Short answers, then the proof behind them.
AI labs get company records through go-betweens like micro1, Handshake AI and Troveo. Here is what owners ask, each answer linked to its sources.
The basics
New here? Good. Nobody was born knowing what a data license is.
What is data licensing?
A buyer gets to use your data on stated terms, usually for a fee. Whether you keep ownership depends on the contract, so check the grant and the term.
Is a company data deal a license or a sale?
Buyers use both words loosely. What the contract clause says matters more than the label. Check what it says about who owns the data.
What does AI data readiness mean?
In a licensing deal, AI data readiness means AI data companies can use your records and you can show they're yours to license. Most guides mean data fit for your own AI. Rights come first.
What is operational data?
Operational data is the records a company makes while it works. Think chat, email, tickets, documents and CRM entries. Together they show how a task moved from request to approval.
What is workflow data?
Workflow data is the record of how one piece of work moved across your tools. It runs from the first request, through the work in between, to the finished result and its follow-ups.
What do AI labs do with company data?
AI labs use company data to train and test AI agents. Time tied Google's Spirit Airlines bid to RL environments, where agents practice tasks. No source shows real company data in a training run yet.
Why do AI labs want real company data?
micro1's CFO says expert-built training environments only imitate the world. Real records show how a real problem got solved. micro1 supplies such data, so that claim has a stake behind it.
What data do AI labs want from companies?
The whole chain from request to finished work. micro1's David Revland gave a Slack request for a finance report, then the report in Google Sheets. Troveo says AI companies prize work they can follow.
Sources: Epoch, Troveo's business page, micro1's data partnerships page
What it's worth
Short answer: nobody has a price list. The long answer comes with receipts.
How much do AI labs pay for company data?
Public deals run from small shutdown sales to one big airline bid. Every deal is a data point, not a rate for your records.
How much is my business data worth to AI?
The value moves with your records and your rights. Our worth guide shows what moves the value, with a ten-minute check you can run yourself.
Where can I see public data deals?
Vaultfish's deals tracker lists each reported sale, bid, offer or self-reported price range. Each record shows its date, status and evidence.
Can a price calculator tell me what my data is worth?
Calculators take headcount and years and return a range. Use one to start a conversation. None looks at your systems or checks your rights.
Full answer to: Can a price calculator tell me what my data is worth?
What is company data worth per employee?
Per-employee figures vary a lot. They are self-reported or simple arithmetic, never offers. The value follows the records and the rights.
How many years of data do AI labs want?
Calculators from Troveo and Handshake AI give more weight to a longer history. No lab states a minimum number of years, and the calculators are lead forms, not offers.
How are you paid for company data?
Three models exist. A direct partnership pays under the agreed terms. A revenue share pays on every deal. A per-task payment pays for each task.
What does data monetization pricing look like?
Four models show up: a one-time license fee, a recurring license, a revenue share on repeat licenses, and a royalty per use. Few prices are public.
Full answer to: What does data monetization pricing look like?
Is data licensing income taxable?
In general, yes. Royalties count as income. The IRS text does not say which category a data license falls into. This is not tax advice.
What are the pros and cons of data licensing?
The upside is revenue from records you already store. The downside is that rights, privacy law, confidentiality and buyer security are your risks. Price evidence is thin.
Full answer to: What are the pros and cons of data licensing?
Sources: Handshake AI, Time, Troveo
The companies involved
The list is short and the fine print is long. We read it so you can skip it.
Who buys company data for AI?
Time and the ombudsman's report name bidders Google and Mercor, and micro1 later made an offer for Spirit's archive. Handshake AI runs a direct program. Gizmodo says agent builders use Slack threads, tickets and email.
What are AI data companies?
AI data companies fall into direct programs, marketplaces and expert platforms. Direct programs take records like email, chat and tickets. Marketplaces license data and share the revenue. Expert platforms hire people for expert work.
What is a data broker?
A data broker collects personal information from many sources and sells it. In AI, the word can also mean a finder who matches companies with buyers. They are different businesses.
Should I go to an AI lab directly or use a broker?
No lab publishes an intake for company data. The visible routes run through go-betweens such as micro1, Handshake AI and Troveo. Marketplaces add matching and privacy review.
Full answer to: Should I go to an AI lab directly or use a broker?
What is micro1?
micro1 is an AI data company that calls itself a data lab. It supplies data and expert work for training AI. Its figures come from micro1's pages, Forbes, TechCrunch and Sacra.
Is micro1 legit?
micro1 is a real company with published referral terms. Payouts to companies are self-reported, and no partnership contract is public. Real reviews are on record. Check the terms before you sign.
What is micro1's Enterprise Data Partnership?
micro1's undated Enterprise Data Partnership post asks for 30 to 200 employees and names no pay figure. Its Enterprise Data Partnership listing asks for 30+ employees and states a range for approved data packages.
Full answer to: What is micro1's Enterprise Data Partnership?
What is micro1's video data partner program?
micro1 asks hands-on businesses with 20 or more employees to film first-person work video with phones on wearable mounts. Its post states no pay amount. Consent is the partner's job.
Full answer to: What is micro1's video data partner program?
Is Mercor legit?
Mercor is a real company with a published company-data page and big backers. A March 2026 breach involved contractor and applicant data, and a class action is pending.
Is Handshake AI legit?
Handshake AI is a real company with public terms for its company-data program. Its page warns that re-identification risk remains. Press reported unpaid contractors, so get payment terms in writing.
Is Polyshares legit?
Polyshares names a company and two managing partners, and its terms are public. We found no outside review. Its claims are its own.
What happened in the Mercor data breach?
A bad update to a free open-source tool stole Mercor's login keys in March 2026. The Next Web reported about 4 TB taken and thousands of companies hit.
Sources: micro1, Handshake AI, Handshake AI's company referral page
Is it legal and safe
Honest answer first: it depends. Your lawyer gets the last word, and they like that.
Is it legal to license company data to AI?
No general license is needed. Some rules ban or limit transfers of specific data, such as health records and bulk data to countries of concern. It turns on what the data holds and who buys.
Is it safe to license company data to AI?
The risk is real. In many models, a buyer handles raw data before names come out. Ask any buyer where it sits, how long it stays and who deletes it.
What do you check before a data deal?
Five things: rights, privacy reviews, value, buyer checks and timing. Each one comes with a plan.
What data can't I license to AI?
The law firm Frankfurt Kurnit advises leaving out privileged material, HR and payroll, health information, union messages and confidential client data. No single rule lists it.
Does my NDA let me license data to AI?
Check the NDA's definition of confidential information, its permitted use and its term. A license to an AI buyer has to fit inside that permitted use.
Do I need employee consent to license company data?
Employee consent rules depend on where staff live and what they were told. California needs notice and an opt-out. EU and UK regulators doubt that employee consent is freely given.
Full answer to: Do I need employee consent to license company data?
Are data brokers legal?
Yes. Several states regulate them, and some sales are barred, such as bulk data to countries of concern. Registration rules differ by state.
Do I need to register as a data broker to license my own data?
Maybe not. Vermont and Oregon treat staff and customers as direct relationships. Texas and California leave more room for mixed archives. No ruling settles it.
Full answer to: Do I need to register as a data broker to license my own data?
Does the GDPR cover company data used for AI?
Ask one thing first. Does the archive hold facts about a person you can name? Work emails and customer contacts do, so the GDPR then applies.
Full answer to: Does the GDPR cover company data used for AI?
What is data de-identification?
De-identification means taking names and details out of records. It does not settle who owns the rights. In California, the result must not link back to a person.
What is the difference between data pseudonymization and anonymization?
Ask one thing. Can anyone link a record to a person? A stand-in name is a link. In a data license, assume a stand-in is not anonymous.
Full answer to: What is the difference between data pseudonymization and anonymization?
Can I restrict who my data is sublicensed to?
Yes, you can ask. Some marketplace license terms allow sublicensing by default. Polyshares says it accepts limits. Have a lawyer draft them.
Full answer to: Can I restrict who my data is sublicensed to?
How fast should a buyer de-identify my data?
A timeline sets the days a buyer has to remove names after pulling your data. Polyshares' Ryan Lock suggests about 14 days and a deletion certificate. That is advice, not a rule.
Full answer to: How fast should a buyer de-identify my data?
Sources: FKKS, Civ. Code 1798.140(ad), UK ICO's position
How it works, step by step
No wizard, no hold music. Just the steps, in order.
How do I license company data to AI companies?
Check your rights first, then what you hold, then pick a buyer. Our guide to licensing company data covers what buyers want, what qualifies and how deals work.
Full answer to: How do I license company data to AI companies?
How do I prepare company data for AI licensing?
Build a short packet that describes your records, and do the rights step. Leave the scrubbing to the company you license to.
Full answer to: How do I prepare company data for AI licensing?
What goes on a data readiness checklist?
A data readiness checklist has eight lines: headcount, usable history, systems and owners, work linked to results, rough volume, language, rights notes and personal data. Rights come first.
Does my company have 1 TB of data?
Admin reports from Google and Microsoft show your storage. micro1's current pages state no data-size threshold. A storage count still helps you describe your records to any AI data company.
How do I export Slack data?
Slack exports depend on your plan. Free and Pro export public channels only. Higher plans add private channels and DMs once the Primary Owner approves.
Should I scrub company data before a deal?
No. micro1 staff said in an undated talk that pre-scrubbing breaks the trail between tools, and Troveo and Handshake AI say they clean the data themselves. Control scope by agreeing which systems to include.
What are the steps of a micro1 data partnership?
micro1's page lists four: a short assessment, its review, a discovery call, then the agreement. micro1's David Revland described a longer, earlier version in an undated recorded talk.
Full answer to: What are the steps of a micro1 data partnership?
How long does a company data deal take?
Stated clocks run from about two weeks to 60 days, from Mercor and a micro1 referral partner. None is a full clock or a written promise.
What is an exclusivity term in a data license?
A promise that only one buyer gets your data for a set time. An exclusivity clause names the length and scope. Terms vary, and no public source sets a standard.
Full answer to: What is an exclusivity term in a data license?
What is an acceptance period in a data deal?
The window when a buyer checks your delivered data. A failed check can end the deal or change the price. Polyshares' Ryan Lock says 30 days. No buyer publishes its test.
Full answer to: What is an acceptance period in a data deal?
What happens to my data after an AI data deal?
Your data is transferred and checked. micro1 says personal information is removed when relevant, and micro1's David Revland described swapping names for stand-ins. Your contract sets retention. Trained models can outlast the license.
Full answer to: What happens to my data after an AI data deal?
Can a small business license data to AI?
Yes, with limits. micro1's data partnership floor is 30+ employees, and Handshake AI's staff floor is lower. SimpleClosure's Asset Hub has no staff minimum. No page promises a deal.
Sources: micro1, Troveo, Handshake AI
Shutting down or selling the company
Before you cancel Slack or delete the drive, read this. The records might have a buyer.
Can a shutting-down company license its Slack to AI?
Yes, in practice. Gizmodo, citing Forbes, reported nearly 100 SimpleClosure deals for archives like Slack in a year. Company law may need a board vote and shareholder approval, and privacy duties stay in place.
Full answer to: Can a shutting-down company license its Slack to AI?
What is SimpleClosure Asset Hub?
SimpleClosure Asset Hub is a marketplace where startups list source code and workspace data like Slack. Built for closing companies, it takes operating ones too. You still need consents from people in the data.
Is SimpleClosure legit?
SimpleClosure looks real, with a named CEO, investors and published terms. Its Asset Hub fees are not public. Gizmodo reported the Center for AI and Digital Policy's founder calling employee privacy a key concern.
How much does SimpleClosure cost?
SimpleClosure posts no price list for its shutdown service. It has not shared its Asset Hub fee or revenue share.
What happened in the Spirit Airlines data sale?
The Spirit Airlines data sale was a bankruptcy auction that Google won. A flight attendants' union objected over employee data. Court approval is pending, and the hearing moved from 14 Oct to 6 Nov 2026.
Full answer to: What happened in the Spirit Airlines data sale?
Can customer data be sold in bankruptcy?
Yes, if the sale fits the company's own privacy policy, or a court appoints a privacy ombudsman to review it. The ombudsman advises the court and has no veto.
Can I license data when I sell the company?
List it among the business assets. An AI license leaves control with you, so California's merger exception may not apply. Diligence will ask for your prior data deals.
Where does the AI data step go on a shutdown checklist?
Before you delete accounts or cancel Slack. Our shutdown guide covers export clocks, approvals and buyers.
Full answer to: Where does the AI data step go on a shutdown checklist?
What are the steps to close a company in my state?
The free checklist puts the records steps first. Then it gives the form, fee and tax clearance for each state.
Full answer to: What are the steps to close a company in my state?
Sources: Gizmodo reported, Business Wire via Yahoo Finance, AssetHub page
Working with your advisors
What your deal advisor, CPA or wind-down attorney should check, and who pays whom.
Should I bring my advisor in?
Yes, once you know the records are worth a closer look. Run the free check first, then share the result. The advisor pages say what each one should check.
Where does AI data go in a CIM or data room?
A line of its own in the CIM, a folder in the data room and a clause in the LOI. Your deal advisor adds them, and your lawyer picks the wording.
Full answer to: Where does AI data go in a CIM or data room?
Will my deal advisor be paid if they send me to Vaultfish?
Your deal advisor may be paid for a qualified referral on a closed deal, from Vaultfish, out of our own referral fee. They tell you in writing first, and you pay nothing extra.
Full answer to: Will my deal advisor be paid if they send me to Vaultfish?
Where does AI data fit in my annual review with my CPA?
Four questions, one data map and one next step. Your CPA or CFO adds the records line to the review and a records clause to your AI policy.
Full answer to: Where does AI data fit in my annual review with my CPA?
Can my CPA take a referral fee?
Only with disclosure to you, which the AICPA Code says to give in writing (1.520.080). Never if their firm does your audit, review, certain compilations or an examination of prospective financial information (1.520).
What data step goes on a company closing checklist?
One step before you delete Slack and email. Record what exists, who holds access, and whether anything limits sharing.
Full answer to: What data step goes on a company closing checklist?
Does my attorney get a referral fee from Vaultfish?
No. Attorneys get no per-referral fee from us. They can review a license for you, paid by you, or keep a disclosed two-way referral with us where no money moves.
Full answer to: Does my attorney get a referral fee from Vaultfish?
Can a lawyer or accountant take a referral fee for AI data deals?
The AICPA Code names commissions and referral fees. Lawyer rules differ. Their state bar or board decides how they apply.
Full answer to: Can a lawyer or accountant take a referral fee for AI data deals?
What should a data broker do for you?
More than pass your name to a buyer. Polyshares' Ryan Lock says that means a ready inventory, a fair price and plain-word help with terms. Ask how any broker is paid.
Sources: referral terms, ET 1.520.001, California's Rule 7.2(b)
Our tools
Free tools for the records you forgot you had.
What is the Vaultfish fit check?
The fit check asks about the records you already hold. You get a result label, a score and what to clarify first. micro1's published range shows only when your answers allow one.
Do I need to upload my data to check it?
Nothing to upload. The check only uses your answers. We never ask for your data, and nothing in the check touches your systems.
How does the Vaultfish readiness score work?
Five of the seven answers are scored: company size, years of records, systems, outcome linkage and exportability. The personal-data answer takes points away. Rights and regulated-data answers work as gates.
Full answer to: How does the Vaultfish readiness score work?
What is the Vaultfish rights check?
The rights check asks about contracts, personal data and who can sign. It lists what to settle with counsel first. Information only.
What is a company data map?
A one-page map of your systems, years of records, exports and keyholders. The map costs nothing, stays private and is ready to print.
Can I get a free AI policy template from Vaultfish?
Answer a short set of questions and get a one to two page AI policy, with a records licensing section. The template costs nothing. Print it, copy it or open it in Word.
Full answer to: Can I get a free AI policy template from Vaultfish?
What goes in a data room checklist?
A free due diligence checklist with eight drawers. The records drawer turns your sale data room into a licensing package.
Does Vaultfish have a seller financing calculator?
Yes. It shows the monthly payment, the balloon, and the cash you hold if the buyer stops paying. Print or export the schedule.
Full answer to: Does Vaultfish have a seller financing calculator?
Is there a free CIM template?
Yes. It builds a confidential information memorandum outline, with a page budget, buyer prompts and a data assets exhibit.
Which free tools does Vaultfish have?
Seven, all free: the fit check, data map, AI policy, data room checklist, deal calculators, templates and a closing checklist.
About us
Who we are, how we get paid and what we never touch.
Who runs Vaultfish?
Matt Burns. He built ProveWorth, spent nearly a decade at monday.com, and now checks whether company records qualify for AI labs.
What is free at Vaultfish?
The fit check, a discovery call, the tools, the guides and introductions are free to your company.
How does Vaultfish make money?
micro1 may pay us a referral fee if a company we introduce goes ahead with it. Managed readiness is optional and paid, quoted in writing first. We never take a percentage of your deal.
Do you see my company records?
We never receive your company's records. The trust page lists what we collect, how we use it and how long we keep it.
What is managed data readiness?
An optional paid service, quoted in writing first: a buyer one-pager, inventory, counsel questions, buyer shortlist and term checklist, built from descriptions and counts. Your counsel decides the legal calls.
Can my advisor introduce my company to you?
Yes, with your OK. Matt writes to you himself and says who sent us. Terms come in writing before any intro.
Can I talk to a human at Vaultfish?
Yes. The contact form goes to Matt Burns. Use it for data licensing, press, speaking or site feedback.
Published Updated
The fit check, a discovery call, the tools, the guides and introductions are free to your company. 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
