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Industry Research

Guide to industry research

Venture Capital & Private Equity

Below are some of the top resources for finding market and industry research:

Note: Venture capital is a financial investment of capital funds made by professional investors (venture capitalists) in start-up businesses, R&D ventures, or new product launches. New product launches have a perceived potential for significant growth but have no access to capital markets and do not have a record of proven performance. Investors may have some say in the company's management and are compensated with a combination of profits, preferred shares, or royalties.

Private equity differs from venture capital in that it provides equity capital to enterprises not quoted on a stock market and refers to all stages of industry, including venture capital. 

For related information, also look at our Entrepreneurship Research Guide.

Listed below are links to trade publications and relevant industry news:

Note: A trade publication (often a magazine) is an information source that is intended for a very specific audience and will have content that appeals to that audience. The content may come directly from people within the industry, or it may come from freelance or staff writers that have vast experiences writing for that particular trade.

Professionals often subscribe to trade magazines in order to gather valuable information that will help them achieve something within their industry or field. Trade publications are a Marketer's secret weapon and can be helpful for tracking recent industry developments, identifying competitors or uncovering market opportunities. 

Below are links to key industry associations:

Note: If your industry is not represented here, search Google with your industry name + "association".  Not all content on these websites is free; you may need to be a member to access exclusive reports and data.

In some industries, associations might be referred to as;

  • Guild OR federation OR society
  • Foundation OR council
  • Bureau OR forum

Here's a short list of university centers and research institutions:

Find key government data, including reports and statistics using the following resources:

For rankings of startups to watch and other lists, consult the following:

Books and Reference Sources