# Data valuation for AI: what buyer calculators use

> Data valuation for AI: the inputs two buyer calculators use (headcount, years, systems, country) and the ones they leave out. Ranges are indicative.

By Matt Burns, Vaultfish. Canonical: https://vaultfish.com/answers/data-valuation-for-ai  
Published: 2026-09-28  
Updated: 2026-10-13

## The short answer

No standard method exists. Calculators count headcount and years. Neither asks about data cleanliness or rights you hold. For 100 staff and 10 years, Handshake AI shows $383,083 to $896,969. All are indicative, self-reported.

Short version: a calculator tells you what the buyer's form counts, and it won't tell you what your data is worth. This page is about those inputs. For what public deals and bids show, read [how much is your business data worth to AI](/guides/how-much-is-your-business-data-worth-to-ai).

## What does each calculator ask?

| Buyer | Inputs | Example output |
|---|---|---|
| [Handshake AI](https://joinhandshake.com/ai/data-partnerships/) | Employees, years of operation, country | 100 staff, 10 years, USA: $383,083 to $896,969 |
| [Troveo](https://www.troveo.ai/business-data) | Employees, years operating, systems in use | Not recorded |

## What do they leave out?

A form with three or four inputs can't inspect your systems, confirm which records you may license or stand in for a buyer offer. [Handshake AI says](https://joinhandshake.com/ai/data-partnerships/) its payout depends on the data, its due diligence and your acceptance of its terms, and it labels the calculator result indicative only.

## What do the buyers' own guides say drives value?

[Troveo's guide](https://www.troveo.ai/resources/how-much-is-company-data-worth) says no per-employee price exists. It names uniqueness, historical depth, connected context across systems, documented outcomes, rights clarity and current buyer demand.

Rights, structure, recorded outcomes and buyer demand show up in the guides and in neither calculator.

## Which inputs track public prices?

Public price points are few. Google's winning bid for Spirit Airlines' archive was [$10M](https://time.com/article/2026/08/25/google-spirit-airlines-ai-data-RL/), still awaiting court approval, and it priced the archive's records, so headcount is not an input there.

[Handshake AI](/buyers/handshake-ai)'s 100-employee example works out to about $3,831 to $8,970 per employee by my arithmetic.

The inputs differ, so the tools are not a like-for-like test. See [data monetization pricing](/answers/data-monetization-pricing).

## What should you do with a calculator number?

Use it to start a conversation, and ask what the figure is built from. Bring your own counts, dates and rights notes, which the [readiness check in the worth guide](/guides/how-much-is-your-business-data-worth-to-ai) lays out. Run the [rights check](/rights-check) too.

Figure: comparison of Inputs in two buyer calculators: Troveo (emphasized: The one that asks your systems, Staff, age, systems), Handshake AI (Staff, years, country). Troveo gets the emphasis because its calculator asks which systems you use, and Handshake AI's asks for country instead.

Talk to a privacy or commercial lawyer in your state before you sign.

Our only referral relationship is with micro1, an AI data company. It may pay us a fee if a company we introduce goes ahead with it. You pay nothing extra. [How we are paid](https://vaultfish.com/disclosure)

_Vaultfish helps you run the process. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. If you need counsel who knows this area, we can point you to one._

## Sources

- [Handshake AI](https://joinhandshake.com/ai/data-partnerships/)
- [Troveo](https://www.troveo.ai/business-data)
- [Troveo's guide](https://www.troveo.ai/resources/how-much-is-company-data-worth)
- [$10M](https://time.com/article/2026/08/25/google-spirit-airlines-ai-data-RL/)