License startup data to AI: shutdown and live routes
The short answer
A closing startup lists its data through a shutdown service like SimpleClosure, which reported nearly 100 deals at $10,000 to $100,000 per company. A live startup can apply to a direct program like Handshake AI, which asks for 20+ full-time employees and 3+ years, or use Troveo's marketplace.
Startups hold the data buyers describe wanting: chat, tickets, code and documents from a small team that did everything in a few tools.
How does a closing startup license its data?
SimpleClosure announced its Asset Hub on 16 Apr 2026. It lists source code and workspace data, in beta then, and names AI companies, research labs and enterprise teams as buyers.
Its CEO, Dori Yona, wrote that assets have come from more than 350 companies. She advises founders to check a buyer's completed deals, define what transfers, scrub personal and third-party material, and get payment terms in writing.
Mercor approached failed or acquired startups for datasets, with offers as high as $300,000 (BigGo). Bloomberg reported (The Next Web) that SpaceX held informal talks about buying operational records from troubled startups.
Where does a live startup go?
A live startup can go to a direct program or a marketplace. Handshake AI's referral page asks for 20+ full-time employees and 3+ years, and Troveo states no minimum.
micro1's data partnerships page lists tiers of $100K+, $500K+ and $1M+, and its Enterprise Data Partnership listing says $100K-$2M+ for approved data packages. micro1 says companies keep ownership of their underlying data.
micro1's current public criteria list 30+ employees, mature operations and primarily English documentation, with US companies prioritized (self-reported). Acceptance depends on its review and current demand.
In an undated forum talk, David Revland, who works on human data at micro1, described steps that run from a first call to a data manifest form, a payment proposal, contract, transfer and payment. See the data manifest form.
What if the startup has already failed?
A failed startup follows the closing route, with decisions made by its board and stockholders. Delaware law ties a sale of substantially all assets to stockholder approval, covered in licensing a Slack workspace during a shutdown.
A bankruptcy adds a court. The Spirit Airlines sale shows how that looks, on our Spirit Airlines page. To compare the services that run shutdowns, see startup wind down services.
What should a founder check first?
Your investor, customer and vendor contracts, your NDAs and your employees' messages. Our rights check asks about customer contracts, NDAs, staff messages and investor approval, and the risk map lists where deals break.
Talk to a privacy or commercial lawyer in your state before you sign.
micro1 may pay us a referral fee if a company we introduce goes ahead with it. How we are paid
Apply to micro1's data partnership (paid link)micro1's own data-partnerships pagePaid link. How we are paid
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
