Mercor vs SimpleClosure for a closing startup's data
The short answer
For a closing startup, Mercor has made direct offers for archives, reported at up to $300,000 on 17 Aug 2026. SimpleClosure lists them on its AssetHub and told Forbes it did nearly 100 deals at $10,000 to $100,000 per company. Neither figure is an offer to you.
When a startup shuts down, its Slack, Drive, GitHub and email archive is often the last thing left with a price on it.
There are two common routes. An AI data company such as Mercor makes you an offer, or the service winding you down, SimpleClosure, lists the archive for you.
How do Mercor and SimpleClosure compare on terms for a closing startup?
| Term | Mercor | SimpleClosure AssetHub |
|---|---|---|
| Reported price | Offers up to $300,000 for one archive (BigGo, 17 Aug 2026) | $10,000 to $100,000 per company, nearly 100 deals (Gizmodo citing Forbes, 17 Apr 2026) |
| How it starts | Mercor contacts you, or you connect tools on its data page | You list assets during your wind-down |
| Fee to you | None. Mercor says it covers extraction and anonymization | A percentage when assets are sold or licensed. Rate not published |
| When you are paid | Wire on delivery, typically 2 to 4 weeks after signing | Not published |
| License you grant | Not published | Perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive license in its terms |
| Your liability | Contract not public | Six representations plus an indemnity. Its own cap is the greater of six months of fees or $100 |
Sources: Mercor's data page, SimpleClosure's terms and AssetHub page.
What has Mercor offered closing startups?
BigGo reported on 17 Aug 2026 that Mercor emailed Warmly, an AI startup, eight days after Warmly announced its sale to HubSpot. Mercor's offer for Slack, GitHub, Asana, Drive and meeting transcripts went up to $300,000, and founder Max Greenwald declined (BigGo).
BigGo names no source of its own. Mercor also bid $7.5M for the Spirit Airlines archive in bankruptcy and finished second to Google's $10M (Time). Our deals tracker keeps both rows.
What has SimpleClosure reported about AssetHub deals?
SimpleClosure told Forbes it had done nearly 100 deals in about a year at $10,000 to $100,000 per company, as Gizmodo relayed. Its CEO wrote on 1 Oct 2026 that assets from more than 350 companies have come through AssetHub (SimpleClosure).
Its AssetHub page now says deals run in the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars for unique assets. It also says operating companies can explore licensing, so the route is no longer only for shutdowns.
Which terms matter most when a startup is closing?
A warranty is only as good as the company that gives it. SimpleClosure's terms make the company indemnify it for privacy-law claims and undisclosed open-source use, so ask counsel who carries that after dissolution.
Then ask who removes personal data, and when. SimpleClosure's AssetHub page says each dataset is processed for PII before licensing, though its terms do not promise it.
Mercor says its platform de-identifies the data automatically. In both cases, the raw files leave your hands first.
Can a closing startup use both Mercor and SimpleClosure?
SimpleClosure's terms take a non-exclusive license, which on its own leaves room for a second deal. Mercor publishes no exclusivity terms. Read both agreements for exclusivity before you sign either, because the first one signed sets what the second can cover.
The startup shutdown checklist puts the data step in order with the rest of the wind-down. Our reads of each are in is SimpleClosure legit and is Mercor legit.
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
The board that approves the dissolution should approve the data deal too. A lawyer can tell you whether yours needs to.
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. Ask for a referral
