Profile Research

Name

Profile Research

Legal name

Profile Research, Inc.

Website

https://profileresearch.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Background Screening Services

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Pre-Employment Background Checks & Screening (BPAKAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Background screening services
• Pre-employment screening
• Consumer reporting agency
• Criminal record search
• Employment verification

Headquarters

HQ city

Rowley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North 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. Background Screening Services: The company generates revenue through providing comprehensive background screening services to employers across various industries. Revenue is derived from individual screening searches including criminal records, credit reports, education verification, employment verification, driving records, and other screening services. Pricing is customized per client and service package.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Profile Research is a Massachusetts-based Consumer Reporting Agency that provides background screening services across all industries since 2001. Its core offering is pre-employment screening, including criminal record searches (county, state, federal, civil), consumer credit reports, employment and education verification, driving records, OFAC/Patriot Act searches, sex offender registry searches, and SSN-based national address traces. Services are customized per client, delivered through online portals, and compliant with the FCRA and other applicable regulations.

Product overview

Profile Research is a Massachusetts-based Global Consumer Reporting Agency offering a unified background screening platform. The core offering is Pre-Employment Screening Services, which encompasses multiple sub-products including Consumer Credit Reports, County Criminal Record Searches, Employment Verification, Education Verification, Federal Record Searches, OFAC Patriot Act Searches, Sex Offender Registry Searches, Driving Records, and Statewide Criminal Record Searches. These screening services are delivered through online portals (Client Portal, Applicant Portal, and Researcher Portal). The company also provides industry-specific screening packages for Education, Executive Level, Healthcare, Non-Profit, and other sectors. All screenings are conducted in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other applicable regulations, with turnaround times often within 24 hours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Employment Screening Services Comprehensive background screening services for pre-employment purposes, including credit reports, criminal record searches, employment verification, education verification, and identity verification through SSN trace; designed for employers and HR departments across all industries.
• County Criminal Record Search 7-year criminal records search by county to determine any criminal convictions, retrieving case information and status.
• County Civil Record Search 7-year civil records search by plaintiff/defendant to determine if an applicant has any liens, suits, or judgments, retrieving case information and case status.
• Statewide Criminal Record Search Criminal record search with the governing state agency, with instant to 3 business day turnaround, recommended alongside county-level searches.
• Federal Record Search Federal civil, criminal, or bankruptcy record search covering 7 years for civil/criminal and 10 years for bankruptcy filings.
• Employment Verification Verification of dates of employment and last title held, with optional retrieval of reason for separation and rehire status.
• Education Verification Verification of highest level of completed education including degree received, area of concentration, and date awarded.
• Consumer Credit Report Credit report covering 7-year financial history including monthly payment history, accounts in collection, and public records for applicants with financial or managerial responsibilities.
• Driving Record Driving history report indicating driver responsibility, with most states providing at least 3 years of history for applicants operating company or personal vehicles.
• National Address Search (SSN Trace) SSN-based verification confirming the number belongs to the applicant, developing alias names, and providing a 7-year address history.
• OFAC Patriot Act Search Search of Office of Foreign Assets Control lists for individuals and companies owned or controlled by targeted countries, terrorists, narcotics traffickers, and other threats to national security.
• Sex Offender Registry Search State and national federal sex offender registry searches providing information on registrants and current disposition of offenses.
• Executive Level Screening Package Comprehensive screening package for executive candidates including civil, federal, credit, driving, education, employment verification, professional licensing, and media/internet searches.
• Education Industry Screening Tailored screening for the education sector including SSN trace, criminal records, employment/education verification, and sex offender registry search.
• Healthcare Screening Screening services for healthcare industry positions, including federal record search and credit report.
• Non-Profit Screening Background screening for non-profit organizations including 7-year national address search.
• Online Client Portal Web-based portal for clients to order and manage background screening services, with login access at orders.profileresearch.net.
• Applicant Portal Web-based portal for applicants to complete background screening processes and provide required information.
• Researcher Portal Internal web-based portal for researchers to conduct and manage background screening investigations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Consistent delivery of screening results often within 24 hours

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• North Shore Chamber of Commerce (NSWC)minorOthersProfile Research has been a member of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce since 2007 and serves as a Board Member. This membership provides networking opportunities and local business community engagement.
• Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA)coreOthersProfile Research has been a member of PBSA since 2008, demonstrating commitment to industry standards and best practices in background screening. PBSA is the primary industry association for consumer reporting agencies.
• Essex County Networkers (EC-Net)minorOthersProfile Research has been a member of EC-Net since 2022 with Leadership Team participation. This provides networking and referral opportunities within the local business community.
• Solace for StephanieminorOthersProfile Research's leadership serves as President of Solace for Stephanie, a cancer non-profit organization formed in 2010. This represents community involvement and social responsibility rather than a business partnership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Veremark: An emerging technology-led background screening provider emphasizing automated, international, and continuous screening. Represents the type of newer, tech-forward competitor that threatens traditional manual providers like Profile Research.
• True Hire: A smaller, technology-oriented background screening provider offering similar screening products to employers. Comparable to Profile Research in service offerings but with a more modern digital platform.

Broad incumbents

• Sterling: One of the largest global background screening providers, publicly listed via Sterling Check Corp. Offers the same core product set (criminal, employment, education verification) as Profile Research plus enterprise technology, identity verification, and monitoring at significantly greater scale.
• First Advantage: A large publicly-traded background screening and identity verification provider. Competes across the same screening verticals as Profile Research (employment, education, criminal, healthcare-specific screening) but with enterprise technology, multi-region coverage, and continuous monitoring services.
• HireRight: A global background screening provider serving large enterprises across multiple verticals with similar services to Profile Research (criminal checks, employment/education verification, driving records). Operates at materially larger scale with technology and integration capabilities the smaller firm lacks.

Direct peers

• Checkr: A leading AI-enabled background screening platform serving employers and gig economy companies. Directly competes with Profile Research in the pre-employment background check category but at vastly larger scale with proprietary technology, API integrations, and continuous monitoring.
• Cisive: A mid-sized background screening and compliance firm serving regulated industries including healthcare, financial services, and education. Comparable to Profile Research in service breadth and vertical focus, with both firms offering industry-specific screening packages.
• Accurate Background: A mid-sized background screening company offering similar pre-employment screening services to employers across multiple industries. Closely comparable to Profile Research in scale, product offering, and customer segmentation, with a focus on customized service.
• Maven Screening: A smaller background screening provider offering similar pre-employment screening products to employers, with comparable customization and customer service focus. Closely matches Profile Research's scale and product positioning in the mid-market.

Regional players

• IntelliCorp: A background screening provider serving employers with similar employment, education, and criminal screening products. Comparable to Profile Research in product mix and customer type, with similar mid-market positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/profileresearch

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 Profile Research