Updated October 2026
SimpleClosure alternatives: Sunset, Pewter and other wind-down data channels
SimpleClosure is the best-known channel for selling a closing startup's data, and it reports 150+ data deals, typically $10K-$100K each. Founders looking at SimpleClosure competitors have a few other options. Below, each one is described by its own published terms or by what has been reported about it. We do not rank them or say which is best.1
Baseline
SimpleClosure's own terms, for comparison
SimpleClosure says every dataset is processed for PII before it is licensed to a buyer, with sensitive information and credentials de-identified. It also keeps sensitive employee and health records out of scope; the rest of the workspace, from code to email, is in. Any alternative can be measured against those two statements.2,3
| Fact | Value and source |
|---|---|
| Deals closed | 150+ data deals for wound-down startups, typically $10K-$100K each |
| PII processing on AssetHub | Every dataset is processed for PII before it is licensed to a buyer; sensitive information and credentials are de-identified |
| How Sunset values an archive | Sunset (CEO Brendan Mahony) values a company's assets by headcount, years in operation, data volume and how the team used its tools |
| License My Data (broker) | Takes companies with 30+ employees and 2+ years, or closed companies with 50+ staff at their peak; shares commission per deal |
| Pewter on wind-downs | Takes US firms of any operating status with 20+ staff and 3+ years of records; says archives can be deleted when firms wind down |
Sunset
Sunset
MIT Technology Review reports that Sunset, whose CEO is Brendan Mahony, values a company's assets by headcount, years in operation, data volume and how the team used its tools. Sunset's fees and payment terms were not in the sources we checked, so ask for them directly.4
Brokers and buyers
License My Data and Pewter
License My Data says it accepts closed companies whose peak staff reached 50+, as well as operating companies with 30+ employees and 2+ years, and that it shares commission per deal. It also states a view on deal structure: that for a closed company the estate keeps ownership of the underlying data, that a non-exclusive licence is "usually the better deal", and that a buyout covers only the prepared dataset. Those are License My Data's own statements; ownership questions go to the licensing company.5,6
Pewter says it takes US firms of any operating status with 20+ staff and 3+ years of records. It also says archives can be deleted when firms wind down, which is its argument for acting before the shutdown ends.7
Comparing
How to compare channels without a ranking
Ask every channel the same short list: what it excludes, who removes personal data and with what tool, whether the license is exclusive, how and when it pays, what it keeps from the sale, and who the end buyers are. Put the answers in one table. The differences that matter for a given company usually show up there, not in the headline payout.
FAQ
Questions, answered with sources
MIT Technology Review reports Sunset looks at headcount, years in operation, data volume and how the team used its tools.4
SimpleClosure says every dataset is processed for PII before licensing, with sensitive information and credentials de-identified.2
We do not answer legal questions. Ask the licensing company: their team reviews this with you before anything is signed.
Before you sign
Legal questions go to the licensing company
We do not answer legal questions. Ask the licensing company before you sign: their team reviews these with you.
Questions for this kind of business
- Is your license exclusive, and would it stop us offering the same data through another channel?
- Who de-identifies the data, and do we review the result before it goes to any buyer?
- Who owns this data: the company, an estate, or someone else?
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?