Sunset review: what sellers actually get

Its sellers are shutting-down startups. The records it cares most about are code repos, product specs and Slack conversations.

Neither prices nor the founders' cut appear on Sunset's site. Per MIT Technology Review, its valuation weighs team size, company age, sheer data volume and how heavily staff used their software.

For comparison, competitor SimpleClosure cites 150+ deals, most landing between $10K and $100K.

Because Sunset buys outright, it carries the risk of reselling and keeps the upside. Its general asset pages also mention selling, assigning, auctioning or licensing, so ask which applies to your deal.

A small referral of around $1K is reported. It is not a program built around introducers.

Sunset fits a closing startup that wants one fixed payment and the wind-down handled in one place. Find out if your company or its investors share in anything Sunset earns from licensing later.

We run the same checks on every buyer we rank. They take an afternoon and they protect the one thing you cannot take back: the copy of your records.

• Find the legal entity. A registered company name, an address and at least one named person. A Facebook form alone is not enough.
• Get the offer and the contract in writing before any export. A sample agreement tells you more than a sales call.
• Ask who strips personal data, how, and when. You should approve the method and see a sample before anything leaves your systems.
• Ask where the data goes. Which AI companies receive it, whether you are told, and whether it can be resold.
• Ask how everyone is paid. By you, by the buyer, or out of your deal. Referral fees are normal; hidden ones are not.
• Get a second quote. Terms from at least one other buyer is the fastest way to know if an offer is fair.