The micro1 company data program: our review

Is micro1 legit? micro1 is a real AI data company, and TechCrunch reported in August 2026 that it reached a $500M gross run rate. The micro1 company data program licenses businesses’ operational records, and as of November 2026 micro1 says approved companies are paid $100K to $2M+ per data package.

Its referral page lists the same basics for operating and closed companies: 30+ employees, English and all industries. Operating companies also need US and Western markets; for closed companies the page lists “10+ Countries” without saying what that means. micro1 pays us a referral fee only after a company we refer has its data transferred and approved. Check your company against these criteria in four questions.

Who qualifies

micro1’s referral page lists two data partnerships for companies, with these requirements as of November 2026:

micro1’s company data page adds detail:

• Established companies with 30+ full-time employees, mature business operations and substantial historical operational data.
• Data primarily in English, and company representatives who can communicate with micro1 in English throughout the partnership.
• US companies first, then other Western markets. Its FAQ says the program accepts referrals globally, with demand strongest in the US, UK and Canada.
• No fixed minimum number of files, documents or terabytes. Companies with several years of records across multiple business systems are generally a stronger fit.

What to check first

• Approval isn’t guaranteed. micro1’s referral page says all companies must complete its qualification and evaluation process, and its company data page describes a team review and an initial AI interview. Meeting the published criteria doesn’t guarantee an offer, and the range is not a quote.
• Timing. The referral page says there is no guaranteed timeframe between application and partnership completion. After transfer, the company data page gives two clocks: its process section says micro1 pays in full within 30 days of acceptance, while its FAQ says micro1 has 30 days to review and approve the data, then pays within 30 days of invoicing. Added together, the FAQ’s windows can reach about 60 days after transfer, so ask which clock the contract uses and what counts as acceptance.
• Data you don’t own. Knowledge bases can hold content you don’t own, such as vendor manuals, licensed reports or purchased datasets. micro1’s page doesn’t address it, so leave it out unless the contract and your counsel say otherwise.
• Client data. Records you hold for clients under a contract or NDA may not be yours to license, and micro1’s page doesn’t mention data held for clients. Leave them out unless counsel confirms you may.
• Anonymization. micro1’s FAQ says you don’t need to anonymize before transfer, because it has processes for de-identifying and transforming sensitive information. Raw records that contain personal data may therefore reach micro1 before anything is removed. Ask counsel which contract terms that transfer needs; our guide to whether selling company data is legal covers the CCPA and GDPR points.
• Advice. micro1’s website describes the program in general terms, so get the terms that matter to you into the written agreement. Have a lawyer read the license, and ask your CPA how the payment will be taxed.

Our relationship with micro1

We are not micro1, we don’t work for micro1 and we can’t speak for it. We have a financial interest in companies applying. Weigh this review with that in mind. You pay us nothing.

If your company has already registered with micro1, on its own or through someone else’s link, there is no reason to register again through ours. micro1’s referral terms say credit can’t be reassigned after a company registers. Our disclosure page explains how we make money.

What the micro1 company data program is

micro1, an AI data company, supplies human data, reinforcement-learning environments and evaluations to frontier AI labs. Its Company Data Partnership is a separate program in which micro1 licenses operational records from established companies and prepares them for its customers.

micro1’s company data page (micro1.ai/data) lists the records it wants: standard operating procedures, process documentation, internal knowledge bases, workflows, templates, internal communications, project histories, CRM records and support tickets. It says it licenses the data to labs and enterprises based in the U.S. and allied countries.

On scale, TechCrunch reported on August 20, 2026 that micro1 reached a $500M gross annual run rate, citing a person familiar with the company. A run rate projects recent activity forward. It is not booked revenue, and the source is anonymous.

On October 9, 2026, micro1’s blog announced a commitment to spend $1 billion over the next 12 months acquiring and licensing enterprise operational data through its Company Data Partnerships program. That is micro1’s own statement of intent, and it says nothing about any one company’s application.

What micro1 says it pays

micro1 says it is paying $100K–2M+ for company data, and that compensation depends on the quality, uniqueness and value of the data. It evaluates each partnership individually. That is micro1’s own range, as of November 2026: its process section says payments typically range from $100K to over $2M, and its pages publish no average deal. For the factors that tend to move a data price, see what drives the price of company data.

As of November 2026, micro1’s page sets out three tiers within that range: $100K–500K for qualified enterprise data partnerships, $500K–2M for large-scale operational datasets or ongoing participation across multiple teams and business functions, and $2M+ for highly unique, proprietary operational data. Our comparison of AI training data buyers sets these figures beside the deals Polyshares has published.

How the process works

micro1’s company data page lists four steps:

1. Discovery and pricing. micro1 identifies licensable datasets across your business and prepares an offer based on the nature, scale and value of your data.
2. Contracting. The two sides agree licensing terms, including a commitment not to resell or distribute your data until personal and identifying information has been anonymized.
3. Delivery and acceptance. You transfer the data through micro1’s APIs or another approved method, and micro1 reviews it for completeness.
4. Payment. micro1 pays after acceptance, on the timing set out above.

Before those steps, micro1’s referral page says the company’s contact sets up a company profile and completes a data manifest, and micro1’s team then reviews the application. The company data page adds an initial AI interview. Qualified companies are invited to discuss their data, licensing terms and next steps with a Data Partnership Manager, then move through contracting, data transfer and data approval.

What micro1’s page leaves to the contract

Ask for each item below in writing before you sign. Our guide to data licensing explains the clauses in more detail.

Reading reviews of micro1

Most online reviews of micro1 that we found concern its work with individual contractors, such as hiring, interviews and project availability. That is a different side of the business with different contracts, so those reviews say little about the company data program.

As of November 2026 we have not found a published first-hand account from a company that completed a data deal with micro1. Every pay and timing claim on this page therefore comes from micro1’s own published material. When you read any review, check which side of micro1 the writer used, whether they signed a contract or only applied, and whether they have a financial interest. We do, and we’ve said so above.

What we could not verify

• How many applicants are approved, and how long approval takes.
• What a typical deal pays. The published range is wide.
• How exclusivity, retention periods and liability work in practice. These depend on the contract.

Who it fits

A company is more likely to fit if it has 30 or more employees, mostly English-language records, several years of history across more than one system and clear ownership of what it would license.

A company is less likely to fit if it has fewer than 30 employees, if most of its records belong to clients or third parties, or if it needs to keep the right to license the same records to other buyers. Polyshares publishes no size minimum, and other buyers have their own rules.

micro1’s published terms cover anonymization, retention, ownership and sample review, which are the right topics. They leave exclusivity, the retention periods, liability and exit unstated, and those items can change what a deal is worth.

Next steps

If your company meets the criteria above, the eligibility check below asks four questions. For the whole process, from ownership check to payment, read how to sell your company’s data to AI companies.