How to Vet a Business Partner: Due Diligence Checklist

Quick answer

To vet a business partner, confirm their identity, then check their track record in official records: company registries for past and dissolved companies (Companies House in the UK, Secretary of State searches in the US), director disqualifications, federal court cases in PACER, and for investors FINRA BrokerCheck and the SEC's adviser search. Call references you find yourself, not only the ones they give you. Write down every mismatch, and get a lawyer or due-diligence firm involved before large commitments.

Key numbers

1,158director disqualifications in Great Britain in 2025/26, with an average ban of 8.1 yearsInsolvency Service enforcement outcomes 2025-26
$8.65 billionreported lost to investment fraud in the US in 2025FBI IC3 2025 Internet Crime Report
nearly $1 billionreported lost to business impersonators by US consumers in 2025FTC, June 2026

A business partner can be your best decision or your most expensive one. Whether it's a co-founder who will hold equity, an investor offering a term sheet, or a supplier you're about to pay a deposit, you're trusting a person with money, reputation and often legal liability.

Most people do some vetting by instinct: a few lunches, a LinkedIn scroll. That misses what official records show. In Great Britain alone, 1,158 company directors were disqualified in 2025/26, and the FBI logged $8.65 billion in reported investment fraud losses in 2025. This guide shows exactly what to check, where, and when to bring in a professional.

How do you vet a potential business partner?

You vet a potential business partner in five steps: confirm their identity, check their company history in official registries, search court and regulatory records, talk to references (including ones you find yourself), and compare everything against what they told you. Mismatches matter more than any single finding.

Identity: are they who they say they are?
Track record: which companies have they run, and what happened to them?
Legal and regulatory history: lawsuits, bankruptcies, disqualifications, sanctions, regulator actions.
References: what do former partners, employees and customers say?
Consistency: does their story match the records?

Tell them you do this for every partner. Serious people expect due diligence and often do the same to you. Resistance to basic checks is itself a finding.

How do I verify a business partner's identity?

Verify identity by matching their full legal name, photo, career history and contact details across independent sources, then meeting them in person or on video at a verified company address or number. Fraudsters build polished online personas, so check that the pieces connect.

Their full legal name matches the name on company filings, contracts and their ID when you sign.
Their LinkedIn history matches the company registries: same companies, same dates, same roles.
Their email domain belongs to the company they claim, and the company's main phone line reaches them.
Their photos aren't borrowed: run a reverse image search with Google Lens or TinEye.
Their profile has real history: connections, posts and mentions from years back, not weeks.

A Search A-Z business search pulls this together in one report. Search their name and country, choose "Business contact," and add the company or email you have. The report says how sure we are it's the right person, and shows current job and company, work history, education, public professional and social profiles, news and web mentions from a live search, any public scam or fraud warnings, and checks on whether their phone and email are real and carry fraud risk. Business searches add the work email and company registration details, including UK Companies House roles and the worldwide LEI register. The person is never told you searched.

How do I check someone's past companies?

Check past companies in the official company registry of each country they've worked in. Look at what they founded or directed, how long each lasted, and how each one ended: still active, sold, quietly dissolved, or put into liquidation.

UK: Companies House

Search the person's name on Companies House and open their officer page. It lists every appointment, current and resigned, including dissolved companies. For each one, check:

Status: active, dissolved, in liquidation, or "proposal to strike off."
Filing history: late accounts, overdue confirmation statements or a gazette notice are warning signs.
Pattern: several short-lived companies that dissolved after a year or two, often in the same trade, is a common phoenix pattern.

Then check the register of disqualified directors, which shows the reason, start date and length of any ban, and the bankruptcy and insolvency register. Since November 2025, directors must verify their identity with Companies House, with existing directors phased in over 12 months, so ask whether they have verified.

US: state business searches and SEC filings

The US has no single company register. Search the Secretary of State's business database in each state where they've had companies (find each state's page through NASS). Check formation dates, status (active, dissolved, revoked, "not in good standing"), registered agent and, where listed, officers. Many states also let you search UCC filings, which show lenders with claims on a company's assets.

Search SEC EDGAR full-text search for their name too. It covers more than 20 years of filings, including Form D notices that private companies file when raising money, which name executives and promoters.

Since FinCEN's 2025 rule change, US companies no longer file beneficial ownership reports, and many states don't list LLC owners. A state record proves a company exists, not who owns it. Ask for the operating agreement or cap table.

EU and elsewhere

Use the EU's e-Justice "Find a company" service, which searches business registers across the 27 member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, then go to the national register for filings. OpenCorporates searches companies and officers from more than 140 jurisdictions at once.

How do I check court records and lawsuits?

Check federal court records yourself in PACER, and state cases on each state or county court's own website. Look for fraud claims, unpaid debts, partnership disputes and bankruptcies involving the person or their companies.

US federal courts: PACER covers federal district, bankruptcy and appeals courts. Its Case Locator searches a national index, so you don't need to know the court first. Bankruptcy filings are federal, so they show up here.
US state courts: most business disputes are in state court. Search the court portals for the counties and states where they've lived and done business.
UK: check the Insolvency Register and the gazette notices on Companies House filings. Ask your lawyer about civil court searches.

Read the documents, not just the case titles. Being sued is common in business. Losing repeatedly, or being sued by former partners for the same thing, is a pattern.

Search A-Z does not search court or criminal records. Use PACER and court portals directly, or hire a professional for a full records search.

How do I check out an investor or financial adviser?

Check an investor or anyone selling securities on FINRA BrokerCheck and the SEC's investment adviser search on Investor.gov. They show registrations, employment history, exams and disciplinary disclosures.

"Disclosures reported" means there's a disciplinary history. Read every one.
If the person can't be found at all, they may not be registered. The SEC says to treat that as a warning and check its SEC Action Lookup for Individuals too.
For an angel or fund, look up the fund's Form D in EDGAR and check that the people named match who you're talking to.
UK: check the FCA Firm Checker and use the contact details listed there, not the ones you were given.
Sanctions: check names against the US Treasury's OFAC Sanctions List Search and, in the UK, the UK sanctions list.

Be wary of investors who ask you to pay first: "due diligence fees," "legal escrow" or "processing charges" before funds are released are a common advance-fee scam.

How do you check references for a business partner?

Check references by calling the ones they give you, and then finding two or three of your own: a former co-founder, an ex-employee, a past customer or supplier. Backchannel references are where you hear the real story.

Questions that get honest answers:

"Would you work with them again? Why or why not?"

"What was the hardest moment you went through together, and how did they handle it?"

"What should I know that I won't hear from them?"

Listen for hesitation and faint praise. "They're very creative" in answer to "would you work with them again" is an answer. If several references can't be reached, or all of them turn out to be close friends, that's a finding too.

What are the red flags when vetting a business partner?

The biggest red flags are a story that doesn't match the records, a trail of companies that ended badly, and pressure to skip checks or move money fast.

Past companies missing from their LinkedIn, or dates that don't match the registry.
Several dissolved or liquidated companies in a short time, especially in the same trade.
A director disqualification, bankruptcy or regulator action they didn't mention.
An investor or adviser who isn't registered, or has unexplained disclosures.
The new company was formed weeks ago but claims a long history.
They want money, equity or bank access before contracts are signed.
They resist a written agreement or want everything "on trust."
Every reference is a friend, relative or impossible to reach.
Urgency: "the deal closes Friday, we can't wait for lawyers."

If it's a supplier or customer rather than a partner, our guides on checking if a company is legit and checking a new client before you start go deeper on those cases.

Business partner due-diligence checklist

Use this as your working checklist. Not every row applies to every deal, but you should know why you skipped one.

Check	Where (US / UK / EU)	Done
Identity matches across profiles, filings and ID	LinkedIn, company site, Search A-Z business search	☐
Current company exists and is active	Secretary of State / Companies House / e-Justice	☐
Past companies and how they ended	State searches, OpenCorporates / Companies House officer page	☐
Director disqualification or bankruptcy	PACER bankruptcy / Disqualified directors register, insolvency register	☐
Lawsuits	PACER and state court portals / lawyer search	☐
Investor or adviser registration	BrokerCheck, Investor.gov / FCA Firm Checker	☐
Sanctions	OFAC search / UK sanctions list	☐
News and web mentions	News search, Search A-Z report	☐
Two references they gave, two you found	Phone calls	☐
Financials and ownership	Cap table, accounts, bank references (with consent)	☐
Written agreement reviewed by a lawyer	Your lawyer	☐

When should you hire a professional to vet a partner?

Hire a professional when the stakes are high: you're giving up meaningful equity, investing or borrowing significant money, signing a long exclusive contract, or the partner has a history in several countries. A lawyer, accountant or due-diligence firm can search court records nationwide, verify financials and spot problems in contracts.

Lawyer: partnership or shareholder agreement, vesting, exit terms, and civil litigation searches.
Accountant: financial statements, tax filings, debts and cash flow.
Due-diligence or investigations firm: multi-country checks, litigation and asset searches.

Search A-Z is not a consumer reporting agency. If the "partner" will really be an employee, or you're making a hiring, tenant, credit or insurance decision, use an FCRA-compliant background screening service with the person's consent. For a quick check before a first meeting, see how to research someone before a business meeting.

The bottom line

Vet a business partner the way a bank would: confirm who they are, read what the registries, courts and regulators say about their past, and talk to people they didn't hand-pick. Write down every mismatch, ask about it directly, and put a lawyer between you and any large commitment.

Frequently asked questions

How do I do a background check on a business partner?

Check their identity across profiles and filings, their past companies in official registries, court records in PACER and state court portals, regulator databases like BrokerCheck, and sanctions lists. Then call references, including ones you found yourself. For employment-style screening, use an FCRA-compliant provider with their consent.

How can I see if a UK director has been disqualified?

Search the Companies House register of disqualified directors on GOV.UK. It shows the reason, start date and length of any disqualification. Also check the director's officer page on Companies House for past and dissolved companies.

How do I find out if someone has been sued in the US?

Search federal cases, including bankruptcies, on PACER using its Case Locator. Most business disputes are in state courts, so also search the court portals for the counties and states where they've lived and worked.

How do I check if an investor is legitimate?

Look them up on FINRA BrokerCheck and the SEC's adviser search on Investor.gov, look for the fund's Form D on EDGAR, and in the UK use the FCA Firm Checker. Be wary of anyone who asks you to pay fees before investing.

Is it rude to vet a co-founder?

No. Due diligence is standard practice, and serious founders and investors expect it. Tell them you do it for everyone. A partner who refuses basic checks is giving you useful information.

Can Search A-Z show court or criminal records?

No. Search A-Z shows professional and public web information, work history, company registration roles, news, scam warnings, and phone and email checks. Search court records yourself on PACER or state court sites, or hire a professional. The one exception is the public US sex offender registry, which dating and general searches check for people in the US.

Sources

Figures are the latest published by each source when this guide was updated. Reported fraud losses are a floor: most fraud is never reported.

How to vet a business partner, co-founder, investor or supplier