Closing a business
What to do with company data when you're closing
If your company is shutting down, the servers usually get wiped last. Email, Slack, tickets, CRM and project files often still sit on those machines: years of how the business actually ran.
AI developers now pay for that kind of operational data, de-identified. Typical licenses for mid-size companies land in the $50,000 to $500,000 range, depending on size, industry and how complete the systems are. A recent public bankruptcy auction sold one airline's email and Teams archives for about $10 million, and startup wind-downs have reported deals from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
You keep ownership. You approve the buyer before anything is licensed. Nothing is shared until you say yes.
Why this exists now
Real workplace records are in demand
Public internet text is mostly used up. Buyers want real workplace records: how a pricing decision got argued in email, how an ops team handled a crisis in Slack, what a CRM looked like with years of pipeline history.
That data only lives inside companies, and companies usually only consider licensing it when they are closing, selling assets, or in bankruptcy or receivership, because the systems are about to be wiped anyway.
Scope
What we license, and what we don't
Usually valuable
- Business email (Outlook / Google Workspace archives)
- Slack, Teams or similar chat
- CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.)
- Ticketing and project tools (Jira, ServiceNow, Asana, etc.)
- Shared drives with process docs and SOPs
We strip or exclude
- Customer PII and payment data
- Employee HR, health and compensation files
- Attorney-client privileged material
- Anything you mark out of scope
Everything is de-identified before a buyer sees a sample. You approve the buyer. One-year license. You only sign once there is a real offer.
Who this is for
Built for wind-downs and estates
- Founders and CEOs shutting down a company with 50+ office staff and 2+ years of systems history
- CFOs and COOs running a wind-down or asset sale
- Bankruptcy trustees, receivers and ABC assignees looking for one more recovery line for an estate
- PE operating partners with a portfolio company being wound down
Not a fit: consumer app scrapes, purchased lead lists, or data you don't have rights to license.
How it works
Four steps. You stay in control.
- 01
Short form or 15-min call
Commits you to nothing.
- 02
We check fit
Size, tools, industry, and who can sign.
- 03
You approve any buyer
Nothing is licensed until you approve the buyer.
- 04
De-identify, license, get paid
One-year term. You keep ownership.
Before you cancel the software
A short checklist
- Export admin-level archives of email, chat, CRM, tickets and drives before you cancel seats.
- Confirm who has authority to license (board, trustee, receiver, assignee).
- Don't wipe servers until you've decided whether the data has value.
- Talk to counsel if you are in bankruptcy. Estates have their own rules.
Common questions
Do we sell customer lists?+
No. We license de-identified operational records for AI training and research. Customer PII is removed.
Is this only for startups?+
No. Mid-market companies, bankruptcies and receiverships often have richer archives.
What does it cost us?+
Nothing to evaluate. You only engage if a buyer makes an offer you accept.
Who approves the buyer?+
You do. Nothing is licensed until you approve the buyer and sign.
Can a trustee or receiver do this?+
Often yes, when it increases recovery for creditors and the court or governing order allows it. We work with counsel and fiduciaries on process.
Systems still intact?
If you're closing, winding down, or administering an estate, talk to Charlie Wynn before the servers are wiped.
Charlie Wynn · Larchmont Data · 200 East 90th Street, New York, NY 10128