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Comparison · Updated

Polyshares vs micro1: Which Pays More for Company Data?

By the DataBuyout editorial team · Sources cited and dated

Two ways to license your company's operating data, scored on the same 11 published-term criteria, with a pick for each situation.

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The short answer

Polyshares and micro1 both pay six and seven figures for company data. micro1 says payments typically range from $150K to over $2M, with published tiers of $500K to $2M and $2M+, but requires 30 or more employees and established documentation. Polyshares accepts any company with real operating history, charges no fee, and quotes in one to two weeks. Larger, process-heavy companies should talk to both. Smaller companies are a better fit for Polyshares.

Polyshares vs micro1: side-by-side scorecard

Sources

Polyshares
Direct buyer
Typical payout
$100K to $2M+
Fee to you
None
Time to offer
1 to 2 weeks
10 of 11 terms published
micro1
AI data company
Typical payout
$150K to $2M+
Fee to you
Not published
Time to offer
Not published
6 of 11 terms published

Published payout ranges

Log scale, so each step is roughly three times the last. A fading bar means the company says "and up". Hover or tap a bar for the source.

Polyshares
$100K to $2M+
micro1
$100K to $1M+
Wind-down market
$10K to $100K
$10K$30K$100K$300K$1M$3M

Full scorecard

PublishedPartly publishedNot published
Criteria
Polyshares
micro1
Money
Fees to you
PublishedNone. No fee or commission
Not published
Typical payout
Published$100K to $2M+ typical (published)
PublishedTypically $150K to over $2M; published tiers $500K–$2M and $2M+
Payment terms
PublishedNet 30 to 60 days after approved, anonymized delivery
Published Payment within 30 days of invoicing, after a review of about 30 days
Process
Buyer or broker
PublishedDirect buyer. Licenses the data itself and supplies AI labs
PublishedAI data company that builds training environments and evaluations for labs. Licenses data through Enterprise Data Partnerships
Time to offer
Published1 to 2 weeks from intake
Partly publishedAssessment, evaluation, discovery call, then agreement. Timeline not published
Who qualifies
PublishedAny company with real operating history, any sector or size
Published30+ employees, established documentation, English-speaking. US first, then UK, Canada and other Western markets
Data types
PublishedChat, email, CRM, tickets, files, calls, accounting and more (96 systems listed)
PublishedSOPs, knowledge bases, internal docs, CRM data, project histories, QA processes, decision patterns
Protection
Anonymization
PublishedIdentifying fields stripped by a specialist partner before anything moves
PublishedPII removed where relevant. Some datasets may be synthetically rewritten. Requirements set per partnership
Ownership after the deal
PublishedLicense. You keep the business and the data
Partly publishedYou retain ownership of the underlying data. License scope and duration not published
Exclusivity
Not published
Not published
Track record
PublishedFounders previously built and sold companies, including Roofer.com and Simplicity Solar
PublishedAnnounced a $1B, 12-month commitment to enterprise data acquisition on Oct 9, 2026, financed by Citi and Hercules Capital
Verdict
Best for
Smaller companies and those whose value is in chat, email and ticket history
Companies with 30+ employees and well-documented processes, especially SOPs and knowledge bases

Polyshares in brief

Polyshares licenses the operating record a business produces, like Slack, email, tickets, CRM and files, pays for it directly, anonymizes it and supplies AI labs. You answer three intake questions, the team reviews a sample, and an offer follows within one to two weeks. Payment lands 30 to 60 days after approved delivery.

Strengths: one counterparty, no fee, published deal sizes and timing, broad system coverage, you keep the data.

Watch for: pricing comes after a sample review, and exclusivity terms aren't published, so ask.

micro1 in brief

micro1 builds evaluations, reinforcement learning environments and training data for frontier AI labs. Its Enterprise Data Partnerships license operational data like SOPs, knowledge bases, CRM data and project histories. It says payments typically range from $150,000 to over $2 million, says companies keep ownership of their underlying data, and announced a $1 billion, 12-month commitment to enterprise data acquisition on Oct 9, 2026.

Strengths: Published high payout tiers, deep ties to frontier labs, you keep ownership, strong demand for documented processes.

Watch for: Requires 30+ employees and established documentation, prioritizes US and Western companies, and doesn't publish fees; it says review takes about 30 days and payment follows within 30 days of invoicing. Some data may be synthetically rewritten.

Which one should you pick?

Pick Polyshares if

Smaller companies and those whose value is in chat, email and ticket history.

Pick micro1 if

Companies with 30+ employees and well-documented processes, especially SOPs and knowledge bases.

You can ask both for a number before signing anything. Compare written offers on fee, payout, timing, what's licensed, exclusivity and what you keep.

Request a Polyshares offerEstimate your data first

Common questions

Is micro1 legit?

micro1 has a public site, published terms and coverage in reporting on this market. It's a young industry, so have an attorney review any license before you sign.

Does Polyshares or micro1 pay more?

Both point to six-figure deals for strong records. Actual offers depend on your history, systems and how much work is done in writing. Get both in writing and compare.

Do I keep my data?

Polyshares licenses the data and you keep it. You retain ownership of the underlying data. License scope and duration not published.

Can I talk to both?

Yes, until you sign. Check any exclusivity clause before you commit to one.

Sources
  1. Polyshares published terms
  2. micro1: Business data
  3. micro1: commits $1B to enterprise data acquisition (Oct 9, 2026)
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We have a referral relationship with Polyshares and may earn a fee if you request an offer through our links. We score every company on the same 11 published-term criteria, and write "Not published" wherever a company doesn't publish a term, rather than guess.