PewterServing owners of long-running US firms
Your original records stay yours.
The deal is a license of an agreed, de-identified copy. Your original files and your ownership of them don't change. Your originals stay with you and remain yours.
Indicative range
Example: a 100-person firm, 10 years in business. Move the sliders for yours.
A scenario, not a valuation. Many firms are offered less, and some receive no offer once their records are reviewed.
Get a real estimateRange from our licensing partner's payout model for US firms (October 2026), using headcount and years in business only. What your records hold, who owns them and what a buyer accepts decide the real number.
Could your firm be a fit?
Signs your records may fit
- Staff: 20+Full-time staff, now or at your highest headcount.
- At least 3 yearsOf records, email and files still available.
- US-basedMainly working in English.
- Any operating statusStill eligible if records remain, whether operating, winding down or closed.
The strongest demand is for records that capture skilled work in detail: accounting, logistics, construction, engineering, distribution, manufacturing, trades and professional services. Some regulated, privileged or third-party records may be excluded. Meeting these criteria is no promise of an offer.
AI labs and data buyers
Need to buy data? Share your requirements.
We serve owners of established US firms whose operating records aren't found on the open web. Share the sector, workflow and volume you need; we'll give you an honest answer about whether we can source it.
- Records from real business operationsSystem records, email, tickets and documents from distribution, logistics, engineering, accounting, trades and services firms.
- Consenting ownersEach firm gives written approval to its terms and exclusions before delivery.
- De-identified under written termsBefore delivery, identifying details are removed; the license defines scope and permitted use.
Before you get started
Questions owners bring to the first call
Is this a real opportunity, or only a pitch?
There is a real market. Our licensing partner says it has paid firms with 60 to 100 people between $350,000 and $650,000. A federal court filing records Google's winning $10 million bid for Spirit Airlines' records. These transactions involved other firms, not us. You get your offer in writing before you commit, and many firms receive offers below those amounts.
Will I have to pay anything?
You pay nothing at any point. When a deal closes, Pewter is paid by our licensing partner. No deal means no fee.
What are each party's roles, and whom do you represent?
Pewter identifies and qualifies opportunities, assesses your records, presents the offer and coordinates the transaction. The offer comes from our licensing partner, which signs the license with you and pays you. You find out the partner's identity before you sign anything. Because the partner pays our fee, we don't act as your lawyer or agent. Pewter isn't a law firm or registered broker-dealer; we recommend that your own counsel review the agreement.
Will my data be taken from me?
No. The transaction licenses a de-identified copy with agreed terms. Your original files and your ownership remain unchanged.
Might clients or employees be identifiable?
Before delivery, names, contact details, account numbers, credentials and payment details are removed or replaced. You may exclude regulated, privileged or third-party records. Since no method eliminates all risk, you review a sample and the process before signing. How records are handled.
Who may review my records before I sign?
Only with your permission. Before an offer, we may request a small sample for quality review. Pewter or the licensing partner might examine it. You decide what the sample contains and may decline. The full export takes place only after you sign.
What uses of the data are allowed, and by whom?
As specified in your agreement, authorized AI developers may use the data to train and evaluate models. Your approved terms define exclusivity and permitted uses. Our free owner's guide Before You Sell Your Datasets out terms and questions to consider before signing.
How much time will my team need to spend?
Plan for a few hours, including a short inventory of your systems and two or three calls. If an export is required, your IT person or provider runs it with our coordination. No new data creation or cleanup is needed.
What if I don't know what data we have?
That's true for most owners. On a call, tell us the tools you've used over the years, such as email, shared drives or your accounting or operating system, and we'll figure out what's there. To estimate it yourself first, our no-cost guide shows where to locate the numbers across Google, Microsoft 365, Slack and a dozen more tools.
Why consider this now?
Labs are purchasing today. A single AI data company has committed $1 billion for the coming twelve months. The value lies in the history you still hold: archives may be deleted when subscriptions expire or a firm winds down, taking that value with them.
Who handles each part
Control stays with you; we handle the legwork.
From your initial estimate until payment, Pewter serves as your contact. Our licensing partner presents the offer, enters into the license with you and sends your payment.
Your part
A few hours
- Answer some questionsNo files or logins; about two minutes.
- Take part in two or three callsEach call is about 30 minutes.
- Fill out a brief data inventoryName your systems and state the years covered.
- Look over an example and the termsYour lawyer checks the agreement. Licensing waits until you sign.
What Pewter handles
- SizingWe give you a plain answer about whether your records are likely to sell.
- Offer and negotiationThe offer comes from our licensing partner. We put it in writing for you and negotiate price, scope and exclusivity.
- Export and de-identificationYour IT person works with us. Before delivery, identifying details are taken out.
- Payment and closingWe track the agreement's milestones through payment.
No offer means no cost
There is no charge to ask
Owners pay no fee at any point and may leave whenever they choose. Before an offer, we may request permission to inspect a small sample for quality. We proceed with the full export only once you approve every term in writing. How records are handled.
Request an estimate
See if your records could be sold
Estimated range
$385K to $895K
Example: 100 employees · 10 years in business
- We phone you within one business dayLawrence or Troy will ask about your records and give you a realistic assessment.
- Handled in confidenceNo files requested. With your consent, your firm's name, size and industry are shared with our licensing partner so it can prepare an estimate.
- No offer means no costYou may leave at any time before signing.