CMC Library Ledger

Building a Location-Driven Target List

Many people focus on industry or on company size when creating a target list of companies that they are interested in recruiting for, but what if your strongest driver for your target list of companies is location? Good news! The CMC Library’s top company databases are also easy to use for a location-driven company search.

Your first step will be to decide which company database(s) to focus your time on. The major difference between our company databases is what size companies they generally track.

• Mergent Intellect is best for large public companies like Microsoft, UnitedHealth, or Kraft Heinz.
• CB Insights exclusively tracks startups and PE/VC firms investing in startups.
• PrivCo tracks private companies and startups, but is best for mid-size, well-established private companies, and does not cover companies outside the US.
• PitchBook is most well-known for tracking PE and VC backed startups, but also tracks public companies, so it is a good option if you are open to any size of company.

Figuring out if you have any industry preferences can also help you narrow down where to start your search.

• Mergent Intellect is organized by Standard Industry Code (SIC) and North American Industry Code (NAIC) and therefore is ideal for traditional, well-established industries like CPG.
• PitchBook is the most flexible, allowing you to search by keyword in addition to their extensive library of industry and vertical options, so it is ideal for more niche searches in emerging industries. For example, PitchBook has an industry vertical just for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) & Wellness that focuses on products and services geared toward wellness and/or sustainability.

In addition to company databases, company rankings can be helpful for building out your target list especially if you don’t have a strong industry or size preference. We have a selection of top company lists that allow you to filter by location on our Build a Target List guide under the Location-Driven Target List section.

 Librarian Tip: The company profiles on each database will have info that can help you find similar companies in your preferred location. You can use the company rankings to identify some companies you are interested in, then look those companies’ profiles up on the company databases.

It is a good idea to try your search on multiple databases to make sure you identify enough companies to put together a robust target list, especially if you have any must-have search parameters besides location. Your career coach can help you determine how many companies you should have on your target list.

Once you have decided which database(s) to focus on, you’ll need to navigate to the location filters:

• PitchBook – Go to Screeners on the left menu, then Companies & Deals, then find Location in the menu of filtering options on the left. You can filter by country, geographic region, state, city, or zip/postal code. Click Other Options under the Post Codes field to see more specific options, including metro area. You can also filter by Location Type if you want to focus on headquarter locations.

• CB Insights – Go to Advanced Filters, make sure you are on the Companies search tab, then open the Company Attributes accordion in the filtering menu on the left to find the Location options. You can filter by continent, region, country, state, city, or zip code.

• PrivCo – Go to Advanced Filters (the magnifying glass button on the left menu) and then click Filters on the Companies tab to find the Location options. You can filter by city, state, region, or zip code.

• Mergent Intellect – Go to Advanced Search, then click the Location tab under the Company Criteria tab to find the Location options. You can filter US companies by state, city, county, metro area, zip code, area code, or radius search. Click the “Include International Companies” check box to access the filters for Continent or Country/Region. You can also filter by Location Type under the Company tab if you want to focus on headquarter locations.

Make sure to click the Add to Criteria button at the bottom of the page after each selection you make.

 Librarian Tip: We recommend starting your search with state or metro area first rather than city, to make sure you don't miss any companies outside the city limits. You can narrow to city if you find you have too many results when searching by state or metro area.