Company data can reach AI developers through direct buyers, licensing intermediaries, marketplaces, or seller representatives. These roles are not interchangeable: the party evaluating your records may not be the eventual user or the party paying you.
Four routes to market
| Route | What to establish | Main tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Direct buyer | Who signs and pays; what uses are permitted | A defined counterparty, but potentially a narrower demand pool |
| Licensing intermediary | Who can sublicense; how revenue is reported | Wider placement possibilities, with more downstream rights questions |
| Marketplace | Listing, inspection, acceptance, and payment rules | Discovery infrastructure does not guarantee a sale |
| Seller representative | Scope of authority, fees, and conflicts | Commercial support can introduce fees and agency obligations |
Current public examples
Our directory distinguishes Polyshares as a stated direct buyer, Troveo as a licensing intermediary, DataVendor as a marketplace, and DataDeals as a seller representative. These classifications describe public offerings reviewed on 8 October 2026; they do not certify performance or acceptance of your records.
Match the task before the company name
Describe what the data enables: diagnosis, software repair, planning, document reasoning, or another bounded task. Then check whether the counterparty currently seeks that domain, language, format, and rights package. A media catalog and a reproducible code environment are different products even when both are described as AI training data.
The data category guides explain what to inventory before approaching anyone. Completeness, provenance, and rights may matter more to a particular buyer than gross file counts.
Ask who will ultimately use the records
Identify the contracting entity and whether it can transfer or sublicense access. Ask about downstream users, permitted territories, security requirements, and enforcement of restrictions. A confidential customer list of the intermediary is not a substitute for a clear contractual chain of responsibility.
Recognize an unsuitable approach
Pause if a party requests unrestricted credentials before agreeing evaluation terms, cannot identify the contracting entity, treats anonymization as a universal legal exemption, or guarantees a price without assessing the asset. These are diligence prompts, not allegations about listed companies.
Compare offers consistently
Use the same non-sensitive asset brief and scope for each discussion. Record exclusions, fees, payment triggers, accepted uses, and unresolved questions side by side. Our buyer comparison is a starting shortlist, not a commission-ranked recommendation.
Sources & verification
Primary sources checked 2026-10-08. Provider statements describe advertised offerings, not independently audited results.