Guide

Five types of company that buy business data for AI

Business records travel to AI labs through five different kinds of company. Work out which one is on the phone and you will know who is paying, who takes a cut and what protection you can expect.

AI Data Offers research deskChecked against our methodology Updated October 28, 2026 3 min read 18 sources

In this article

1. Labs, the final users

Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and their peers usually sit at the end of the chain. Small businesses seldom deal with them directly. The deals they have made public involve big publishers and platforms; Reddit, for one, has reported $203M from data licensing.

Spirit Airlines broke the pattern. During its bankruptcy, Google put in a $10M bid of its own for the carrier's internal archive.

2. Licensors that work with businesses

A trading company normally signs with one of these. They take a license to your records, clean them up and convert them into material labs can train on.

micro1
A $1B, 12-month buying budget. Deal tiers run from above $100K to above $1M. Looks for 30+ staff.
Mercor
Plugs into more than 100 tools. Charges sellers nothing. Wires payment 2 to 4 weeks post-signature.
Turing (Project Lazarus)
A single payment of as much as $1M, open to trading and closing firms.
Handshake AI
Wants three years of trading and a full-time team of 20 or more.
Polyshares
Says most deals fall between $100K and $2M+. Offers within 1 to 2 weeks. Pays on Net 30 to 60.
Troveo
Shares revenue with sellers. Says a whole-company deal begins at six figures.
Nyne
Usually $100K or more. Requires three years and 20+ US W-2 employees.

Licensor	Its public pitch
micro1	A $1B, 12-month buying budget. Deal tiers run from above $100K to above $1M. Looks for 30+ staff.
Mercor	Plugs into more than 100 tools. Charges sellers nothing. Wires payment 2 to 4 weeks post-signature.
Turing (Project Lazarus)	A single payment of as much as $1M, open to trading and closing firms.
Handshake AI	Wants three years of trading and a full-time team of 20 or more.
Polyshares	Says most deals fall between $100K and $2M+. Offers within 1 to 2 weeks. Pays on Net 30 to 60.
Troveo	Shares revenue with sellers. Says a whole-company deal begins at six figures.
Nyne	Usually $100K or more. Requires three years and 20+ US W-2 employees.

As published by each company.

3. Specialists in closed companies

Businesses that are winding down use a separate route. Prices drop, because the records stop growing and few staff are left to answer questions about them.

SimpleClosure: more than 150 data deals, usually worth $10K to $100K.
Sunset: purchases the dataset of a closed company and re-licenses it.
Hilco: a liquidator that has added advice on corporate data and AI training assets.

4. Brokers

This group places most of the ads owners see. A broker connects you with a licensor and collects a fee at closing, normally from the buyer's side. Pewter says an unnamed licensing partner pays it, and Endless says the labs do. Jottings works the other way, taking its success fee out of the seller's proceeds.

5. Marketplaces

A marketplace posts datasets where any buyer can browse them. Datarade's commission ranges from 15 to 30 percent depending on the seller's plan. FileYield takes 8% from sellers and 6% from buyers, and states that it does not check whether a seller holds the rights.

Where to start

Still trading, 30+ staff: begin with the licensors in group 2.
Shutting down or shut: the specialists in group 3.
Fewer than 20 staff: options are limited, though a few buyers like Troveo set no minimum.
A broker rang you: find out who funds the license and who funds the broker's fee.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Will OpenAI or Anthropic license my small company's data?

Public deals suggest not directly. Business records reach them via licensors, and Mercor counts Anthropic and OpenAI among its customers.

Who pays best?

Nobody publishes deals you can compare. micro1 advertises tiers past $1M, Turing up to $1M and Polyshares $100K to $2M+, all self-reported.

Buyer or broker: what is the difference?

A buyer takes the license and pays you for it. A broker makes the introduction and earns a fee, frequently paid by the buyer.

How can I vet a young company?

Check its domain registration date and whether it gives a registered company name and a physical address. Several advertisers are only a few weeks old.

Find the buyers that fit your company

Answer a few questions about your size, tools and history. We show which buyers want a company like yours. Free, no files.

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Sources

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