Companies don’t usually sell their data to AI developers; they license a de-identified copy of operational records such as email, chat, documents, tickets, CRM and accounting history. A handful of buyers run programs for this. micro1 publishes a minimum of 30 full-time employees and payouts of $100K to $3M+ per approved data package; Nyne publishes 20+ US employees and 3+ years in business and says partnerships are commonly worth $100K or more; Mode publishes $100K–$5M with minimums from 10 employees for law firms; Troveo publishes a calculator but no minimums; Mercor publishes neither. The buyer de-identifies the data, and the company keeps ownership.

Who buys, and what they publish

Buyer Published minimums Published payout Closed companies
micro1 30+ full-time employees $100K to $3M+ per approved package Yes, separate program
Nyne 20+ US W-2 employees, 3+ years in business “Commonly worth $100K or more” Operating companies only
Mercor Not stated; names eight industries Not published Not stated
Mode 10+ legal; 15+ accounting, medical, finance; 50+ others $100K–$5M; calculator on its site Not stated
Troveo Not stated Calculator: directional ranges by size and years Not stated

Payouts are what each buyer publishes, as of November 2026, and none is a guarantee. Details and dates are on each profile and in the comparison table; the payout calculator runs Mode’s and Troveo’s calculators on your figures.

How it works

  1. Check the fit: size, records, years of history and whether you have the rights to license.
  2. Scope: which systems and date ranges, and what is excluded.
  3. Contract: use rights, exclusivity, deletion of raw data, payment terms.
  4. Transfer: a secure transfer, or connecting tools for the buyer to extract from (Mercor’s model).
  5. De-identification and review by the buyer.
  6. Payment: micro1 pays within 30 days of your invoice after approval; Mercor pays by wire on delivery of the anonymised dataset.

Check before you apply

  • Rights: records you hold for clients (law, accounting, health, outsourcing) usually need to be excluded. Our industry pages cover the common cases.
  • Promises: your privacy policy, employee policies and customer contracts.
  • Decision maker: buyers expect someone who can approve the licence to apply. Nobody can apply on your behalf.

The eligibility check compares your company with what each buyer publishes in about two minutes.

Questions people ask

Do we sell the data or license it?

Usually license. micro1 and Troveo both state that companies keep ownership of their underlying data; the buyer gets rights to use a de-identified copy under the contract.

Do we have to clean the data ourselves?

The buyers we cover say they de-identify the data themselves. You still decide what goes in scope and what is excluded.

How long does it take?

Mercor says typically 2 to 4 weeks from a signed agreement. micro1 gives no guaranteed timeframe and has 30 days to review data after transfer.

Sources

  1. micro1: Monetize your company's operational data
  2. Nyne: Sell company data
  3. Mercor: Your enterprise data can advance frontier AI
  4. Troveo: Business data

Non-dilutive funding options for small companies

Ways to raise cash without selling equity: R&D payroll credits, SBIR awards, SBA loans, revenue-based financing, asset sales and data licensing.

Data as an asset when you sell your business

How records and customer data are handled when you sell a business: stock vs asset deals, privacy promises, due diligence and licensing.

Using the R&D tax credit against payroll tax

How qualified small businesses apply up to $500,000 of the research credit against payroll tax, who qualifies, and what records the claim depends on.

Part of Raising cash without new equity.