Industry segment

Architecture drawings and models: who licenses them for AI, and what to check

Architecture firms hold years of models, drawing sets and design iterations. Demand is real: Ventra says a single AI lab asked it to source 10,000 building designs.

Most of it already sits in Revit, AutoCAD, Rhino, document management and email. Buyers want the written trail of how your team actually does the work, so most owners lead with SOPs and training material, then add day-to-day records once personal details are dealt with.

AI Data Offers research deskChecked against our methodology Updated October 28, 2026 5 min read 15 sources

Key figure: 10,000
Buyers' published range: $100K to $2M+
Time to a written offer: Days to 2 weeks
Owner time, per buyers: 1 to 3 hours

In this guide

01 / What buyers value

Records a buyer will look for at a architecture firm

Revit and BIM models
Where it lives
Revit
Why a buyer wants it
Full building information
Raise first
Client ownership
Drawing sets by phase
Where it lives
CAD and PDFs
Why a buyer wants it
Design development over time
Raise first
Client names
Detail libraries and templates
Where it lives
Office standards
Why a buyer wants it
The firm's reusable know-how
Raise first
Usually nothing
Design option studies
Where it lives
Rhino and PDFs
Why a buyer wants it
Alternatives and choices
Raise first
Client details
Markups, RFIs and ASIs
Where it lives
Bluebeam and email
Why a buyer wants it
Changes during construction
Raise first
Contractor names

Record	Where it lives	Why a buyer wants it	Raise first
Revit and BIM models	Revit	Full building information	Client ownership
Drawing sets by phase	CAD and PDFs	Design development over time	Client names
Detail libraries and templates	Office standards	The firm's reusable know-how	Usually nothing
Design option studies	Rhino and PDFs	Alternatives and choices	Client details
Markups, RFIs and ASIs	Bluebeam and email	Changes during construction	Contractor names

02 / Value

Putting a number on a architecture firm's data

No buyer publishes a price list by industry. What they do publish is a range for a whole company: micro1, Polyshares and Ventra each advertise deals from roughly $100K to $2M or more, and Pewter's licensing partner cites examples between $350K and $650K. Read those as the buyers' own marketing figures, not offers.

For a architecture firm of about 30 people, three things move the number most: how many years of history you have, how much of the work is written down in one place, and how cleanly client and employee details can be removed. Try the worth estimator for a range based on your size.

03 / Buyers

Which buyers take architecture firms

On Troveo's intake form, the closest category ("engineering or architecture") sits in the top of its four demand tiers, the group it says buyers pay a premium for. Polyshares accepts engineering and architecture, though it does not mark it as premium.

micro1
Published size rule
Asks for at least 30 staff, with no upper limit
A 30-person architecture firm
Fits at 30
Mode
Published size rule
At least 20 full-time US office employees, or 10 for accounting and 6 for law
A 30-person architecture firm
Fits at 30
Nyne
Published size rule
At least 20 W-2 staff in the US and three years of history
A 30-person architecture firm
Fits at 30
Pewter
Published size rule
At least 20 people and three years, with a higher bar in some sectors
A 30-person architecture firm
Fits at 30
Ventra
Published size rule
At least 30 US staff and three years of data
A 30-person architecture firm
Fits at 30
Endless
Published size rule
Around 30 people or more
A 30-person architecture firm
Fits at 30
Polyshares
Published size rule
No headcount floor; it weighs how deep the record goes
A 30-person architecture firm
No size floor
Mercor
Published size rule
Publishes no minimum
A 30-person architecture firm
No size floor
Troveo
Published size rule
Publishes no minimum (its calculator begins at 20)
A 30-person architecture firm
No size floor

Buyer	Published size rule	A 30-person architecture firm
micro1	Asks for at least 30 staff, with no upper limit	Fits at 30
Mode	At least 20 full-time US office employees, or 10 for accounting and 6 for law	Fits at 30
Nyne	At least 20 W-2 staff in the US and three years of history	Fits at 30
Pewter	At least 20 people and three years, with a higher bar in some sectors	Fits at 30
Ventra	At least 30 US staff and three years of data	Fits at 30
Endless	Around 30 people or more	Fits at 30
Polyshares	No headcount floor; it weighs how deep the record goes	No size floor
Mercor	Publishes no minimum	No size floor
Troveo	Publishes no minimum (its calculator begins at 20)	No size floor

Checked against a typical architecture firm of 30 people. Ask each buyer whether contractors and part-time staff count.

Some buyers pay us a referral fee. It never changes your price, and it never changes the order of our rankings.

04 / Typical week

What one ordinary week produces

Monday: three massing options for a client meeting.
Tuesday: details pulled from the office library.
Wednesday: a permit set issued.
Thursday: RFIs answered with sketches.
Friday: an ASI issued after a field change.

Illustrative. Multiply one week by every year you have kept, and that is the record a buyer is looking at. The written decisions matter more than the totals.

05 / Segments

How a deal works

1
Check the fit
Answer a few questions about headcount, years of records and the systems you use. No files change hands.
2
Inventory call
A buyer walks through what you hold and what it wants. Most say the owner spends one to three hours in total.
3
Written offer
Buyers usually send terms within days to two weeks: price, scope, term and whether the deal is exclusive.
4
Clean and deliver
Personal details are removed under the agreed method, then a copy is exported. Your originals stay where they are.

micro1
What it asks for
Procedures, internal wikis, project and task history, CRM activity
Offer and payment
Up to 30 days to review, then paid within 30 days of invoice
Ask about
Its master terms describe a perpetual license. It says it strips personal details "when relevant", so ask exactly how.
Ventra
What it asks for
Mainly inboxes, recorded calls and helpdesk tickets
Offer and payment
Offer in 3 to 7 days, then net 30 or 60
Ask about
Its terms warn it may be unable to erase data after delivery.
Polyshares
What it asks for
Inboxes, recorded calls, helpdesk tickets and ERP extracts
Offer and payment
Offer in 1 to 2 weeks, paid in 30 to 60 days
Ask about
Licenses are exclusive by default.
Pewter
What it asks for
Operating records for the industries on its list
Offer and payment
No fee to the owner, it says
Ask about
Launched October 2026 by a Florida sales agency. Its licensing partner, not Pewter, signs and pays.

Buyer	What it asks for	Offer and payment	Ask about
micro1	Procedures, internal wikis, project and task history, CRM activity	Up to 30 days to review, then paid within 30 days of invoice	Its master terms describe a perpetual license. It says it strips personal details "when relevant", so ask exactly how.
Ventra	Mainly inboxes, recorded calls and helpdesk tickets	Offer in 3 to 7 days, then net 30 or 60	Its terms warn it may be unable to erase data after delivery.
Polyshares	Inboxes, recorded calls, helpdesk tickets and ERP extracts	Offer in 1 to 2 weeks, paid in 30 to 60 days	Licenses are exclusive by default.
Pewter	Operating records for the industries on its list	No fee to the owner, it says	Launched October 2026 by a Florida sales agency. Its licensing partner, not Pewter, signs and pays.

In each buyer's own published words. Terms change, so confirm them in writing before you sign.

07 / Timing

If you are selling or winding down

A data license can sit alongside a sale or a wind-down. If you are selling the business, agree with the acquirer who keeps the right to license the archive. If you are closing down, keep the workspace and inboxes alive until a buyer has seen them. A closed company is not out of options: SimpleClosure reports more than 150 completed sales of shut-down startups' archives.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Who owns our drawings?

It depends on your contracts. Standard agreements often leave copyright with the architect but restrict reuse. Ask your lawyer before licensing project files.

Is a 30-person architecture firm big enough?

9 of the 9 buyers in our size check take a architecture firm that size, going by their own published rules. Below 20 people your options narrow to the buyers with no stated minimum.

Do we lose our records if we license them?

No. A license gives the buyer a copy for agreed uses and your originals stay put. Read the term and deletion clauses closely: micro1's master terms describe a perpetual license, and Ventra warns it may be unable to erase data after delivery.

Find the buyers that fit your company

Answer a few questions about your size, tools and history. We show which buyers want a company like yours. Free, no files.

Match my company What is my data worth?

Keep reading

Sources

Every number on this page links back to one of these.

Spot something wrong? See our corrections policy. Some buyers pay us a referral fee. How we make money.