent workers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Socrates, operating through the Sterling brand (now a First Advantage company), sells pre-hire background screening and digital identity verification services to enterprise employers. The core offering includes criminal, civil court, credit, employment, education, motor vehicle, drug/health, fingerprint, sanctions, social media, and global international background checks, supported by a Sterling API for system integration, candidate and client experience portals, and ongoing post-hire criminal and medical license monitoring.

Product overview

Sterling, a First Advantage company, offers a comprehensive, modular background check and identity services platform. The core offering consists of pre-hire screening services (criminal background checks, identity verification, credit checks, employment verifications, drug screening, social media screening) and post-hire monitoring services (criminal monitoring, medical license monitoring). Supporting platform components include the Sterling API for enterprise integration, compliance tools, and client/candidate experience portals. Services span identity-first solutions, criminal records, financial & business checks, and global screening across 230+ countries and territories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Criminal Record Checks Criminal background check services enabling informed hiring decisions with confidence, speed, and trust, sold to enterprise employers.
• Digital Identity Verification Digital identity verification solution that protects companies against inaccurate candidate data and identity fraud during the hiring process.
• Global Background Screening Global background check services enabling organizations to scale their screening program across all hiring locations in 100+ countries and territories.
• Civil Court Records Search Civil court records search service for comprehensive candidate background verification.
• Social Security Number Trace Social Security Number trace service for identity verification and address history verification.
• Employment Credit Checks Credit check services for employment screening purposes, particularly for financial-services and fiduciary roles.
• Credit, Liens, and Judgments Search Combined credit, liens, and judgments search service for comprehensive financial background checks.
• Due Diligence Investigations Business due diligence services for mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships.
• Executive Investigations Investigation services for executive-level candidates and business decisions.
• Drug & Occupational Health Screening Drug and occupational health screening services for workplace safety compliance.
• Employment & Education Verifications Employment and education verification check services for candidate background verification.
• Motor Vehicle Records Motor vehicle records search service for driving history verification.
• Fingerprinting Services Fingerprint-based background check services for identity verification and criminal records.
• Sanctions, Risk & Compliance Screening Reputational and risk compliance screening including sanctions list checks.
• Social Media Screening Social media background screening services for candidate evaluation.
• E-Verify & Form I-9 Compliance E-Verify and Form I-9 employment eligibility verification and compliance service for US employers.
• Criminal Monitoring Ongoing post-hire criminal record monitoring services for current employees, sold as a recurring subscription.
• Medical License Monitoring Ongoing medical license monitoring service for healthcare industry compliance.
• Contingent Workforce Screening Background screening services designed for contingent, temporary, and non-permanent workers, including gig economy and staffing.
• Sterling API / First Advantage API Public API enabling programmatic access to Sterling background check services for enterprise integration with ATS and HRIS systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• <1 day US criminal search close rate

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) PartnerscoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration partnerships with major ATS platforms for seamless screening workflow integration. Enables automated background check ordering directly within ATS platforms used by enterprise HR teams.
• HRIS Platform IntegrationscoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Human Resource Information Systems enabling bidirectional data flow for employee onboarding and background verification workflows.
• E-Verify (US Government)coreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial E-Verify partnership for electronic employment eligibility verification integrated into Sterling/First Advantage onboarding services for US employers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Checkr: Tech-first background check provider focused on API-driven screening, modern candidate experience, and serving both enterprise and gig-economy customers — competes most directly on platform modernity and pricing.
• HireRight: Direct competitor offering pre-employment background checks, identity verification, drug and health screening, and global screening services to enterprise employers — closely overlapping product suite with Sterling/First Advantage.
• Cisive: Specialized background screening provider with strong positions in healthcare, transportation, and government — directly comparable in regulatory-heavy verticals where Sterling emphasizes expertise.
• Accurate Background: Mid-to-large enterprise background screening company offering criminal, employment, education, and drug screening — competes in the same enterprise RFP landscape with overlapping service catalog.

Broad incumbents

• Pinkerton (corporate screening arm): Broader security and investigations firm with a corporate employment-screening practice — overlaps on executive investigations, due diligence, and reputational/risk compliance screening.
• First Advantage: Parent company that acquired Sterling for $2.2B. Now offers the same background screening, identity verification, and post-hire monitoring products under its own brand across global markets.
• ADP Screening & Selection Services: Background screening offered as part of ADP's broader HR/payroll platform — competes for employer-of-record and mid-market accounts bundled into the wider ADP HR ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Veremark: Tech-enabled global background screening provider with API-first delivery and continuous verification — emerging alternative for enterprises modernizing away from legacy incumbent workflows.
• Certn: API-first background screening platform focused on speed and developer experience — emerging challenger targeting the same ATS/HRIS integration motion Sterling/First Advantage uses as a differentiator.

Regional players

• Dataflow Group: Specializes in primary-source verification and credentialing across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia — overlaps with Sterling's international verification business for globally mobile workforces.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Socratesltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/socrates-ltd

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 Socrates