Closing your company? Its records may still be worth something
When a company winds down, its email, Slack or Teams, tickets, code and CRM history usually get deleted with the last software bill. AI companies now license records like these, including from companies that no longer operate. We are the broker and technical advisor for whoever controls the records now: the founders, the board, an assignee, a receiver or a bankruptcy trustee.
Before you cancel anything
| Keep the systems | Keep paying for email, chat, ticketing, CRM, code and file storage, or take a full export first. When an account closes, its data is usually deleted after a short grace period. |
| List the accounts | Write down which tool holds what, since when, and who still has admin access. |
| Keep the old policies | Save the company's privacy policy and customer terms. They decide what can be licensed, and in a bankruptcy they decide whether the court needs a privacy ombudsman. |
| Send nothing yet | No data leaves until a deal is agreed and the records are cleaned. |
Who signs, depending on how the company closes
| Situation | Who controls the records | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Wind-down outside court | Founders and the board | The simplest deal. Check first whether a lender holds a lien on the company's assets. |
| Assignment for the benefit of creditors | The assignee | The assignee sells the assets for the creditors, usually faster than a bankruptcy. |
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy | The trustee | Selling estate assets needs court approval. The money goes to the creditors. |
| Chapter 11 bankruptcy | The company, with court approval | Often still operating. Approval is public and can take weeks. |
| Receivership | The receiver | Under a court order. |
In a US bankruptcy, if the privacy policy promised not to transfer personal information, the court can approve a sale only in line with that policy or after appointing a consumer privacy ombudsman (Bankruptcy Code sections 363(b)(1) and 332). The counsel running the process decides; this page is not legal advice.
What qualifies
| Size | About 30 or more people at the company's peak, most of them working at a computer. |
| History | 3 or more years of records on the same tools. |
| Records | The systems are still live, or a full export exists. |
| Language | Records mostly in English. |
What it pays
| Deal | Reported range (USD) |
|---|---|
| Archive of a closed company | $10,000 to $100,000 |
Larger companies, longer histories and rare industries can earn more. We never promise a number before the records are checked.
What we do for you
| As your broker | We bring the records to several AI companies so they compete, and negotiate the terms, including how long the license runs and whether it is exclusive. |
| As your technical advisor | We help you keep or export the right systems before shutdown, in a format buyers accept, and plan how names and personal details come out. |
| With the counsel involved | We work with the company's or the estate's counsel on approvals and timing. Each deal is reviewed by an outside lawyer and covered by an outside insurer. |
Still operating? The main seller page is here.
Questions owners and trustees ask
Can a company that no longer operates still license its data?
Yes, if the records still exist and whoever controls them now can sign. AI companies care about how the work was done, so a closed company can still have a licensable archive.
We already cancelled our software. Is it too late?
Maybe not. Many tools keep data for a while after an account closes, and someone may have exported a copy before shutdown. Tell us which tools you used and when you cancelled, and check them quickly: every week counts.
Who gets the money?
Whoever owns the records. That is the company itself in a wind-down, or the estate and its creditors in an assignment for the benefit of creditors, a receivership or a bankruptcy. The process decides, and the counsel running it confirms.
What about the names of our employees and customers?
They come out before any AI company sees the records. Names, emails, phone numbers and account numbers are replaced, and how that is done, and by whom, is written into the contract.
How long does it take?
It depends on who has to approve the deal. A wind-down outside court is the simplest. A sale out of a bankruptcy estate needs court approval, which adds weeks. We plan the timing with the counsel involved.
What does it cost?
Nothing up front. We are paid only when a deal closes. Each deal is reviewed by an outside lawyer and covered by an outside insurer.