AI-data buyer tracker, November 2026 edition
Quick answer, Oct 29, 2026As of 29 October 2026, four AI-data buyers publish per-company programs. Ranges run from about $10,000 to over $4 million, with minimums of 20 to 40 employees. One buyer announced a $1 billion, 12-month commitment on 9 October 2026. This note tracks what each page says this month and what has changed.
The canonical, dated index of every program this note tracks, with each row's source quote, a .csv and a .json, lives at the AI-data buyer index. That page is checked on a schedule; this note is the monthly read of what moved.
This note records what four buyers publish, and what changed. micro1, Scale AI, Handshake AI and Mercor are destinations a company's operating records can go to. Frontier Desk is the company's advisor for a sale or license of that data: the right buyer, the right exchange, the right terms, and the right plan. The plan includes whether the company is raising capital, borrowing, selling, or using licence proceeds for other work, including reinvestment. A licence is read in diligence on a raise, a loan and a sale, and it can change valuation, exclusivity, and the intellectual-property and customer-data obligations that remain.
This month's figures, at a glance
| Buyer | Stated per-company range | Minimum size | Change this month |
|---|---|---|---|
| micro1 | $100K to $500K / $500K to $2M / $2M+; typical $150K to over $2M | 30+ employees | $1 billion, 12-month commitment announced 9 Oct 2026 (post) |
| Scale AI | $10K to $1M+ (illustrative) | 40+ employees (case by case) | no change on the page as of 29 Oct 2026 |
| Handshake AI | $100K to $4M+ | 20+ employees, 3+ years | no change on the page as of 29 Oct 2026 |
| Mercor | not stated; "based on data volume, the tools you connect, and the depth" | not stated | no change on the page as of 29 Oct 2026 |
Figures are each buyer's own, verified on the pages linked above on 29 October 2026. The agreed prices are not published.
What changed since the October 29 guide
The October 29 companion guide, Licensing your company's data to AI labs, carried the same four programs. Between then and this edition:
- micro1's $1 billion commitment was announced on 9 October 2026 (source): "spend $1 billion over the next 12 months acquiring and licensing enterprise operational data through our Company Data Partnerships program." No per-company figure in the announcement.
- The published ranges and minimums on the four buyers' pages read the same today as on 29 October 2026.
- No new public buyer has published a per-company range this month that we have found. If one appears, it will be added in the next edition.
What has not changed, and should not surprise anyone
- A stated ceiling is still not an offer. Handshake's page calls its $100K-$4M+ "indicative estimate only and is not an offer to purchase your data."
- Minimums are still stated as thresholds: micro1 at 30 full-time employees, Scale at 40 as a preferred starting point, Handshake at 20 employees and 3 years of operation.
- De-identification is still described as done by the buyer. Scope and timing belong in the contract.
New entrants we checked and did not include
- Nyne describes itself as "The Data Factory for AI" and is positioned as a broker that pairs AI labs with data owners and domain experts. Its site does not publish a per-company range or a stated minimum, so it does not fit the table above today. The page's framing differs from the four buyers above, which license company operating records directly. Nyne is one more destination the data can go to. Frontier Desk's work on a licence is for the company that holds the data.
Open questions tracked for the next edition
- Scale and Handshake: both buyers publish per-company ranges. A company sets either range against its own records, its rights, and the rest of its plans, including a raise, a loan, a sale, or a use of the proceeds.
- Spirit Airlines bankruptcy data sale, hearing moved to 6 November 2026 (reported by Reuters and Travel Weekly): the hearing falls inside the next edition's window and will be covered when the court rules.
- Mercor pricing formula: compensation is "based on data volume, the tools you connect, and the depth," with payment on wire within "2-4 weeks of the signed agreement." A published typical range would help an owner reason about trade-offs; none exists yet.
What this note tracks
Each edition will restate the four buyers' published ranges and minimums, link each figure to the page it came from, list what changed and what did not, and note any new public program that has published a per-company range. Nothing is said about agreed prices because no one publishes them.
Where Frontier Desk fits
Frontier Desk advises that sale or license for the company. The buyer, the exchange, the terms and the plan stay together, so the licence still fits a raise, a loan, a sale of the company, or a use of the proceeds in the business. The data advisory works through whether the records are ready, which route fits the company's plans, and what to check in an offer. The exit roadmap says what selling or licensing the records would mean for a sale. The buyer comparison carries this month's figures in a wider table.
Questions
Why a monthly note? Because the buyers' pages change, and a company deciding whether to apply needs to know what the pages said when it decided. A dated note names the day the figures were checked.
What counts as a "change"? A new stated range, a new minimum size, a new category of data accepted, a new public programme, or a public announcement from a listed buyer. New marketing copy on the same figures is noted only when the figures move.