Updated October 2026
License a closing startup's data to AI buyers
MIT Technology Review counts more than 150 data deals for wound-down startups through SimpleClosure, and Forbes put the typical deal at $10K-$100K.1
When a startup shuts down, the last few weeks are spent on payroll, investors, customers and the dissolution paperwork. The Slack workspace, Google Drive, Notion, Jira and GitHub organization are usually the last things anyone thinks about, and often get deleted when the card on file stops being charged. Until recently they had no buyer. Now they do.
AI labs and data intermediaries buy the full working record of a company that no longer needs it: years of product debates, code reviews, customer calls written up, hiring decisions and launch plans. MIT Technology Review reported in October 2026 that AI labs are buying data from startups that have shut down, and counts more than 150 such deals through SimpleClosure, a wind-down service. Mercor has pursued shuttered startups' Slack and Jira archives, and micro1 has advertised to people who ran a company that is no longer operating.
This page is for founders, board members, investors and wind-down advisers of venture-backed and bootstrapped startups with ten or more people at their peak. It covers what sells, the prices that have been reported, which buyers fit, and what to raise with the buyer and the board before anything is transferred. The closing-your-company guide covers the wider process.
Worth
What a startup's data may be worth
Set for a typical startup, 30 staff and 5 years of records. Move the sliders to match yours. Our estimate, not an offer.
Buyers
Which buyers want this data
Buyers whose own published rules fit startups that are winding down or have closed. We can introduce you to the ones we work with.
Featured partners
micro1
Has run ads to people whose company is no longer operating, for US companies that had 25+ employees at their peak.5
- $100K to $2M+, micro1 says6
Watch out for: Says it removes personal details only "when relevant", so ask exactly how.10
Everyone else we reviewed
By score, with full reviews. We have no referral agreement with these companies, so we do not link out to them.
Mercor
Has pursued shuttered startups' Slack and Jira archives, and approached Warmly after its acquisition.11,12
Watch out for: It confirmed a cyberattack in 2026, and class actions followed.16,17
SimpleClosure
Runs a wind-down service with an asset hub for data, with 150+ deals reported, and says code, Slack, email and docs are in scope.1,2
- Usually $10K to $100K for a closed startup1
Watch out for: Built for startups that are shutting down, so deals are smaller.1
Troveo
Names production code with commits, reviews and bug history, often the most valuable asset a software startup leaves.18
- Six figures and up for a whole company, Troveo says19
- A share of the revenue; the percentage is not published20
Watch out for: You are paid from a revenue share, so ask what percentage you keep.20
Who wants this
Do buyers want startups that are winding down or have closed?
No buyer publishes prices by industry, but their own intake forms show which industries they rate higher.
- Troveo puts developer tools, data and AI infrastructure, and cybersecurity in its top demand tier, and business and consumer apps in its third.21,22
- Polyshares takes software and saas, without marking it premium.23
- VMS, a broker, gives software or tech extra weight when it estimates value.24
Which buyers take a startup your size
Shown for 30 staff, a typical startup. Ask whether contractors and part-time staff count.
micro1
Polyshares
No headcount rule; the length and texture of the record matter more27
Mode
20+ full-time US office staff (accounting firms 10+, law firms 6+)28
Pewter
20+ staff and 3+ years; by industry, from 10+ (healthcare) to 50+ (manufacturing, finance)29,30,31
Grepped
No headcount minimum stated32
Ventra
30+ US employees and 3+ years of records33
Mercor
None stated34
Troveo
No minimum stated; its estimator starts at 2035
Nyne
20+ US W-2 employees and 3+ years36
Endless
Roughly 30+ employees37
Supersoniq
50+ employees and 5+ years38
What buyers value
What in a startup's records buyers value
What buyers look for in your records, and what to talk through with your buyer before anything leaves your systems.
| Data | Where it lives | Why a buyer values it | Raise with the buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slack or Teams workspace | Slack, Microsoft Teams | Years of decisions made in the open: product debates, launches, incidents, hiring. | Private DMs, HR channels and anything about named employees' health or pay. |
| Code repositories | GitHub, GitLab | Code with review and bug history; a closed crypto startup's code base alone sold for about $25,000. | Customer data in fixtures, and open-source components. |
| Jira or Linear history | Jira, Linear | Every feature and bug from idea to release, linked to the code. | Nothing specific |
| Docs, wiki and design files | Notion, Google Drive, Figma | Strategy memos, PRDs and designs; a crypto startup's Google, Notion, Figma and Slack data was offered after its code sold. | Nothing specific |
| Email and CRM | Gmail, HubSpot, Salesforce | Sales conversations, investor updates and customer support from the company's whole life. | Customer and investor personal details. |
Process
How it works with each buyer
In each buyer's own words. Where a buyer publishes nothing, we say so.
micro1
- Internal docs, SOPs and playbooks, knowledge bases, project management workflows, internal comms, templates, CRM and workflow metadata, task histories39
- 30 to 200 employees26
- $100K-$2M+ per data package; over $1M for unique data6
- PII removed "when relevant"10
- The company keeps ownership of its data and reviews samples before release40
- Not published
Mercor
SimpleClosure
Selling or closing
Selling or closing your startup? License its data first
This page is the exit section. If the company is closing, the order matters: data that is deleted when subscriptions lapse cannot be licensed afterwards. SimpleClosure says sensitive employee and health records are excluded while code, Slack, email and docs are in scope. Ask each buyer who must sign for the company once it is dissolving, how proceeds reach the right people, and how long the process takes before the workspace is switched off.2,3
FAQ
Startups winding down: questions, answered
From 2026-10-09 micro1 ran ads headed "Your previous company's data could be worth up to $2M", aimed at US companies that had 25+ employees at their peak. Up to $2M is micro1's own ceiling, not a typical price.5
Every business is different, so this one is best talked through with the buyer you're working with. Their team goes over it with you before anything is signed.
Every business is different, so this one is best talked through with the buyer you're working with. Their team goes over it with you before anything is signed.
Before you sign
Questions to talk through with your buyer
Every business is different, so these are best talked through with the buyer you're working with. Their team goes over them with you before anything is signed.
Questions for this kind of business
- Who signs for the company during a dissolution or an assignment for the benefit of creditors?
- How are employee DMs, HR channels and personal data excluded?
- Which customer contracts restrict data that sits in tickets, logs or Slack?
- Who owns this data: the company, an estate, or someone else?
- How are employee data, union contracts and NLRA questions handled?
- What are the trustee's, assignee's, receiver's or board's duties, and who receives the proceeds?
- Which proceeding fits: an ABC, Chapter 7, Chapter 11 or a dissolution?
Questions for any buyer
- Is the license exclusive, and for how long?
- Can you sublicense the data, and to whom?
- Which AI labs will receive it, and will you tell us?
- How long do you keep it, and how is it deleted?
- What is your liability cap, and who indemnifies whom?
- Will the contract ban re-identification of people in the data?
- Who removes personal data, by what method, and do we approve it first?
Proof