Comparison
micro1 vs Handshake AI: which company data program fits your business
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The short answer
micro1 vs Handshake AI comes down to size, speed and certainty. Handshake AI wants 20+ full-time employees and 3+ years, says payments to date have ranged from $100K to $4M, prices within 12 to 24 hours and finishes in 7 to 14 business days, with milestone payments. micro1 wants 30+ full-time employees, advertises $100K to $500K, $500K to $3M and $3M+ tiers, and pays in full within 30 days of acceptance. Neither publishes exclusivity terms. If you clear both bars, ask both for written offers.
micro1 vs Handshake AI side by side
| micro1 | Handshake AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | AI training-data company founded 2022 by Ali Ansari (source: Fortune, Sep 14, 2026, Forbes Australia, Sep 23, 2026) | AI arm of the Handshake careers network (founded 2014) (source: Wikipedia, Handshake (company), TIME100 AI, Garrett Lord, Aug 27, 2026) |
| Advertised pay | $100K to $500K; $500K to $3M; $3M+ (source: micro1, data partnerships) | “Earn $100K to $4M+”; payments to date $100K to $4M (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Price tool | Tiers by scale and uniqueness (source: micro1, data partnerships) | Estimator: up to $100,000 at 20 peak employees to $400,000 to $800,000+ at 150+ (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Minimum size | 30+ full-time; form describes 30 to 200 (source: micro1, data partnerships, micro1 operating-company form) | 20+ full-time, typically more likely to fit (source: Handshake AI, license your data, Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Years in business | Several years of records (source: micro1, data partnerships) | 3+ years in operation (source: Handshake AI, license your data) |
| Geography | English records; US first, then Western markets (source: micro1, data partnerships) | USA, Canada, Europe or other; lower estimates outside the US (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Industries named | 6 domains (source: micro1, data partnerships) | 11 industries (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Speed to a price | Not published (source: micro1, data partnerships) | 12 to 24 hours (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Whole process | Up to 30 days to review and approve (source: micro1, data partnerships) | Typically 7 to 14 business days (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Payment | In full within 30 days of acceptance (source: micro1, data partnerships) | Negotiated, tied to delivery milestones (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Fees to you | None published; no need to anonymize first (source: micro1, data partnerships) | None published; transfer at no cost (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Ownership | Company keeps ownership (source: micro1, data partnerships) | Company retains ownership (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Use and end buyers | US and allied labs and enterprises only (source: micro1, data partnerships) | Training and evaluation only; “all of the leading frontier AI labs” (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Exclusivity | Not stated (source: micro1, data partnerships) | Not stated (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Closed companies | Defunct track, 50+ peak employees, 10 countries (source: micro1 defunct-company form) | No separate track described (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Agent data | Agent trajectories, $1M to $2M a year (source: micro1, data partnerships) | Not offered on its pages (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships) |
| Referral to introducer | $50,000 (to $700K deals) or $75,000 (defunct, to $1M); 7.5% of deal value on larger deals (source: micro1, company referral) | $10,000 per completed partner (source: Handshake AI, refer a company) |
What changed this month
micro1 tripled its top advertised tier from $1M+ to $3M+ and began publishing payment timing (source: micro1, data partnerships). Handshake rebuilt its page and now publishes payments to date, pricing speed and milestone payment terms (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships). Both profiles keep a dated change log.
Are micro1 and Handshake related?
No. Handshake was founded in 2014 by Garrett Lord, Ben Christensen and Scott Ringwelski, Michigan Tech computer science students, as a jobs site for college students (source: Wikipedia, Handshake (company)). Handshake AI is its training-data business; Lord told TIME it grew from zero to more than $1 billion in gross annualized revenue in 16 months (source: TIME100 AI, Garrett Lord, Aug 27, 2026). micro1 was founded in 2022 by Ali Ansari and reached a $500 million gross run rate in August 2026 (source: Fortune, Sep 14, 2026, Dealroom, Aug 2026 (micro1)). They are competitors.
Pay: micro1 tiers vs Handshake payments to date
The two publish different kinds of number. micro1 publishes tiers: $100K to $500K for a qualified Enterprise Data Partnership, $500K to $3M for large-scale or multi-team data, and $3M+ for highly unique data (source: micro1, data partnerships). Handshake publishes what it says it has paid: $100K to $4M to date, depending on scope, plus an estimator that tops out at $400,000 to $800,000+ for 150+ employees (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships).
The ranges overlap almost completely. What decides your number with either is the same: years of history, records that connect across systems, clear rights, and few exclusions. micro1's middle tier also rewards ongoing participation across teams. Our company data value checker shows which programs you likely qualify for and what each advertises.
Eligibility: 30 employees vs 20
Handshake's bar is lower: 20+ full-time employees and 3+ years, described as typically more likely to fit rather than a hard cutoff (source: Handshake AI, license your data, Handshake AI, data partnerships). micro1 asks for 30+ full-time employees, mature operations, several years of records and English-language data, prioritizing the US (source: micro1, data partnerships). A 20 to 29 person company clears only Handshake's published bar. Above 30, you clear both.
What micro1 and Handshake each buy
micro1 describes record types: SOPs, process documents, knowledge bases, internal communications, CRM data, support tickets and project histories, across six domains from software to operations and logistics (source: micro1, data partnerships). That fits knowledge-work companies with written process.
Handshake names tools: Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, Notion, Monday.com, Figma, AutoCAD, NetSuite, QuickBooks, Paychex and ServiceTitan, plus “1K more” (source: Handshake AI, license your data), across 11 industries (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships). That fits operators, trades, engineering firms and distributors whose work lives in accounting, payroll and field-service systems.
Speed and payment terms
Handshake is faster to a price: 12 to 24 hours after it has your details, and 7 to 14 business days for the whole process. Payment is negotiated and tied to delivery milestones (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships). micro1 publishes a firmer deadline: in full within 30 days of acceptance, with up to 30 days for review first (source: micro1, data partnerships).
Milestones and acceptance both carry risk. With either, get in writing what triggers each payment, who decides a delivery is accepted, and what happens if part of the data is rejected.
Ownership, use and data handling
- micro1: you keep ownership; micro1 removes or transforms personal information, may rewrite datasets synthetically, keeps each company in an isolated pipeline, lets you review samples, deletes raw data on an agreed schedule, and licenses only to US and allied buyers (source: micro1, data partnerships).
- Handshake AI: you keep ownership; Handshake is contractually restricted to training and evaluation use, removes direct and indirect identifiers, and says no de-identification process eliminates re-identification risk entirely (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships).
Professional firms: client material stays out with both
Both name legal work, and micro1 names finance and accounting (source: micro1, data partnerships, Handshake AI, data partnerships). A law firm can never license client files or privileged material, and an accounting firm can never license client books or tax return information. Only firm-owned, non-client material can be in scope. See the guides for law firms and accounting firms.
Closed and defunct companies
micro1 runs a Defunct Company Data Partnership that asks for 50+ employees at peak and lists 10 countries (source: micro1 defunct-company form). Handshake's pages describe no separate track for closed companies, though its estimator counts peak full-time employees (source: Handshake AI, data partnerships). If you are winding down, micro1 is the one of the two that says it wants you.
Referral terms: micro1 vs Handshake
micro1 pays introducers $50,000 for enterprise deals up to $700,000 and $75,000 for defunct-company deals up to $1 million, with 7.5% of the deal value for larger deals and no cap (source: micro1, company referral, micro1 referral terms (updated Oct 14, 2026)). Handshake pays $10,000 per referred company that becomes a partner and completes its transfer, with no limit on referrals (source: Handshake AI, refer a company, Handshake AI, data partnerships). Someone steering you toward one program may be paid very differently by each. See AI data referral programs compared.
Track record
micro1 committed $1 billion over 12 months to buying enterprise data on October 9, 2026, financed by Citi and Hercules Capital (source: micro1, $1B announcement (Oct 9, 2026), The Next Web, Oct 9, 2026), and filed a $12.5 million offer for bankrupt Spirit Airlines' records (source: Fortune, Sep 14, 2026). Handshake reports $250 million paid to partners and 1,000+ partner companies, self-reported and possibly including contractor pay (source: Handshake AI, license your data). In March 2026 Business Insider reported contractor account suspensions and unpaid work at Handshake, which declined to comment (source: Business Insider via AOL, Mar 4, 2026); that concerns contractors, not data partners.
Which fits whom
20 to 29 employees
Only Handshake publishes a bar you clear (source: Handshake AI, license your data, micro1, data partnerships). The buyer directory lists other programs with low floors.
A trades, field-service or distribution company
Handshake names ServiceTitan, QuickBooks, Paychex and NetSuite (source: Handshake AI, license your data). If you have 30+ employees, micro1's operations and logistics domain is open to you too (source: micro1, data partnerships).
A 30 to 200 person knowledge-work company
Both fit. micro1's operating-company form is written for 30 to 200 people (source: micro1 operating-company form), and you clear Handshake easily. This is where competing offers pay off most.
A company that has shut down
micro1's defunct track is the published option of the two (source: micro1 defunct-company form).
A company running its own AI agents
micro1 is the one that advertises agent trajectory licensing, at $1M to $2M a year (source: micro1, data partnerships).
Why competing offers matter
Handshake can price you in a day and close in two weeks; micro1's tiers span $100K to $3M+. Both facts point the same way: the first number you hear is one buyer's opening position, and another buyer may price the same records differently. Neither publishes exclusivity terms, so signing with one may close the door on the other for the same records.
- Decide your exclusions before the first pricing call.
- Ask each buyer whether its license is exclusive, for how long, and over which systems.
- Get written offers, not estimates, from more than one buyer.
- Compare price, payment trigger, scope and exclusivity line by line.
Running that process is the work a sell-side advisor does. For the wider field, see micro1 vs Mercor vs Handshake, Mercor vs micro1, Mercor vs Handshake AI, and the Scale AI data partnerships profile.
How Regulr is paid, and how we write these pages
Regulr is a sell-side advisor. When a business we introduce signs a license, we may be paid a fee by the buyer or through a program's referral terms. We list every program we can verify whether or not it pays us, order is never set by fees, and every figure is the company's own advertised term with a link to where it says so. Regulr has not closed a data deal yet, so nothing here describes our results.
Frequently asked questions
micro1 vs Handshake: which is better for selling company data?
Neither is better for every company. Handshake AI has the lower published floor (20+ full-time employees and 3+ years), a 7 to 14 business day process and names accounting, payroll and field-service tools. micro1 wants 30+ full-time employees but publishes the most specific price tiers, a closed-company track and payment within 30 days of acceptance. If you clear both bars, the better one is whichever puts the stronger written offer in front of you.
Handshake vs micro1: which pays more for company data?
On paper they overlap. micro1 advertises $100K to $500K, $500K to $3M and $3M+ tiers. Handshake AI says payments to date have ranged from $100K to $4M and headlines "Earn $100K to $4M+." Both are each company's own figures, not offers, and the price for your records depends on scope, history and exclusions.
What is the minimum company size for micro1 and Handshake AI?
micro1 asks for 30+ full-time employees, and its operating-company form describes companies of 30 to 200. Handshake AI says companies with 20+ full-time employees and 3+ years in operation are typically more likely to be a fit, and its estimator prices on peak full-time employees.
Which pays faster, micro1 or Handshake AI?
Handshake says it prices within 12 to 24 hours, completes the process in 7 to 14 business days, and pays on negotiated delivery milestones. micro1 says it pays in full within 30 days of acceptance, after a review that its FAQ says can take up to 30 days. Handshake moves faster to a price; micro1 publishes a firmer payment deadline.
Are micro1 and Handshake AI the same company?
No. Handshake was founded in 2014 by Garrett Lord, Ben Christensen and Scott Ringwelski as a college careers network, and Handshake AI is its training-data business. micro1 was founded in 2022 by Ali Ansari. They are separate companies that compete for the same company records.
Can I license my data to both micro1 and Handshake AI?
Possibly. Neither publishes exclusivity terms. If one takes an exclusive license to a set of records, you cannot license those records to the other for the term. Ask both in writing whether the license is exclusive, for how long and which systems it covers, before you sign either.
Do micro1 or Handshake AI buy data from closed companies?
micro1 does, through its Defunct Company Data Partnership, which asks for 50+ employees at peak and lists 10 countries. Handshake AI's pages do not describe a separate track for closed companies, though its estimator sizes companies by peak full-time employees.
Which has the bigger referral bonus, micro1 or Handshake?
micro1 advertises $50,000 for enterprise deals up to $700,000 and $75,000 for defunct-company deals up to $1 million, with 7.5% of the deal value for larger deals. Handshake AI pays $10,000 per referred company that becomes a partner and completes its data transfer. If a third party is pitching you either program, they may be paid when you sign.
Who owns my data with micro1 or Handshake AI?
Both say you do. micro1 says companies keep ownership of their underlying data and licenses data only to US and allied buyers. Handshake says the company retains ownership and that Handshake is contractually restricted to AI training and evaluation use. Put ownership, use and deletion in the signed agreement with either.
Sources
Program terms checked against each company's own pages on November 8, 2026.
- micro1, data partnerships
- micro1, company referral
- micro1 referral terms (updated Oct 14, 2026)
- micro1 operating-company form
- micro1 defunct-company form
- micro1, $1B announcement (Oct 9, 2026)
- The Next Web, Oct 9, 2026
- Fortune, Sep 14, 2026
- Forbes Australia, Sep 23, 2026
- Dealroom, Aug 2026 (micro1)
- Handshake AI, data partnerships
- Handshake AI, license your data
- Handshake AI, refer a company
- Wikipedia, Handshake (company)
- TIME100 AI, Garrett Lord, Aug 27, 2026
- Business Insider via AOL, Mar 4, 2026
Brian Boesen · Founder, Regulr AI
Brian runs Regulr AI, which works for established businesses that want to license de-identified records to AI companies. He checks each program's published terms against its own pages and updates these guides when they change. Last updated November 8, 2026.
This page is general information, not legal advice, and Regulr is not a law firm. Rules vary by state, by profession and by contract, and they apply to your facts, not to a category. You approve exactly what is in scope before anything is shared.
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