New: who buys company data, October 2026 list
Data Licensing Report
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Troveo vs Handshake AI: which fits a company licensing its data?

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Troveo

Licensing agentRevenue shareVideo and audioProfile

Handshake AI

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Troveo Handshake AI
TypeLicensing agentLicenses directly
RelationshipNone recordedNone recorded
What they buy

Records from eight kinds of business systems: chat, email and calendar, documents, work and knowledge tools, CRM and support, IT/HR/operations platforms, finance and operations, and data and code. It also invites internal systems.[1] as of

Outside business data, Troveo licenses video, audio, gaming and robotics content from creators and media companies.[2, 3] as of

Its home page gives IT Service Management, Salesforce/CRM, Customer Support, Financial Operations and Inventory Management as example systems of record.[4] as of

Its chat card names Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat and Zoom; its documents card names Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint and Dropbox ('Contents plus the metadata: authorship, versions, timestamps'); and its work and knowledge card names Jira, Linear, Asana, Monday, Notion and Figma ('Tickets, sprints, wikis, and complete project histories').[1] as of

Its CRM, sales and support card names Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Calendar, Intercom and Zendesk ('Opportunity lifecycles, account histories, and the judgment calls in every close'); its business-platforms card names ServiceNow, Workday, SAP and Dynamics ('Records behind IT, HR, and operations tickets, workflows, and approvals'); and its finance and operations card names QuickBooks, Stripe, NetSuite, Pigment and Shopify ('Ledgers, invoices, and contracts — how the money actually moves').[1] as of

Its license page lists example sources: Gmail, Outlook, Google Drive, Dropbox, Slack, Notion, Monday.com, NetSuite, QuickBooks, Paychex, ServiceTitan, AutoCAD and Figma, plus '+1K more'.[5] as of

Its sales job ads name workflow data, code and support transcripts as examples of the proprietary data it licenses.[6] as of

The blog says it wants data showing how businesses actually operate: how decisions get made and how teams use tools.[7] as of

Who they buy from

Operating companies. No minimum size, age or location is published; its calculator runs from 20 to 1,000+ employees and from under 3 to 15+ years of history.[1] as of

Startups that are shutting down: a September 2026 guide covers licensing code, tickets, Slack threads and docs, and advises setting this up before the company dissolves.[8] as of

Its assessment also offers a role option for managed-service providers ('I run an MSP').[9] as of

Its snapshots page lists 'Construction & Building Trades' among 11 industries. One card, a 'Tech-Enabled Construction Company' (USA, 50–79 employees, 6 years, 13 systems), shows ServiceTitan, Google Workspace and Slack logos; another, a 'Building Products Manufacturer' (Manufacturing & Industrial, 500–999 employees), shows Microsoft Teams, OneDrive and Dynamics 365.[10] as of

Its assessment's business-type options include IT/MSP, healthcare/clinics/RCM, insurance/claims, financial services/fintech, legal/professional services, BPO/contact center, logistics/field service/supply chain, manufacturing/industrial, retail/e-commerce, marketing/media/creative agency, software/SaaS, real estate/property and something else.[9] as of

Published minimum: 20+ full-time employees and 3+ years in operation.[5, 11] as of

Its payout estimator uses employee count, years in operation and country as inputs; the defaults (100 employees, 10 years) are not eligibility rules.[12] as of

Payment model

Revenue share: Troveo says the owner shares in the revenue on every sale of its data, the first and each later one. The percentage is not published.[1] as of

Troveo says owners pay no fees or setup costs and that it takes no deductions from payouts. Its own share of each sale is not stated.[1] as of

For its video program, Troveo's help center says there is no fixed payout schedule, licensors are paid after the AI client pays, and delivery to payout can take up to 4–5 months.[13, 14] as of

The blog says each deal's terms are scoped in advance and protected under NDA; neither the blog nor the license page states payment structure or timing.[7, 5] as of

Handshake says any payout depends on the data sources, volume and quality, the outcome of its due diligence, and acceptance of its data licensing terms.[12] as of

Published ranges

Troveo says typical full-company deals start at six figures. It does not say whether that is the buyer's price or the owner's share.[1] as of

An example on its page totals $850,000 from four sales ($200,000, $250,000, $200,000 and $200,000), labelled illustrative, with 'actual terms scoped per partnership'.[1] as of

Its assessment page shows a sample result of $850K–$925K in estimated first-year net earnings from 4+ licensing deals, marked illustrative.[9] as of

The license page says payouts range from $100K to $4M; the blog says qualified partnerships typically fall in that range; the program page says $100K to $4M+.[5, 7, 12] as of

With its default inputs (100 employees, 10 years), the program-page estimator shows $383,083–$896,969, labelled an indicative estimate and not an offer.[12] as of

Process

Four steps, as Troveo describes them: scope what is in or out, agree standard terms covering license and earnings, package (anonymize and document in a manifest), then get paid.[1] as of

No system access or software: the company runs the exports with Troveo's guidance (a short scoping call and a few hours, its FAQ says). Troveo handles every buyer conversation.[1] as of

Troveo says ownership never transfers and that exclusivity is time-limited, with exit terms in the agreement. A July 2026 guide says 95% of its licensors signed exclusively.[1, 15] as of

Step 1: a short intake form about the company and the tools it uses, described as requiring no commitment.[12] as of

Step 2: a team member follows up and, if there is a fit, holds a scoping call on data parameters, de-identification, terms and timeline.[12] as of

Companies introduced through its referral form are contacted within 1–2 days, Handshake says.[11] as of

Data handling

Troveo says names, contact details, credentials and client identities are removed under one documented standard before use. The standard itself is not published.[1] as of

Buyers evaluate the data anonymously and are introduced to the company confidentially only after an agreement is signed. They receive anonymized data with a manifest of what is included.[1] as of

The seller decides what to share and transfers data as it exists; Handshake removes identifying details and cleans records on its side.[12] as of

Handshake says partner companies are never identified and data goes to frontier labs under confidentiality, for training and evaluation only, not publication.[12] as of

Its trust portal lists SOC 2 Type II and other company-wide certifications; it does not say whether they cover the data-partnerships pipeline.[16] as of

Geography

No country eligibility rule is published for business data. The assessment asks which languages the company's data uses, not where the company is based.[9] as of

Troveo says its overall library spans 150+ countries and 60+ languages, mostly video and audio.[4] as of

The payout estimator offers USA, Canada, Europe and Other as country options, and the interest form asks for country.[12] as of

How to apply

An online assessment of 10 questions returns a dollar estimate; name, company and work email are required to see it.[9] as of

The results page offers a 15-minute call, and the contact page has an 'I want to license my data' route.[9, 17] as of

Application page

Interest form on the license page ('Find out what yours is worth'), asking for name, email, phone (optional), company, website (optional) and country.[5] as of

Third parties can refer a company through a referral form and receive a $10K bonus when that company's deal closes.[11] as of

Application page

Not publicly stated
  • Revenue-share percentage for business data checked
  • Payment timing for business-data deals checked
  • Length, scope and exit terms of exclusivity checked
  • Names of its buyers checked
  • The anonymization standard, and where raw exports are stored and when they are deleted checked
  • The licensing agreement owners sign checked
  • Names of the AI labs that receive the data checked
  • Program launch date checked

Troveo licenses your data for a share of each sale; Handshake AI buys or licenses it for frontier labs, advertises $100K–$4M and sets a size minimum. That minimum is 20 full-time employees and three years of operation, and Troveo publishes none, so a smaller or younger company has only one of the two to approach. Above that line, the choice turns on how you want to be paid and who you want holding your data.

Who ends up with my data?

With Troveo, AI labs and startups that Troveo finds and signs. Troveo claims 40+ active buyers without naming them, says buyers are introduced to your company only after an agreement is signed, and says ownership “never transfers.”

With Handshake AI, Handshake itself, and then frontier AI labs. Its program page says Handshake AI “buys that data and works with top AI labs,” and that once prepared, “Partner companies are never identified. Data is used for model training and evaluation only, and is not published or made publicly accessible.” Its pages name no labs. Its job postings describe the work as going directly to companies “to license their proprietary data,” and its payout disclaimer refers to “data licensing terms.” Those terms are not published, as of October 2026, so whether you keep ownership and can license the same records elsewhere is a question to put to Handshake directly.

How does payment differ?

Troveo pays a share of every sale of your data and charges no fees, but does not publish the percentage. Its FAQ says typical full-company deals “start at six figures,” without saying whether that is the buyer’s price or your share. Your total builds as sales happen; Troveo’s illustrative example reaches $850,000 across four sales.

Handshake AI’s license page says “Payouts range from $100K to $4M,” and its blog says “qualified partnerships typically range from $100K to $4M depending on the data.” Its program page says $4M+, and its estimator shows $383,083–$896,969 at the default inputs (100 employees, 10 years), labelled “an indicative estimate only and is not an offer.” Handshake says any payout depends on data sources, volume and quality, due diligence and acceptance of its terms, and its blog says everything is “scoped upfront, protected under NDA.”

Handshake’s range is described as your payout. Troveo’s “six figures” may describe what a buyer pays before your share. The two numbers are not like for like until Troveo states your percentage. Ask Handshake whether its payout arrives at signing, on delivery or in installments, and ask Troveo what triggers each share. Upfront vs revenue share explains the general trade-off.

Does my company qualify for each?

Handshake AI publishes a minimum: “20+ full time employees & 3+ years in operation.” Troveo publishes none, as of October 2026. Its calculator runs from 20 to 1,000+ employees and from under 3 to 15+ years of history, and a Troveo guide says “a smaller company with rare, specialized workflows can be worth more than a larger generic one.”

Troveo has also published a guide for startups that are shutting down. Data Licensing Report found no country rule on either company’s program pages (checked October 4, 2026): Handshake’s estimator offers the USA, Canada, Europe and Other, and Troveo’s assessment asks which languages your data uses.

Who handles our raw data?

By their own descriptions, both receive your records before de-identification. Troveo says your team runs the exports with its guidance and it handles the anonymization, under “one documented standard” it does not publish. Handshake says “You decide what data you share,” and that de-identification and cleaning happen on its side: “all you have to do is transfer the data as it exists today, and we take it from there.”

Handshake’s trust portal lists SOC 2 Type II and other certifications for the company as a whole; it does not say they cover the data-partnership program specifically. With either, ask who handles the raw records, where they are stored and when they are deleted.

Why might I hear from one of them without asking?

Handshake AI is building a sales team to find companies. Its Sales Development Representative posting asks reps to “run high-volume outbound (calls, email, LinkedIn) against a target account list to find companies with data worth licensing,” and a second posting says reps reach owners, founders, CTOs and heads of data. Handshake also pays a $10K bonus to anyone who refers a company whose deal closes, and says its team reaches out to referred companies within 1–2 days. A cold call, an email or an adviser’s introduction is consistent with how Handshake says it finds companies.

When Data Licensing Report checked Troveo’s public job board on October 4, 2026, it listed two roles, an accounting manager and a product manager. That does not show whether Troveo’s existing staff contact companies directly.

How established is each in company data?

Both are newer to company data than to their main business. Handshake was founded in 2014 as a careers network. TechCrunch reported in January 2026 that its AI data business had supplied eight top AI labs, including OpenAI, but that was its human-expert data work. Its own SDR posting calls the company-data program “a zero-to-one build” hiring its first 5–10 reps. Its license page shows “$250M Paid out to partners” and “1K+ Partner companies” without saying whether “partners” means companies that licensed data.

Troveo launched in 2024 licensing creators’ video, The Hollywood Reporter reported, and added business data in April 2026. Its payout totals, “more than $20 million” in dated statements and “$50M+” on its content-owner page, are not split by category. Ask each how many company-data deals have closed and paid out.

Which fits my company: Troveo or Handshake AI?

Handshake AI may fit if:

  • you have 20 or more full-time employees and three or more years of operation;
  • you want a published range that is described as your payout;
  • you want your data’s use limited to model training and evaluation, as Handshake states.

Troveo may fit if:

  • your company is below Handshake’s minimums;
  • you want income from repeated sales of the same records, and accept revenue share and time-limited exclusivity;
  • your company is closing;
  • you also hold video, audio or gaming content, which Troveo licenses too.

Neither publishes the licensing agreement you would sign, as of October 2026.

Sources

  1. Troveo program page, Troveo. Accessed .
  2. License Your Content to Top AI Companies | Troveo, Troveo. Accessed .
  3. How to Sell Data to AI Companies (and What It's Worth in 2026), Troveo. Published . Accessed .
  4. Troveo | Real-World Data Powering Top Frontier Labs, Troveo. Accessed .
  5. Data Partnerships | Handshake AI (license / interest form page), Handshake. Accessed .
  6. Sales Development Representative, Data Partnerships @ Handshake (Ashby job posting), Handshake AI. Accessed .
  7. Introducing Handshake AI Employer Data Partnerships (Handshake blog), Handshake. Accessed .
  8. Shutting Down Your Startup? How to Sell Your Code and Data to AI Labs, Troveo. Published . Accessed .
  9. What's Your Business Data Worth? | Troveo, Troveo. Accessed .
  10. Troveo Business Data snapshots, Troveo. Accessed .
  11. Handshake AI Data Partnerships referral page ('Refer a company, get $10K'), Handshake. Accessed .
  12. Handshake AI program page, Handshake. Accessed .
  13. How do payouts work on Troveo? (Troveo Knowledge Base), Troveo. Accessed .
  14. How long do Troveo licensing deals take? (Troveo Knowledge Base), Troveo. Accessed .
  15. AI Data Licensing in 2026: How Deals Work and What Data Costs, Troveo. Published . Accessed .
  16. Handshake Trust Portal, Handshake AI. Accessed .
  17. Contact | Troveo, Troveo. Accessed .

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