The labs are buying. Get paid right.
Harpoon represents companies selling their operational data to AI buyers: code with its history, tickets, support conversations and internal docs. We work only for the seller.
Confidential. About a week. No fee unless a deal closes.
Same data. $5M apart.
This year, three AI companies went after one bankrupt airline's internal records: emails, documents, code and operational data. Same records, three prices.
That's what the right process is worth. Most companies only ever see one offer and never learn what else was on the table.
| Bidder | Bid | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Mercor | $7.5M | Outbid by Google |
| $10M | Top bid in the auction. Court approval still pending in mid-October. | |
| micro1 | $12.5M | Came in afterward to beat Google |
Sources: Fortune, Sept 14, 2026 and TravelPulse, Oct 10, 2026.
Every buyer at the table has a team. Now you do.
Only for the seller
We never buy, hold or resell your data, so we're never on the other side of your deal.
The best deal, not the first one
We know who's buying what. We take your data to the buyers who'll value it most and negotiate the best overall deal: price, terms and fit.
Rights checked first
We confirm what you're allowed to license before anything moves, so a deal doesn't fall apart after it closes.
Your floor is protected
Already have an offer? If we can't beat your best written one, you pay us nothing.
How it works
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Tell us what you have
Two minutes. You describe your systems. You don't send any data.
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Get your appraisal
In about a week: what's licensable, what it's worth and what would raise the price. Free and confidential.
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Clean it at the source
You or a certified vendor strip personal and customer data before anything leaves. You approve every sample.
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Close the best deal
You set your floor and your terms once. We pick the buyers, run the process and negotiate, and we get paid when you do.
What sells. What never leaves.
What buyers pay for
- Code with its full commit history
- Tickets linked to the code that fixed them
- Support conversations
- Internal docs and SOPs
- Project and CRM history
Years of history, and the links between systems, are what raise the price.
What never leaves your hands
- Private messages and personal email
- HR, payroll and recruiting records
- Health and biometric data
- Passwords, keys and secrets
- Anything your contracts or NDAs restrict
- Customer names and contact details
Who's on the other end of the line
I'm Preston Reiff. I've started businesses and run them, and I've had startups not make it after a lot of time and money. That work shouldn't end up as just a lesson.
The code, tickets and customer conversations behind a company are worth real money to AI buyers now. Harpoon exists to find you the best, most valuable deal for them.
Preston ReiffFounder, Chicago
Straight answers
Who buys this data?
AI labs and the companies that build training data for them. We don't name the buyers we're talking to.
Will my customers' or employees' personal data be sold?
No. It's excluded or removed before anything leaves your systems, and a certified vendor checks the result.
Do I give up ownership?
No. Buyers license the right to use the data. You keep ownership.
Who picks the buyer?
We do. When you sign, you set your floor price, your terms and anyone we should never approach. Then we choose the buyers, run the process and close the best overall deal, with a written record of every offer.
What does it cost?
Nothing unless a deal closes. Then it's 15% of the price, with a $15,000 minimum, and never more than what we add above your best written offer. The buyer also pays us a 15% premium on top of the price, disclosed to you and to every buyer before anyone bids. If a buyer pays us anything else, such as a referral fee, you see it in writing before you sign, and it never decides which offer wins.
Can I license it over time instead of selling once?
For the right data, yes, starting in January. Tell us in the form if you'd rather have income over time.
I already have an offer. Is it worth talking?
Yes. Send it over. If we can't beat it, you pay nothing.
My company shut down. Is it too late?
Often not, if the company or its estate still owns the data and can license it. We check that first. Data usually gets deleted at shutdown, so don't wait.
How fast will I hear back?
You get a first read by email as soon as you submit. If it looks like a fit, we'll reach out within one business day.
Is this legal advice?
No. Bring your lawyer. We're glad to work with them.
Get your free appraisal
Two minutes. Describe what you have, but don't paste or upload any company data. Appraisals are indicative, not offers.
Buying company data?
Get first look at rights-checked, de-identified packages, each with a plain record of where it came from and how it was cleaned.