Company Intelligence API: Use Cases and Best Practices (2026)

What is a Company Intelligence API?

A company intelligence API provides programmatic access to comprehensive business data including firmographics, employee information, funding details, job postings, and growth signals. These APIs enable developers to build applications that understand and analyze companies at scale.

Unlike simple company lookup tools, intelligence APIs provide deep insights that power sales intelligence, market research, competitive analysis, and investment decisions.

Types of Company Data Available

1. Firmographic Data

Basic company information:

• Company name and legal entity
• Industry and sub-industry classification
• Company size (employee count)
• Annual revenue and growth rate
• Headquarters and office locations
• Founded date and company age
• Company type (public, private, non-profit)
• Parent company and subsidiaries

2. Employee Intelligence

Workforce insights:

• Total employee count and growth trends
• Department sizes (engineering, sales, marketing)
• Key executives and decision-makers
• Employee profiles and backgrounds
• Hiring velocity and patterns
• Employee turnover rates

3. Funding & Financial Data

Investment and financial information:

• Funding rounds and amounts
• Investors and venture capital firms
• Valuation and market cap
• IPO status and stock information
• Acquisitions and mergers
• Financial health indicators

4. Growth Signals

Indicators of company growth:

• Job postings and hiring activity
• Office expansions
• Product launches
• Press releases and news
• Website traffic trends
• Social media engagement

5. Technographic Data

Technology stack information:

• Software and tools used
• Cloud infrastructure
• Marketing technology stack
• CRM and sales tools
• Development frameworks

Use Case 1: Sales Intelligence

Lead Qualification

Automatically qualify leads based on company criteria:

// Qualify lead by company size and industry
async function qualifyLead(companyDomain) {
  const company = await fetch(
    'https://api.netrows.com/v1/companies/domain',
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({ domain: companyDomain })
    }
  ).then(r => r.json());
  
  // Qualify based on criteria
  const isQualified = 
    company.employee_count >= 50 &&
    company.employee_count <= 500 &&
    ['Technology', 'SaaS'].includes(company.industry) &&
    company.funding_total > 1000000;
  
  return {
    qualified: isQualified,
    score: calculateScore(company),
    company
  };
}

Account Prioritization

Prioritize accounts based on growth signals:

• Recent funding rounds (high priority)
• Rapid hiring (expansion signal)
• New office locations (growth indicator)
• Product launches (buying intent)
• Executive changes (opportunity window)

Personalized Outreach

Use company data to personalize sales messages:

• Reference recent funding or growth
• Mention specific job postings
• Highlight relevant case studies
• Address industry-specific pain points

Use Case 2: Market Research

Competitive Analysis

Track competitors and market trends:

• Monitor competitor hiring patterns
• Track funding and acquisitions
• Analyze product launches
• Compare company growth rates
• Identify market leaders

Market Segmentation

Segment markets by company characteristics:

// Segment companies by size and industry
const segments = {
  'Enterprise SaaS': {
    industry: 'SaaS',
    employeeCount: { min: 500 },
    revenue: { min: 10000000 }
  },
  'Mid-Market Tech': {
    industry: 'Technology',
    employeeCount: { min: 50, max: 500 },
    revenue: { min: 1000000, max: 10000000 }
  },
  'Startup': {
    employeeCount: { max: 50 },
    fundingTotal: { min: 100000 }
  }
};

function segmentCompany(company) {
  for (const [segment, criteria] of Object.entries(segments)) {
    if (matchesCriteria(company, criteria)) {
      return segment;
    }
  }
  return 'Other';
}

Trend Analysis

Identify industry trends:

• Hiring trends by department
• Technology adoption patterns
• Geographic expansion trends
• Funding patterns by sector
• M&A activity

Use Case 3: Investment Research

Deal Sourcing

Find investment opportunities:

• Identify fast-growing companies
• Track funding rounds
• Monitor hiring velocity
• Analyze market positioning
• Evaluate team quality

Due Diligence

Research potential investments:

• Verify company information
• Analyze team backgrounds
• Review growth metrics
• Check competitive landscape
• Assess market opportunity

Portfolio Monitoring

Track portfolio companies:

• Monitor hiring and growth
• Track key hires and departures
• Identify risks and opportunities
• Benchmark against peers

Use Case 4: Recruitment Intelligence

Talent Mapping

Identify companies with relevant talent:

• Find companies with specific tech stacks
• Identify competitors hiring similar roles
• Map talent pools by location
• Track employee movements

Competitive Hiring Intelligence

Monitor competitor hiring:

• Track job postings
• Analyze hiring patterns
• Identify expansion plans
• Benchmark compensation

Use Case 5: Risk Assessment

Customer Risk Monitoring

Monitor customer health:

• Track layoffs and downsizing
• Monitor funding status
• Identify financial distress signals
• Watch for leadership changes

Vendor Due Diligence

Evaluate potential vendors:

• Verify company stability
• Check funding and runway
• Assess team quality
• Review customer base

Implementation Best Practices

1. Data Enrichment Strategy

When to Enrich:

• New lead enters CRM
• Deal moves to qualified stage
• Quarterly account reviews
• Before major outreach campaigns

2. Caching Strategy

Cache company data to reduce API calls:

// Cache company data with TTL
async function getCompanyData(domain) {
  // Check cache first
  const cached = await redis.get(`company:${domain}`);
  if (cached) {
    return JSON.parse(cached);
  }
  
  // Fetch from API
  const company = await fetchCompanyFromAPI(domain);
  
  // Cache for 30 days
  await redis.setex(
    `company:${domain}`,
    30 * 24 * 60 * 60,
    JSON.stringify(company)
  );
  
  return company;
}

3. Data Quality Checks

Validate enriched data:

• Verify domain matches company name
• Check employee count is reasonable
• Validate industry classification
• Confirm location data
• Flag suspicious data for review

4. Error Handling

Handle API errors gracefully:

async function enrichCompany(domain) {
  try {
    const response = await fetch(
      'https://api.netrows.com/v1/companies/domain',
      {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
          'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
          'Content-Type': 'application/json'
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({ domain })
      }
    );
    
    if (response.status === 404) {
      return { error: 'Company not found', domain };
    }
    
    if (response.status === 429) {
      // Rate limit - retry after delay
      await delay(5000);
      return enrichCompany(domain);
    }
    
    return await response.json();
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Enrichment failed:', error);
    return { error: 'Enrichment failed', domain };
  }
}

5. Performance Optimization

Optimize for high throughput:

• Batch requests when possible
• Use parallel processing (5-10 concurrent)
• Implement request queuing
• Cache aggressively
• Monitor API usage and costs

Choosing a Company Intelligence API

Key Evaluation Criteria

• Data Coverage: Number of companies in database
• Data Freshness: Real-time vs cached data
• Data Depth: Available data fields
• API Performance: Response times and uptime
• Pricing: Cost per request and volume discounts
• Documentation: API docs and code examples
• Support: Response times and quality

Why Netrows?

• 10+ company endpoints
• Real-time data (not cached)
• Global coverage (200+ countries)
• Fast response times (<2 seconds)
• Affordable pricing ($49/month)
• Comprehensive documentation
• 99.9% uptime SLA

Frequently Asked Questions