How it works
Every step, in order.
Who does it, and how long it takes.
Established companies are being paid to license historical business data they already hold, under a direct agreement with an AI data lab. Two ways in: run a company that fits, or introduce one.
For companies
From a quick check to a signed partnership.
You do two short things: the check, and an application through our link. A call is there if you want one. The lab does the review and makes the offer. DataReferrals never receives, stores or handles your data.
Already talking to Taylor? Step 3 is the one that matters: apply through the link we send you, so the referral counts.
- 1
Check your fit
Your part- Who:
- You
- How long:
- 60 seconds
Seven questions on our self-check page: team size, years operating, where you are based, working language, what records you hold, whether they have been licensed before, and what kind of company it is.
- 2
We send you the link
Handled for you- Who:
- Taylor
- How long:
- Within 5 business days
Taylor reads your answers and replies from taylor@datareferrals.com. A clear pass gets our application link straight away; no call needed. Borderline answers get a 15-minute call first, and anyone can ask for one.
- 3
Apply through our link
Your part- Who:
- You
- How long:
- A few minutes
If you want to go ahead, apply through the link we send you. Applying through that link is what ties your application to our conversation, so the referral counts. Nothing is shared with the lab until you do.
- 4
Meet the lab
Handled for you- Who:
- You and the lab's partnerships lead
- How long:
- Usually within a week
We introduce you by email with a booking link. The lab explains how data is handled, what it needs, and how its review works. From here the conversation is yours and the lab's.
- 5
Review, agreement, payment
Handled for you- Who:
- The lab
- How long:
- A few weeks
The lab reviews your records, makes its offer, and you sign directly with it on its terms. Its published tiers start at $100,000 for a standard data partnership and run to $2M+ for large or ongoing ones. Identifying details are removed and you keep ownership.
For referral partners
Two things are yours.
The other six are ours.
You register a company and, once it is accepted, make one warm introduction. Every milestone after that shows up in your portal with its date, under exactly these names, so you always know where a company stands and who is holding the ball.
Your payout
$25,000Fixed, per company that signs and the program pays us for. Earned only after every milestone through “Program paid” is real, then sent by ACH within 10 business days. Full conditions are in the partner agreement.
- 1
Registered
Your part- Who:
- You
- How long:
- 2 minutes
Register the company in your portal before you say a word to anyone there. Name and a few details; contact details can wait.
- 2
Accepted
Handled for you- Who:
- Taylor
- How long:
- Within 5 business days
Taylor checks the fit against the program's criteria and accepts or declines. Acceptance attributes the company to you for 12 months.
- 3
Introduced
Your part- Who:
- You
- How long:
- One email
Connect Taylor with the decision-maker using the approved wording from your portal. No figures, no terms, no lab name. That is your whole job.
- 4
Program review
Handled for you- Who:
- Taylor, then the program
- How long:
- A few weeks
Taylor explains the program to the company, has it apply through our referral link so the referral is attributed, and introduces it to the program's partnerships lead. The program reviews what the company holds.
- 5
Agreement signed
Handled for you- Who:
- The company and the program
- How long:
- When both agree
The company signs a data partnership directly with the program, on the program's terms. DataReferrals is not a party to it and never touches the data.
- 6
Data accepted
Handled for you- Who:
- The program
- How long:
- After signing
The program accepts the company's data. This is the event that starts its payment clock, and we record the date in your portal.
- 7
Program paid
Handled for you- Who:
- The program
- How long:
- About 15 to 30 days after acceptance
The program pays us its referral fee. We confirm the money has landed before anything is owed to anyone.
- 8
You're paid
Handled for you- Who:
- Taylor
- How long:
- Within 10 business days
You receive a fixed $25,000 by ACH.
Who qualifies
The program's criteria, as published to us.
- ✓20+ full-time desk employees (full-time contractors count)
- ✓Based in the US first; Canada and Europe also qualify, with most of the team there
- ✓At least 2 years of operating history (longer is better: more data)
- ✓Internal company data mostly in English
- ✓Meaningful historical operational data they own and can license
- ✓Hasn't already licensed that data
- ✕Under 20 desk employees
- ✕Staffing or recruiting firms
- ✕Marketing agencies
- ✕Media companies
- ✕Mostly outside the US, Canada and Europe
- ✕Little digital history, or no right to license it
Software, professional services, logistics, e-commerce, property, and established companies in most other industries can qualify. Companies in bankruptcy or winding down qualify too, when the estate or trustee controls the data; years of history with a motivated seller is often the strongest case. You don't need to verify every data source; if it passes the basics, register it.
Timing at a glance
What we commit to, and what the program controls.
- Reply to a registration or self-check
- Within 5 business days
- Attribution of a registered company to its partner
- 12 months from acceptance
- The program's review of a company
- Usually a few weeks
- The program's payment to us
- About 15 to 30 days after it accepts the data
- Our payment to the partner
- Within 10 business days of receiving it, by ACH
The first two and the last are ours. The program's review and payment timing are its own under current practice, can change, and are not guaranteed by us. Nothing is owed to a partner until the program's payment has reached us.
Run a company that fits?
Start with the self-check. A clear pass gets our application link by email; a call is optional.
Check your fitKnow a company that fits?
Create an account, sign the two-page agreement, register the company. About ten minutes.
Become a referral partner