What are AI companies looking for?
Some AI buyers seek information that reflects how businesses actually work: documented processes, technical artefacts, project histories and records of tasks moving through business systems. A useful first inventory describes the categories, years covered, approximate volume and the people responsible for each system. Keep that inventory descriptive; do not copy source records into an enquiry or public AI tool.
Is six- or seven-figure revenue realistic?
There are public programmes advertising licensing opportunities at that scale in US dollars. Handshake publishes a $100K–$4M+ range and criteria including 20+ full-time staff and three or more operating years. Other programmes use different tiers. These are buyer statements, not typical earnings, completed deals through AI Solutions IOM or a quote for your company. Geographic acceptance, rights, quality and diligence can lead to a lower offer or no offer.
Owning a system does not mean owning every record
A company may control a CRM or document store while the records include customer information, employee data, third-party intellectual property or confidential client material. Start by identifying the relevant contracts and decision-makers. Ask your legal and data-protection advisers to assess whether the proposed use is permitted. Removing names alone may not make information anonymous, and anonymisation does not remove all contractual or intellectual-property restrictions.
What a broker adds to the process
A broker can help describe the opportunity, identify a relevant buyer route and coordinate an introduction and subsequent commercial discussions. Ask who pays the broker, whether any referral compensation applies and whether the broker can represent multiple buyers. The buyer should perform its own assessment; your business should retain the decision over what is disclosed and which terms it accepts.
The five questions to ask before proceeding
Write down answers to these questions before any export, connector installation or sample transfer. An introductory conversation can be based on a summary while the formal permissions are established.
- What information is in scope, and who has authority to approve its use?
- Who receives it, for which purposes, and can it be shared onward?
- How are sensitive information, access and retention handled?
- What determines acceptance, the payment amount and the payment date?
- What are the licence duration, exclusivity, termination and brokerage terms?
Practical takeaways
- Describe your data before sharing any of it.
- Treat public ranges as conditional market examples.
- Separate buyer interest from permission to license.
- Review the actual agreement with the appropriate advisers.
Sources and further reading
Source information checked 25 October 2026. Programme criteria and terms may change.