Corporate Investigations, Inc.

What Corporate Investigations, Inc. does

Corporate Investigations, Inc. operates its background screening business under the trade name Employment Screening Associates (ESA). Founded circa 2017 (per the effective date of its Privacy Statement), the company is headquartered at 8010 Blue Ash Rd, Cincinnati, Ohio, and serves U.S. employers and prospective employers as a national provider of pre-employment and background screening services under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. ESA's offerings cover address history, employment and education verification, criminal history screening, driver's license checks, social security number validation, date of birth, and professional licenses and certifications.

ESA's technology consists of a password-protected Applicant Management System (accessed at corpnew.ciilink.com) that enables job candidates to create accounts, complete background screening applications, upload documents, and track submission status through a guided workflow with two-factor authentication. The platform is supported by a tutorial library of instructional videos and PDF guides covering invitation acceptance, profile completion, address history, education, employment, references, document uploads, and disclosures. The site provides English and Spanish language support.

The business model is B2B enterprise field sales combined with a self-service applicant portal. ESA engages directly with client employers who authorize the company to conduct background checks; revenue is generated via transaction fees per background check on a quote-based pricing structure that is not publicly disclosed. The company operates domestically within the United States, with explicit geographic restrictions outside the U.S. unless specifically required for education, employment, motor vehicle records, or criminal histories. Public sources disclose no leadership team, no funding history, no M&A activity, and no partnerships, indicating a privately-held, independently operated small business with a stated headcount of approximately 12 employees.

Name

Corporate Investigations, Inc.

Legal name

Employment Screening Associates

Website

https://ciilink.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Corporate Investigations, Inc., operating as Employment Screening Associates (ESA), is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based background screening provider serving U.S. employers via FCRA-compliant pre-employment investigations delivered through a self-service applicant portal and per-check transaction fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Background Screening Services

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Pre-Employment Background Checks & Screening (BPAKAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Investigations & Background Screening Services (IMAIAEAK)

Keywords

• Background screening services
• Pre-employment screening
• Employment verification
• Criminal background checks
• Applicant management system

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Background Screening Services: ESA generates revenue by providing background screening investigations to employers and prospective employers. The company collects personal information from job candidates (with their consent) and prepares background screening reports for clients. Revenue is derived from transaction fees per background check processed, based on client requirements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Corporate Investigations, Inc., doing business as Employment Screening Associates (ESA), is a U.S. national provider of pre-employment and background screening services governed by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. The company verifies candidate information including address history, employment history, educational history, criminal records, driver's license status, social security numbers, and professional licenses for employer clients. Job candidates complete applications and authorize disclosures through a password-protected Applicant Management System with two-factor authentication.

Product overview

Employment Screening Associates (ESA) operates as a pre-employment and background screening service provider governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The company's offering consists of a password-protected Applicant Management System through which candidates complete applications, paired with comprehensive background screening services that verify address history, employment history, educational history, criminal records, driver's license information, social security details, and professional credentials. The platform is supplemented by Applicant Tutorial Videos and Applicant Tutorial Documents that guide applicants through the background check process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Background Screening Services Pre-employment and background screening services that verify candidate information including address history, employment history, educational history, criminal records, driver's license status, social security number, date of birth, and professional licenses and certifications. Sold to employers and prospective employers who engage ESA to conduct background checks on job candidates and current employees.
• Applicant Management System Online portal that enables applicants to create accounts, complete background screening applications, upload documents, electronically sign disclosures and authorization forms, and track submission status through a guided workflow with two-factor authentication for security.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Accurate Background: Accurate Background is a US-based background screening provider focused on mid-market and enterprise employers with automated screening workflows and ATS/HRIS integrations. It is a direct peer competing for similar employer customers with overlapping FCRA-compliant offerings.
• First Advantage: First Advantage is a large background check and identity verification company offering screening, compliance, and workforce solutions globally. It directly competes with ESA in pre-employment screening and represents a scaled, publicly-traded incumbent.
• HireRight: HireRight is a global background screening provider serving enterprise and mid-market employers with criminal, employment, education, drug, and identity checks. It is a direct peer to ESA in pre-employment screening and a frequent head-to-head competitor in enterprise RFPs.
• GoodHire: GoodHire is a background screening platform focused on small and mid-sized US businesses, offering FCRA-compliant criminal, employment, and education checks with a self-serve applicant experience. It directly competes with ESA for SMB and mid-market employer accounts.
• Checkr: Checkr is a leading technology-first background screening platform serving US employers with automated, AI-adjudicated background checks, continuous monitoring, and extensive HRIS integrations. It is the closest direct competitor to ESA in pre-employment screening and represents the tech-enabled standard ESA is being benchmarked against.
• Sterling: Sterling (Sterling Check Corp.) is a large enterprise-focused background screening provider offering criminal, identity, employment, and education verification across the US and internationally. It competes directly with ESA for enterprise HR and compliance buyers and represents the incumbent scale benchmark.

Broad incumbents

• ADP Screening and Selection Services: ADP offers pre-employment background screening as part of its broader HR, payroll, and talent management suite, serving primarily ADP's installed employer base. It overlaps with ESA's offering but bundles screening into a much larger platform rather than specializing.
• Pinkerton (Corporate Risk Services): Pinkerton is a long-standing investigations and risk services firm that includes pre-employment background screening alongside broader corporate investigations and security offerings. It is comparable to ESA in screening but spans a much wider investigations portfolio.

Emerging players

• Certn: Certn is a tech-enabled background screening provider with growing US presence, focusing on faster turnaround through automation and developer-friendly APIs. It is an emerging direct competitor to ESA, particularly for tech-forward mid-market employers.
• Veremark: Veremark is a newer international background screening and credential verification platform offering automated checks and continuous monitoring. It is an emerging peer with overlapping FCRA-style compliance posture and global ambitions ESA does not currently match.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corporate-investigations-inc

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 Corporate Investigations, Inc.