SimpleClosure review: what sellers actually get

SimpleClosure is built for venture-backed startups that are closing, and the data sale started as part of its wind-down service. In September 2026 it opened AssetHub to companies that are operating, pivoting or dropping a product line.

Its own analysis says buyers want data from fields where real records are scarce, such as manufacturing, energy, banking, insurance, professional services and logistics.

A closed startup typically gets $10K to $100K through SimpleClosure. One example from MIT Technology Review: a crypto startup got roughly $25,000 for its code, with roughly $15,000 still to come for the contents of its workspace.

That is well below the $100K to $2M most buyers quote for operating companies. In our reading, a closed company has no one left to explain the records and its history simply stops, which lowers what buyers will pay.

SimpleClosure says an operating company would license its data and keep using it, while a closing company would usually sell outright. It manages matching, paperwork, and receiving and paying out the proceeds.

It does not publish its contract or, for companies outside its wind-down service, the share of the sale it keeps. Get both in writing. Also ask when you get paid, which buyer receives the data, and what becomes of your copy if nobody buys it.

SimpleClosure is reported to pay only a small referral, around $1K. It is not a program built around introducers.

SimpleClosure, led by founder and CEO Dori Yona, handles the legal, tax and admin work of shutting down a venture-backed company. Its AssetHub marketplace sells or licenses what the company built to a vetted network of buyers. SimpleClosure says 350+ companies have offered assets so far.

1. 1

   Describe your assets

   You tell SimpleClosure what code and workspace data you hold.

2. 2

   Viability check

   It assesses whether the assets are likely to sell.

3. 3

   Your approval

   Only with your sign-off are qualifying assets shown to its buyer network.

4. 4

   De-identification

   Data goes through several passes to find and replace names, emails, credentials, keys and customer identifiers.

5. 5

   Matching and paperwork

   SimpleClosure matches a buyer and handles the documents.

6. 6

   Proceeds

   It receives the buyer's payment and pays it out.

A few buyers take closed companies directly. Pewter, for example, takes US companies whose headcount once reached 20 full-time staff, provided the records survive. micro1 also runs a track for defunct companies. Everyone else counts the staff you have today, so confirm the rule before assuming you are eligible.

SimpleClosure fits a startup that is closing, has its code, Slack, email and docs intact, and wants the sale handled as part of the wind-down. If your company had a large team at its peak, compare its offer with a buyer that prices on peak headcount.

An operating startup can now use it too, but a direct buyer that publishes its price will usually give you a clearer benchmark.

We run the same checks on every buyer we rank. They take an afternoon and they protect the one thing you cannot take back: the copy of your records.

• Find the legal entity. A registered company name, an address and at least one named person. A Facebook form alone is not enough.
• Get the offer and the contract in writing before any export. A sample agreement tells you more than a sales call.
• Ask who strips personal data, how, and when. You should approve the method and see a sample before anything leaves your systems.
• Ask where the data goes. Which AI companies receive it, whether you are told, and whether it can be resold.
• Ask how everyone is paid. By you, by the buyer, or out of your deal. Referral fees are normal; hidden ones are not.
• Get a second quote. Terms from at least one other buyer is the fastest way to know if an offer is fair.