Summary

CB Insights is a predictive intelligence platform for private companies that helps corporate strategy and deal teams spot opportunities before the market acts. The platform uses AI to continuously monitor 11 million private companies, 1,600+ markets, and competitive signals, surfacing early market shifts, competitor moves, and potential deal targets.

What is CB Insights?

CB Insights is a predictive intelligence system built for corporate strategy, M&A, investment, and partnership teams. It aggregates non-public data (funding, revenue, business relationships, hiring, patents, and more) and applies AI models and predictive scoring to identify high-potential companies and market trends early. Customers include the world's 10 largest businesses, all Big 4 firms, 86% of software companies, the 4 largest cloud providers, and 26 of the 30 largest banks.

Core Capabilities

• Predictive scoring and AI analysis: Models identify future winners, outperforming VC "smart money" and uncovering the 30% of companies traditional approaches miss
• 11M company dataset: Global coverage of private companies with funding, revenue, business relationships, customer voice, hiring, patents, and other non-public intelligence
• Visual intelligence: Strategy maps, relationship graphs, and market maps turn complex activity into clear patterns
• AI Agents: Auto-generate target lists, investment memos, hiring patterns, scouting reports, SWOT analysis, competitive monitoring, and more
• Business relationship search: Reveals company partnerships, customers, and competitors to uncover hidden opportunities
• APIs and integrations: Push data into existing systems via API, Snowflake, CRM integrations, and AI connectors

Pros

• Customers close 2.8x more acquisitions, 6x more investments, and 4.5x more partnerships
• Deal sizes average 25% larger, new pipeline up 10-20%, revenue growth 70% faster than peers
• Deepest U.S. funding coverage and non-public financial intelligence globally
• AI Agents compress research time dramatically; teams review 2x more companies with confidence
• Visual tools make complex market trends obvious at a glance

Cons

• Pricing not publicly disclosed; may be cost-prohibitive for small teams or startups with limited budgets
• Primarily focused on private companies; public company data depth is shallower
• Learning curve exists; takes time to master all platform features and AI Agents
• Non-U.S. market coverage may be less comprehensive than U.S. markets
• Reliance on predictive models requires internal judgment to avoid over-dependence

Decision Guidance

Use CB Insights when: Your corporate strategy, M&A, investment, business development, or partnership team needs to spot market opportunities early, monitor competitor moves, and rapidly generate target lists and deal memos. Especially valuable if you need non-public data (funding, revenue, business relationships) and predictive scoring at scale—ideal for large enterprises and professional services firms.

Consider alternatives when: You primarily track public companies, have a limited budget, or only need basic company profiles and news monitoring. Alternatives like PitchBook, Crunchbase, or FactSet may suffice. Small teams or startups should evaluate the free trial first to confirm ROI.