Updated October 2026
SimpleClosure's Asset Hub: selling a shut-down startup's data
Key facts
SimpleClosure in its own words and others'
| Fact | Value and source |
|---|---|
| Deals closed | 150+ data deals for wound-down startups, typically $10K-$100K each |
| What SimpleClosure leaves out | Sensitive employee and health records are excluded; code, Slack, email and docs are in scope |
| Expected returns | Expects to return over $10M to startups by the end of 2026 |
What it sells
What is in scope, and what is not
SimpleClosure says code, Slack, email and docs are in scope, and sensitive employee and health records are excluded.3
That covers most of what a software startup leaves behind: the repositories, the Slack workspace where the product was argued over, the inboxes of the people who sold it, and the docs that explained it. Each is worth more when it is complete, so stop deleting before you call. Forbes put SimpleClosure's typical deal at $10K-$100K; it has now done 150+.1
MIT Technology Review reported that AI labs are buying training data from startups that have shut down; one crypto startup got about $25,000 for its code base, with about $15,000 for workspace data pending.4,5
Other routes
Other routes for a closed company
Price gap
Why a closed company gets less
An operating company is quoted $100K-$2M+ by micro1 and Polyshares; a closed startup typically gets $10K-$100K through SimpleClosure. Our reading, not a buyer's statement: a closed company has fewer people to explain the records, the history stops, and buyers price that in. Long histories still sell well. Cielo24 sold 13 years of Slack, Jira and email for what was reported as hundreds of thousands of dollars.9,10,1,11
Before you hand anything over
What to ask SimpleClosure
Ask what share of the sale it keeps and when the company is paid; who removes personal data, by what method, and whether you approve it first; which buyers will receive the archive; and what happens to the copy you hand over if no buyer is found. SimpleClosure already excludes sensitive employee and health records, so ask what else it leaves out.3
Process
How it works with each buyer
In each buyer's own published words. Where a buyer publishes nothing, we say so rather than guess.
Check first
How to check SimpleClosure, 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
SimpleClosure's channel for selling a wound-down startup's assets, including its data. It has done 150+ data deals, typically $10K-$100K each.1
SimpleClosure says code, Slack, email and docs are in scope, and sensitive employee and health records are excluded.3
License My Data takes closed companies with 50+ staff at their peak. Operating-company buyers set floors on current headcount, so they rarely fit a closed company.6
Not in the sources we checked. Ask what share of the sale it keeps, and when the company is paid.1
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
- Who owns this data: the company, an estate, or someone else?
- What are the trustee's, assignee's, receiver's or board's duties, and who receives the proceeds?
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?