Updated October 2026
Jottings: a data licensing agent paid from the proceeds
Jottings is run by founder Chris Riley through Riley Ventures LLC in Delray Beach, Florida. Its ads say "We don't get paid until you do", and its site states the price of that: a success fee typically of 20-30%, paid only from proceeds. It is one of the few brokers in this wave that names its owner and its fee.1,2,3
Key facts
Jottings in its own words and others'
| Fact | Value and source |
|---|---|
| Jottings success fee | Success fees typically 20-30%, paid only from proceeds, applied to every payout on revenue-share deals including renewals |
| Jottings market ranges | $100K-$250K for specialized histories, $250K-$750K for deep multi-year sets, $1M+ for rare data |
| Jottings company details | A product of Riley Ventures LLC, d/b/a Acme Studio, Delray Beach, FL, run by founder Chris Riley |
| Jottings size floor | No headcount minimum stated on the site; its FAQ uses a 70-person mortgage shop as an example |
Its fee
How Jottings is paid
There is no upfront fee if you qualify, and if nothing sells you owe nothing on that deal. When a license closes, Jottings takes typically 20-30%. On revenue-share deals the fee applies to every payout, renewals included, so it continues as long as the deal pays.3,2
Compare that with the many buyers that say they charge sellers nothing. An agent may still be worth it if it gets a higher price; ask what it would expect you to net after the fee.4,5,6
Its proof
The $173,163 deal it cites
Jottings' ads say owners licensed their own data for $173,163. Its About page describes that payment as the founder's own, from going through the process himself as the seller; the homepage calls it a check for a business owner. It publishes market ranges of $100K-$250K for specialized histories, $250K-$750K for deep multi-year sets and $1M+ for rare data.7,8,9
Who fits
Size and data
Check first
How to check Jottings, or any buyer
The same checks for every company we profile. We state facts; you decide.
- 1.Find the company behind the ad: a legal name, a registered address and named people.
- 2.Ask for a written offer and a sample agreement before you send any data.
- 3.Ask who removes personal data, by what method, and approve it before anything is exported.
- 4.Ask which AI labs will receive the data, and whether you will be told.
- 5.Ask how they are paid: by you, by the buyer, or from a share of your deal.
- 6.Get terms from at least one other buyer before you answer.
FAQ
Questions, answered with sources
A success fee typically of 20-30%, paid only from proceeds. On revenue-share deals it applies to every payout, renewals included.3
Founder Chris Riley, through Riley Ventures LLC, d/b/a Acme Studio, in Delray Beach, Florida. A Florida LLC of that name is registered at the same address.1
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
- Does the success fee continue on renewals if we stop using Jottings?
- Do customer, vendor or platform contracts, NDAs or API terms restrict this?
- How is the payment taxed?
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?