SimpleClosure AssetHub review: selling a closing startup's code and data for AI

SimpleClosure’s AssetHub sells or licenses closing startups’ source code and workspace data to AI buyers, and Forbes reported in April 2026 that SimpleClosure typically pays $10,000 to $100,000 per company. SimpleClosure is a startup shutdown service. Its terms provide for SimpleClosure, an affiliate or a third-party buyer introduced through AssetHub to acquire the assets, and since September 2026 it has said operating companies can use AssetHub too (as of October 2026).

Is AssetHub only for companies that are closing?

No, but it was built for them, and every price reported for SimpleClosure’s data sales comes from them. SimpleClosure launched AssetHub on April 16, 2026 as “a platform where founders closing their companies can sell the assets they’ve built”, and its page for buyers describes supply from venture-backed startups going through a wind-down. On September 3, 2026 it said it was opening AssetHub to “companies at any stage, including those that are operating”, and that AssetHub “remains free for SimpleClosure dissolution customers.” That release does not say what other companies pay.

• If your company is closing, timing matters. SimpleClosure’s own guide says asset sales can happen after dissolution, but buyer confidence and leverage are usually strongest before or early in a wind-down. Sunset, another wind-down service, also buys closing startups’ data; its profile covers how.
• If your company is operating, the $10,000 to $100,000 figure describes defunct startups, not what an operating company is offered. How much is my company’s data worth? keeps the two apart, and the buyers directory shows which providers were built for companies that keep running.

Who buys the assets, and who pays the company?

The acquirer, which its terms say can be SimpleClosure, one of its affiliates or subsidiaries, or a third-party buyer introduced through AssetHub. The terms, effective May 6, 2026, say an evaluation “does not constitute an obligation to acquire” and that any acquisition needs due diligence and a separate agreement. When SimpleClosure or an affiliate acquires assets, “all right, title, and interest” passes to it, and it may then license them to third parties. The buyer page tells AI buyers they state their criteria, review samples and receive assets through SimpleClosure rather than negotiating with each startup.

The homepage also offers to “sell or license” assets, but its terms and press releases do not say how a license is set up: who holds it, whether it is exclusive, or whether the company shares in later licenses. Ask which entity is the counterparty and whether it is buying outright, because an outright sale leaves you no rights in the data. Am I selling my data or licensing it? explains the difference.

Buyers are described only by type: “AI companies, research labs, enterprise teams” at launch, and in September a buyer network that SimpleClosure says grew ninefold from 2025, including “top foundation labs” (release). None is named.

What has SimpleClosure paid?

The published figures come from startups that had shut down, and they measure different things:

Figure	Source	What it measures
Typically $10,000 to $100,000 per company; nearly 100 deals in the prior year; over $1 million recovered	Forbes, April 16, 2026	SimpleClosure’s own figures, relayed by Forbes
cielo24 received “hundreds of thousands of dollars”	Forbes, April 16, 2026	One closing transcription company
cielo24’s assets “were acquired for mid-six figures”	SimpleClosure case study, undated	The same company, as SimpleClosure tells it
More than 350 companies; on track to return over $10 million by the end of 2026	SimpleClosure release, September 3, 2026	Companies listing assets, and a projection

The two cielo24 accounts describe different data. Forbes described a sale of about 13 years of Slack messages, Jira tickets and emails; SimpleClosure’s case study describes data assets built over more than a decade, bought by an organization working in language technology, and does not mention Slack or email. Fortune reported the 350 as companies that have listed assets since April, not sales. SimpleClosure’s terms and releases do not say when the price is paid once a sale closes.

What sells on AssetHub?

Code, and the record of the work around it. AssetHub lists SourceCode (codebases, repositories, documentation and testing) and WorkspaceData, which covers “communications, documents, designs, tickets, workflows, and other company systems,” naming Slack, Google Drive, email, Notion and Figma (AssetHub). WorkspaceData was in beta at launch and moved to general availability in September 2026. Upstarts Media, reporting from SimpleClosure’s figures on September 3, 2026, said code in less common programming languages can command higher prices, and that linked context from Jira, Linear or Figma, or related emails and support logs, adds to a codebase’s value (Upstarts Media).

Sellers start with a short form or by connecting a GitHub repository through SimpleClosure’s app, then receive a viability assessment and review buyer interest.

What do SimpleClosure’s terms ask of a seller?

Three provisions in the terms matter before you submit anything:

• A license over what you submit. You give SimpleClosure permission to “aggregate, anonymize, and de-identify Your Data to use for any legal purpose,” a license the terms call perpetual and irrevocable, and they say it “specifically includes Digital Assets” submitted through AssetHub. The wording covers what you submit, not only what sells, so ask how it applies to code or data that is withdrawn or never sold.
• Warranties about the people in the data. You confirm that you have given all required notices to, and obtained all required consents from, anyone whose personal information is in the assets, and that the assets are free of liens and third-party claims.
• An indemnity. You cover SimpleClosure for breaches of those warranties and for infringement and privacy claims.

SimpleClosure says it typically handles PII removal itself. It describes a “multi-pass de-identification protocol,” says sensitive employee and health records are not sold, and leaves out anything the seller marks out of scope (release). The consent warranty stays with you either way; Is it legal to sell company emails and records? lists the documents to check.

Who runs SimpleClosure, and how established is it?

A shutdown business that launched AssetHub in 2026. Its About page says it was founded in 2023, names Dori Yona as founder and CEO, and claims more than 6,000 company closures and over $201 million distributed back to investors; those figures describe shutdowns, not data sales. The company named in its terms is Simple Closure Inc., and its press releases are datelined Santa Monica, California. TechCrunch reported a $15 million Series A led by TTV Capital in May 2025, with Carta investing after closing its own shutdown product.

The data business has independent coverage: Forbes and Gizmodo in April 2026, and Fortune in September 2026, which cited SimpleClosure’s buyer figures as market context. What SimpleClosure does not publish, as of October 2026, is how many AssetHub listings have sold since April or which companies bought them.

What should I ask SimpleClosure before submitting assets?

Ask who would buy your assets and what submitting them commits you to:

1. Which entity would buy our assets: SimpleClosure, an affiliate or a named third party? Is it a sale or a license?
2. If it is a license, is it exclusive, for how long, and do we share in later licenses?
3. What does AssetHub cost a company that is not a SimpleClosure dissolution customer?
4. When is the price paid, and does any of it depend on a buyer accepting the data?
5. How does the license over submitted assets apply if nothing sells, and can we have submitted data deleted?
6. Can we review the de-identified copy before it goes to a buyer?
7. What do you need from us to meet the warranty on employee and customer notices and consents?