Checkr

Market position

Checkr is described by Forbes as a background check software company valued at $5 billion with more than 100,000 customers as of September 2025, and by its own site as serving 140,000+ businesses. In 2021 it reported processing over 30 million background checks annually and being profitable at several hundred million dollars in annual revenue. A third-party research profile places it in HR Services with Series E funding. The company markets itself against incumbent background check vendors on accuracy, speed and compliance.

Checkr's stated differentiators are an API-first architecture combining AI automation with human expert review, breadth of coverage across a single platform spanning employment, mortgage, tenant, trust/safety and consumer-facing verification, and a large mapped identity dataset. Marketing claims include finding more criminal records than other major providers in head-to-head tests, faster turnaround than prior vendors for 97% of customers, tenant reports in about four minutes versus a 48-72 hour industry average, and a 75% mortgage verification completion rate versus a stated 48% industry average. The company also emphasizes fair chance hiring products such as an expungement solution and operates Checkr.org as a related foundation.

Technology

Checkr operates an API-first platform that applies artificial intelligence and automation to fragmented records data, paired with human expert review, to return background check and verification results. Capabilities cited include criminal record search, identity verification, driver/license status and MVR-related intelligence delivered through a single API in under a second, and automated income, employment and asset verification for mortgage lending. The company reports a database of 260M+ mapped identities covering 96% of US adults and claims 99.95% accuracy on mortgage verifications. Job listings reference engineering teams for identity risk solutions, mortgage, verifications and an incubator.

Go-to-market

Checkr combines self-serve online signup segmented by use case and check volume with a direct "talk to sales" enterprise motion, and integrates with customer systems such as HRIS platforms. Marketing emphasizes head-to-head accuracy comparisons, turnaround-time advantages (97% of customers say turnaround beats their prior vendor), compliance risk reduction (78% of customers), and cost savings for lenders (up to 50%). Customer testimonials from talent acquisition, people operations, legal and mortgage fulfillment leaders are used as proof points across hiring, mortgage, tenant and trust segments.

Employers of all sizes hiring employees, freelancers/contractors and volunteers; mortgage lenders and credit unions; landlords and property managers screening tenants; insurance carriers, car rental operators and online platforms/marketplaces needing risk and trust signals; and individual consumers running checks on themselves or on nannies, home service providers and people met online. Named customers and references include Lyft, Pennymac, Verkada, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Virginia Credit Union, Adventure Nannies, Purple and Genuine Foods, with Forbes and company materials also citing OpenAI, FIFA, DoorDash, Instacart, Adecco, Airbnb, Drift and Coinbase.

Geography

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States. Job postings list roles in San Francisco and Denver, Colorado, plus remote (US) positions. Product metrics and coverage claims are US-focused, including identity coverage of 96% of US adults.

History

Checkr was founded in 2014 in San Francisco and participated in Y Combinator's Summer 2014 batch. In September 2021 it announced a $250 million Series E at a $4.6 billion valuation, bringing total funding to $550 million at that time, and stated it had achieved and maintained profitability while operating at a scale of several hundred million dollars of annual revenue. A third-party research page reports a further Series E dated April 14, 2022 and cumulative funding of $680 million across eight rounds. In February 2022 the company announced Checkr.org, its corporate foundation. Forbes, as of September 2025, reported a $5 billion valuation, more than 100,000 customers and 750 employees. The company's website currently announces an acquisition of Truv and describes an expanded platform spanning workforce, mortgage, tenant, trust and personal verification.

Risks & controversies

No controversies, litigation or regulatory actions are described in the available sources. The sources do note that Checkr operates in a regulated background screening market where compliance is a core buying criterion, and a third-party research profile references the need to navigate regulatory complexities. Source figures for headcount (750 per Forbes, 800 per Y Combinator, 1,085 per a third-party aggregator) and total funding ($550 million per the company in 2021 versus $680 million per an aggregator) are inconsistent.