SimpleClosure brokers sales of defunct startups’ code, emails, chats, and documents to AI training labs.
SimpleClosure now sells defunct startup code and workspace data to AI labs through its Asset Hub platform. The service handles email, chat, document, and code archives from companies that are shutting down. Asset Hub has completed over 150 deals and expects to return more than $10 million to startups by the end of 2026.
Shutdowns have risen between 26% and 56% annually in recent years, according to Carta and AngelList estimates. An end-of-life ecosystem now includes coaches, death doulas, and firms that manage legal, tax, and operational challenges. SimpleClosure added data sales in April, and CEO Dori Yona says 47% of its deals now include code or data sales. Rival Sunset also runs a growing data resale business.
Builders and operators can turn legacy code, emails, chats, and documents into revenue instead of deleting them. Buyers include foundation AI labs, vendors that build simulated workspaces, and mature tech companies building their own models. Real archives help AI agents practice tasks such as debugging IT architecture or drafting appellate briefs.
Demand for defunct company data emerged suddenly last year as AI labs hit limits on public and synthetic datasets. No company has released tests comparing real-world data training with alternatives, and pricing remains uncertain. Buyers quote widely different valuations, according to Surge AI’s Nick Heiner. Watch whether labs publish performance results and how much startups receive for their archives.
What matters
- SimpleClosure’s Asset Hub has handled over 150 deals selling startup code and workspace data to AI labs.
- Builders and operators can sell legacy code and chat archives instead of deleting them at shutdown.
- Watch whether AI labs publish tests comparing real startup data with synthetic training data.
Why it matters
Watch whether AI labs publish tests comparing real startup data with synthetic training data.
This GenAI News article was prepared in original wording using reporting and materials published by MIT Technology Review AI. Source reference: https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/10/13/1145755/ai-labs-buying-data-from-dead-startups-to-train-models/.
Drafted by the GenAI News review pipeline.