Closing your company
SimpleClosure alternatives: Sunset, Pewter and other channels
SimpleClosure reports more than 150 data deals with startups that wound down, mostly at $10K to $100K.
Perhaps you would rather skip a full shutdown service, or you want a competing offer. Several other buyers accept closing companies.
In this guide
01
The options side by side
What it is
Full shutdown service with an asset marketplace
Who it takes
Startups winding down
Notes
Strips personal details from every dataset. Excludes sensitive employee and health records.
What it is
Shutdown service that buys the dataset
Who it takes
Startups winding down
Notes
Buys outright, then licenses to AI labs. Values by headcount, years, data volume and tool use.
What it is
Introducer with a licensing partner
Who it takes
US, 20+ staff now or at peak, 3+ years, any status
Notes
Free for owners. Roughly an hour of your time.
What it is
Broker
Who it takes
Closed companies with 50+ staff at peak
Notes
Shares commission per deal. Recommends non-exclusive licenses.
| Channel | What it is | Who it takes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SimpleClosure | Full shutdown service with an asset marketplace | Startups winding down | Strips personal details from every dataset. Excludes sensitive employee and health records. |
| Sunset | Shutdown service that buys the dataset | Startups winding down | Buys outright, then licenses to AI labs. Values by headcount, years, data volume and tool use. |
| Pewter | Introducer with a licensing partner | US, 20+ staff now or at peak, 3+ years, any status | Free for owners. Roughly an hour of your time. |
| License My Data | Broker | Closed companies with 50+ staff at peak | Shares commission per deal. Recommends non-exclusive licenses. |
02
When an alternative makes sense
- You already have a lawyer and accountant handling the shutdown and only need the data sold
- You want a second written offer to compare
- Your company peaked at 20+ staff with several years of records
- You want to keep ownership and license non-exclusively
03
How to compare offers
- What is excluded from the license?
- Who strips names and personal details?
- Is the license exclusive?
- When do they pay, and on what condition?
- What do they keep from the sale?
- Who ends up with the data?
Put the answers side by side. The differences tend to be in the details, not the headline. Or take the match quiz to see which fit your peak size.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is Sunset like SimpleClosure?
Both handle startup shutdowns. Sunset says it purchases the dataset itself and licenses it on to AI labs.
Does Pewter charge the owner?
Pewter says owners pay nothing, since its licensing partner pays Pewter when the deal closes.
Can I use two channels at once?
Get assessments from more than one, but register the company through only one path, or attribution and exclusivity can clash.
Find the buyers that fit your company
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Keep reading
Sources
Every number on this page links back to one of these.
- 1SimpleClosure: AssetHubsimpleclosure.com
- 2SimpleClosure: what your startup's assets are worthsimpleclosure.com
- 3Sunsetsunsethq.com
- 4Sunset: what RL gyms are and how founders can monetize startup data in a wind-downsunsethq.com
- 5MIT Technology Review: AI labs are buying data from dead startups (13 Oct 2026)technologyreview.com
- 6Pewter Datapewterdata.com
- 7License My Datalicensemydata.com
- 801net: SimpleClosure AssetHub on track to return $10M to venture-backed startups01net.it
- 9Forbes: AI's new training data is your old work Slacks and emails (16 Apr 2026)forbes.com
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