The Research Agency Inc

What The Research Agency Inc does

VR Research, operating under The Research Agency Inc, is a professional services firm established in 1995 that analyzes public records to produce competitive intelligence and strategic research for corporate, public affairs, government relations, political, legal, and financial clients. The firm offers four core service lines: Research at Your Service (on-call research billed hourly or via retainer), Custom Research Reports (project-based deep-dive analysis on specific issues, persons, or organizations), Expert Studies (expert identification and coordination for lobbying and public affairs campaigns), and BackgroundPlus (executive and business-partner vetting and due diligence canvassing).

The underlying technology is human-driven public records research using SEC filings, FOIA requests, state Secretary of State records, campaign finance databases, and other government sources. The firm emphasizes a coordinated workflow process that produces uniform, verifiable, and defensible findings, and maintains a content-marketing blog covering best practices in document analysis and public records strategy.

The business model is sales-led professional services, with no software platform, API, or AI tooling disclosed. Pricing is opaque (not publicly posted) and structured as hourly, retainer, or project-based engagements. The company reaches enterprise clients through direct outreach from its Oakland, California headquarters, with Partner Austin Burke covering the East Coast and Washington, DC. The firm has served hundreds of clients across more than 45 states since inception.

Name

The Research Agency Inc

Legal name

VR Research

Website

https://vrresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Short description

VR Research is a professional services firm founded in 1995 that analyzes public records to deliver competitive intelligence, opposition research, executive vetting, and expert coordination for corporate, legal, public affairs, and political clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research at Your Service: On-call research services for clients needing a research department without building one internally. Billed hourly and on a retainer basis.
2. Custom Research Reports: In-depth reviews of specific issues, persons or organizations requiring exhaustive scope of research and insightful analysis. Billed project-by-project.
3. Expert Studies: Expert identification and coordination services for public affairs and lobbying clients. Billed on project basis.
4. BackgroundPlus: Background vetting for potential business partners or executive hires, or due diligence canvass before more in-depth projects. Billed on project basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

VR Research analyzes public records to develop strategic knowledge and competitive intelligence for corporate, public affairs, and government relations clients. The firm delivers human-driven research services through on-call research support, project-based custom reports, expert identification for lobbying clients, and vetting for executive hires and business partners. Services are billed hourly, on retainer, or on a project basis.

Product overview

VR Research is a public records research firm offering a portfolio of human-driven research services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include Research at Your Service (on-call/hourly research), Custom Research Reports (project-based deep-dive analysis), Expert Studies (for public affairs/lobbying clients), and BackgroundPlus (vetting and due diligence). Established in 1995, the company serves corporate, public affairs, government relations, legal, political, and financial industry clients across more than 45 states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research at Your Service On-call research service designed for clients who need specific questions researched as needed, ideal for those who need a research department without building one internally. Billed hourly or on a retainer basis.
• Custom Research Reports In-depth reviews of specific issues, persons, or organizations requiring exhaustive scope of research and insightful analysis to comprehensively inform client strategy. Billed on a project-by-project basis.
• Expert Studies Research service prepared for public affairs and lobbying clients requiring dedicated approach to working with outside experts. Uses direct contact and referral network to identify experts who can help clients make convincing cases with lawmakers and regulators. Billed on project basis.
• BackgroundPlus Vetting service for potential business partners or new executive-level hires, and due diligence canvass of available records before deciding to commission more in-depth projects. Billed on project basis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Findings are verifiable and defensible due to reliance on public records
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Control Risks: Global risk consultancy whose intelligence and investigations practice delivers due diligence and background research to enterprise clients — adjacent competitor for VR Research's corporate due-diligence work.
• Pinkerton: Established corporate investigations and security services firm offering background screening, due diligence, and competitive intelligence for enterprise clients — overlapping with VR Research's vetting offerings within a broader security portfolio.
• Kroll: Large established risk-advisory firm with a prominent investigations and due-diligence practice; serves many of the same enterprise legal and corporate clients as VR Research but at much greater scale and breadth.
• FTI Consulting: Major consulting firm with a Forensic & Litigation Consulting segment that delivers competitive intelligence, public-records research, and expert witness services to legal and corporate clients — competes at the top end of VR Research's market.

Direct peers

• Mintz Group: Global investigative and intelligence firm specializing in corporate due diligence, background checks, and competitive intelligence — directly overlapping VR Research's BackgroundPlus and Custom Research Reports offerings for legal, financial, and corporate clients.
• Nardello & Co. Global investigations firm offering due diligence, asset tracing, and corporate intelligence for law firms, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals — a close functional peer in human-driven, public-record-grounded research.
• Hakluyt & Company: Boutique strategic intelligence firm advising corporates and investors on competitive intelligence and due diligence — comparable in methodology (human-driven, source-grounded research) and high-end client base.
• Bullpen Strategy Group: Political and corporate research firm that performs opposition and competitive intelligence research for political campaigns, public affairs, and corporate clients — directly overlapping VR Research's political-opposition segment.
• Guidepost Solutions: Investigations and intelligence firm offering due diligence, background investigations, and public-records research for corporate, legal, and government clients — a closely comparable specialist.
• GQR Research (Greenhill Quinlan Rosner): Opposition research firm servicing political campaigns and public-affairs clients — directly comparable to VR Research's political-campaign practice and public-records methodology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vrresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 The Research Agency Inc