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Those "$2M for your company's data" ads: what is really on offer

An ad promising up to $2M for your files was probably placed by micro1, or by one of the brokers that copied its pitch from September 2026 onward. Treat $2M as the very top of a band. Nearly every published example comes in well under it.

Below: who is advertising, why the ads arrived together, and a quick way to judge whether your business even fits.

AI Data Offers research deskChecked against our methodology Updated October 28, 2026 3 min read 11 sources

Advertisers seen: 18+
Started running: Sep to Oct 2026
Example payouts: $173K to $350K
Closed startups: $10K to $100K

In this article

The advertisers

micro1 is the name most owners recognise. One version of its ad goes to American firms whose headcount once reached 25. Another claims businesses are collecting between $100K and $2M+ for anonymized operations data.

A large share of the rest are brokers, firms that locate a seller, pass them to a buyer and take a fee once the deal closes. Supersoniq, Data Value Check, Your Data Value and VMS all quote numbers in the $2M range. Data Value Check's own site describes it as an affiliate marketer with no corporate tie to micro1.

Why they all arrived together

Real budgets showed up first. In October 2026 micro1 put $1B behind a year of company data purchases, with Citi and Hercules Capital providing the financing. Before that, Google, Mercor and micro1 competed for Spirit Airlines' internal records in its bankruptcy.

Then the finder's fees made the maths easy. micro1 pays as much as $50K per company referred, so a broker only needs a handful of deals to justify a Facebook ad budget.

Reading the $2M figure

It is an upper bound, and Supersoniq says as much. micro1's published tiers open above $100K for a deal that qualifies and climb past $1M only for unusual data.

Jottings: one owner's license
Amount
$173,163
Company named?
No
Goldmined: owner of a distributor
Amount
$290,000
Company named?
No
Pewter: accounting firm, 60 staff
Amount
$350,000
Company named?
No
SimpleClosure: usual range for a shut-down startup
Amount
$10K to $100K
Company named?
Average, not one deal

Advertiser's example	Amount	Company named?
Jottings: one owner's license	$173,163	No
Goldmined: owner of a distributor	$290,000	No
Pewter: accounting firm, 60 staff	$350,000	No
SimpleClosure: usual range for a shut-down startup	$10K to $100K	Average, not one deal

Advertiser claims. We could not verify any of them.

After you tap the ad

Most of them skip the website entirely and open a Meta Instant Form. It is a short form inside Facebook, so your name and number reach the advertiser before you have seen who they are. The closed-company form micro1 uses has five questions.

Does your business fit?

Start with headcount. micro1 wants 30 or more employees, or a peak of 25 for a company that has shut down. Supersoniq quotes 50 people and five years of history. Nyne sets 20 full-time staff and three years. The same ad reaches a 12-person shop and a 200-person firm, yet most buyers behind it will only take the larger one.

Already submitted a form? Someone will phone. Have these questions ready:

1Which company would actually license the data?
2Does the caller earn a commission, and who pays it?
3Exactly which systems and records do they want?
4Can I see the offer in writing before anything is shared?

FAQ

Questions, answered

Should I expect $2M?

Almost certainly not. The examples advertisers share without naming the company sit between about $173K and $350K, and startups that have closed usually land between $10K and $100K.

Is micro1 behind every one of these ads?

No. Supersoniq, Data Value Check, Your Data Value and VMS advertise separately with similar numbers, and Data Value Check describes itself as an affiliate.

Why did the ad take me to a form?

Facebook's Instant Forms let the advertiser collect your contact details without you ever leaving the app.

Are there fees?

Many of these advertisers promise nothing upfront. Some brokers instead keep part of what you are paid; Jottings quotes 20 to 30 percent.

We have shut down. Can we still sell?

micro1's program for closed companies accepts businesses that peaked at 25 or more staff. Through SimpleClosure, wound-down startups typically receive $10K to $100K.

See what your data could be worth

A rough range from published deals and buyer price bands, based on headcount and years of records.

Estimate my range Match my company

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Sources

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