# What is a data lab? > What is a data lab? micro1's own term for a company that supplies the data AI models learn from. How it differs from an AI lab and a finder. By Matt Burns, Vaultfish. Canonical: https://vaultfish.com/answers/what-is-a-data-lab Published: 2026-08-21 Updated: 2026-10-14 ## The short answer A data lab is micro1's term for a company that supplies training data to AI models, sitting between data holders and AI labs. A data lab supplies and transforms the data. micro1's Enterprise Data Partnership listing says $100K-$2M+ for approved data packages, its own claim. A finder only introduces parties. Three roles get mixed up in this market. A data lab is one of them. ## How is a data lab different from an AI lab? An AI lab builds and trains models. A data lab supplies what those models learn from, such as expert-written answers, grading and real company records. [micro1](/buyers/micro1)'s [human data page](https://www.micro1.ai/human-data) says its work uses domain specialists across 100+ fields (self-reported). It also runs company-data partnerships, where companies keep ownership of their data. Our page on [human data](/answers/what-is-human-data) covers the first kind, and [what micro1 is](/answers/what-is-micro1) covers both. ## How is a data lab different from a finder? A finder introduces owners to buyers and may never hold the data. A data lab takes in, transforms and delivers the data. micro1's David Revland said in an undated recorded forum talk that its team swaps names for consistent stand-ins. micro1 staff said companies cannot scrub the data first, so micro1 transforms each corpus itself. That puts the lab inside the data's path. Our page on [data brokers](/answers/what-is-a-data-broker) covers the finder role. ## Does micro1 pay companies directly? [micro1 says](https://www.micro1.ai/forum/turn-existing-workflows-into-revenue) it does. Its Enterprise Data Partnership listing says $100K-$2M+ for approved data packages. [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/ai-data-startup-micro1-reaches-500m-gross-run-rate-amid-ai-training-boom/) reported that micro1 reached a $500 million gross annualized run rate, per a person familiar with the company. Both are self-reported or sourced to insiders. A marketplace such as Troveo works differently. Its [business-data page](https://www.troveo.ai/business-data) says it pays owners on every sale after the first as well, and it publishes no split. ## What should a company ask a data lab? Ask who sees the raw data, where it is stored, whether it is a sale or a license, and what happens at deletion. Our [risk map](/risks) lists the contract points, and the [rights check](/rights-check) lists what you need to know about your own data first. micro1 may pay us a referral fee if a company we introduce goes ahead with it. [How we are paid](https://vaultfish.com/disclosure) Talk to a privacy or commercial lawyer in your state before you sign. Figure: comparison of Three roles between company data and a trained model: AI lab (Trains the model), Data lab (emphasized: Supplies the data, Supplies the data), Finder (Makes introductions). The data lab is emphasized because it supplies the data, which is how micro1 describes its own role. [Apply to micro1's data partnership (paid link)](https://req.micro1.ai/post/74520e8b-4673-4da5-b855-53609aaf6710?referralCode=f82e519e-5d64-4e0e-9574-760c84371cf2&utm_source=referral&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=data_referral) ยท [micro1's own data-partnerships page](https://www.micro1.ai/data-partnerships) _Paid link. [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 - [human data page](https://www.micro1.ai/human-data) - [micro1 says](https://www.micro1.ai/forum/turn-existing-workflows-into-revenue) - [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/ai-data-startup-micro1-reaches-500m-gross-run-rate-amid-ai-training-boom/) - [business-data page](https://www.troveo.ai/business-data)