Industry guide

The consulting archive AI labs want to license

A consulting firm sells structured thinking, and most of it is written down: proposals, interview guides, draft decks with partner comments, and the email that moved a client from problem to recommendation. AI companies building agents for knowledge work see that as some of the best training data available.

Most of it already sits in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, a proposal library, a project tracker and Slack or Teams. Buyers want the written trail of how your team actually does the work, so most owners lead with SOPs and training material, then add day-to-day records once personal details are dealt with.

AI Data Offers research deskChecked against our methodology Updated October 28, 2026 5 min read 11 sources

Key figure: $100K to $2M+
Buyers' published range: $100K to $2M+
Time to a written offer: Days to 2 weeks
Owner time, per buyers: 1 to 3 hours

In this guide

01 / What buyers value

Records a buyer will look for at a consulting firm

Proposals and statements of work
Where it lives
Proposal library
Why a buyer wants it
How a problem is scoped, priced and sold
Raise first
Client names and pricing
Frameworks and interview guides
Where it lives
Shared drive
Why a buyer wants it
Reusable method, the firm's core know-how
Raise first
Proprietary IP you may want to keep
Engagement email and chat
Where it lives
Email, Slack or Teams
Why a buyer wants it
How a team reasons toward a recommendation
Raise first
Client confidential information
Decks, from draft to final
Where it lives
PowerPoint or Google Slides
Why a buyer wants it
Each revision shows the thinking getting sharper
Raise first
Client data inside charts
Internal training and case write-ups
Where it lives
Wiki or LMS
Why a buyer wants it
How juniors are taught the work
Raise first
Usually nothing

Record	Where it lives	Why a buyer wants it	Raise first
Proposals and statements of work	Proposal library	How a problem is scoped, priced and sold	Client names and pricing
Frameworks and interview guides	Shared drive	Reusable method, the firm's core know-how	Proprietary IP you may want to keep
Engagement email and chat	Email, Slack or Teams	How a team reasons toward a recommendation	Client confidential information
Decks, from draft to final	PowerPoint or Google Slides	Each revision shows the thinking getting sharper	Client data inside charts
Internal training and case write-ups	Wiki or LMS	How juniors are taught the work	Usually nothing

02 / Value

Putting a number on a consulting firm's data

No buyer publishes a price list by industry. What they do publish is a range for a whole company: micro1, Polyshares and Ventra each advertise deals from roughly $100K to $2M or more, and Pewter's licensing partner cites examples between $350K and $650K. Read those as the buyers' own marketing figures, not offers.

For a consulting firm of about 45 people, three things move the number most: how many years of history you have, how much of the work is written down in one place, and how cleanly client and employee details can be removed. Try the worth estimator for a range based on your size.

03 / Buyers

Which buyers take consulting firms

On Troveo's intake form, the closest category ("consulting or advisory") sits in the second of its four demand tiers, which it describes as above-average demand. Polyshares lists consulting and advisory as one of its premium industries.

micro1
Published size rule
Asks for at least 30 staff, with no upper limit
A 45-person consulting firm
Fits at 45
Mode
Published size rule
At least 20 full-time US office employees, or 10 for accounting and 6 for law
A 45-person consulting firm
Fits at 45
Nyne
Published size rule
At least 20 W-2 staff in the US and three years of history
A 45-person consulting firm
Fits at 45
Pewter
Published size rule
At least 20 people and three years, with a higher bar in some sectors
A 45-person consulting firm
Fits at 45
Ventra
Published size rule
At least 30 US staff and three years of data
A 45-person consulting firm
Fits at 45
Endless
Published size rule
Around 30 people or more
A 45-person consulting firm
Fits at 45
Polyshares
Published size rule
No headcount floor; it weighs how deep the record goes
A 45-person consulting firm
No size floor
Mercor
Published size rule
Publishes no minimum
A 45-person consulting firm
No size floor
Troveo
Published size rule
Publishes no minimum (its calculator begins at 20)
A 45-person consulting firm
No size floor

Buyer	Published size rule	A 45-person consulting firm
micro1	Asks for at least 30 staff, with no upper limit	Fits at 45
Mode	At least 20 full-time US office employees, or 10 for accounting and 6 for law	Fits at 45
Nyne	At least 20 W-2 staff in the US and three years of history	Fits at 45
Pewter	At least 20 people and three years, with a higher bar in some sectors	Fits at 45
Ventra	At least 30 US staff and three years of data	Fits at 45
Endless	Around 30 people or more	Fits at 45
Polyshares	No headcount floor; it weighs how deep the record goes	No size floor
Mercor	Publishes no minimum	No size floor
Troveo	Publishes no minimum (its calculator begins at 20)	No size floor

Checked against a typical consulting firm of 45 people. Ask each buyer whether contractors and part-time staff count.

Some buyers pay us a referral fee. It never changes your price, and it never changes the order of our rankings.

04 / Typical week

What one ordinary week produces

Monday: a kickoff with interview guides sent to client stakeholders.
Tuesday: interview notes synthesized into early hypotheses.
Wednesday: a partner review that rewrites half the storyline.
Thursday: a proposal for a follow-on project drafted and priced.
Friday: the steering committee deck finalized and sent.

Illustrative. Multiply one week by every year you have kept, and that is the record a buyer is looking at. The written decisions matter more than the totals.

05 / Segments

Segments within consulting firms

Supply chain consulting: Network models, time studies and future-state SOPs carry deep operational know-how. What AI buyers want from supply chain consultancies.

06 / Process

How a deal works

1
Check the fit
Answer a few questions about headcount, years of records and the systems you use. No files change hands.
2
Inventory call
A buyer walks through what you hold and what it wants. Most say the owner spends one to three hours in total.
3
Written offer
Buyers usually send terms within days to two weeks: price, scope, term and whether the deal is exclusive.
4
Clean and deliver
Personal details are removed under the agreed method, then a copy is exported. Your originals stay where they are.

micro1
What it asks for
Procedures, internal wikis, project and task history, CRM activity
Offer and payment
Up to 30 days to review, then paid within 30 days of invoice
Ask about
Its master terms describe a perpetual license. It says it strips personal details "when relevant", so ask exactly how.
Ventra
What it asks for
Mainly inboxes, recorded calls and helpdesk tickets
Offer and payment
Offer in 3 to 7 days, then net 30 or 60
Ask about
Its terms warn it may be unable to erase data after delivery.
Polyshares
What it asks for
Inboxes, recorded calls, helpdesk tickets and ERP extracts
Offer and payment
Offer in 1 to 2 weeks, paid in 30 to 60 days
Ask about
Licenses are exclusive by default.
Pewter
What it asks for
Operating records for the industries on its list
Offer and payment
No fee to the owner, it says
Ask about
Launched October 2026 by a Florida sales agency. Its licensing partner, not Pewter, signs and pays.

Buyer	What it asks for	Offer and payment	Ask about
micro1	Procedures, internal wikis, project and task history, CRM activity	Up to 30 days to review, then paid within 30 days of invoice	Its master terms describe a perpetual license. It says it strips personal details "when relevant", so ask exactly how.
Ventra	Mainly inboxes, recorded calls and helpdesk tickets	Offer in 3 to 7 days, then net 30 or 60	Its terms warn it may be unable to erase data after delivery.
Polyshares	Inboxes, recorded calls, helpdesk tickets and ERP extracts	Offer in 1 to 2 weeks, paid in 30 to 60 days	Licenses are exclusive by default.
Pewter	Operating records for the industries on its list	No fee to the owner, it says	Launched October 2026 by a Florida sales agency. Its licensing partner, not Pewter, signs and pays.

In each buyer's own published words. Terms change, so confirm them in writing before you sign.

07 / Timing

If you are selling or winding down

A data license can sit alongside a sale or a wind-down. If you are selling the business, agree with the acquirer who keeps the right to license the archive. If you are closing down, keep the workspace and inboxes alive until a buyer has seen them. A closed company is not out of options: SimpleClosure reports more than 150 completed sales of shut-down startups' archives.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Will licensing our frameworks give away our IP?

It gives a buyer a copy to train on, under license. Some firms hold back their signature methods and license the rest. Decide the scope before you see an offer.

Is consulting data in demand?

Yes. Polyshares lists consulting among its premium sectors, and Troveo rates its demand above average.

Is a 45-person consulting firm big enough?

9 of the 9 buyers in our size check take a consulting firm that size, going by their own published rules. Below 20 people your options narrow to the buyers with no stated minimum.

Do we lose our records if we license them?

No. A license gives the buyer a copy for agreed uses and your originals stay put. Read the term and deletion clauses closely: micro1's master terms describe a perpetual license, and Ventra warns it may be unable to erase data after delivery.

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Sources

Every number on this page links back to one of these.

Spot something wrong? See our corrections policy. Some buyers pay us a referral fee. How we make money.