Handshake AI data licensing: what UK companies should know

About Handshake AI

Handshake was founded in 2014 and is led by its co-founder and chief executive, Garrett Lord. It describes itself as "the career network for the AI economy", and has offices in San Francisco, New York, the United Kingdom and Bangalore (Handshake). Handshake AI is its AI data business. On its programme page, it claims $250m paid out to partners and more than 1,000 partner companies.

What Handshake AI takes

Handshake licenses business records that "help AI models learn how companies work". Its programme page names AutoCAD, Dropbox, Figma, Gmail, Google Drive, Outlook, Monday.com, NetSuite, Notion, Paychex, QuickBooks, ServiceTitan and Slack, plus "1K more" tools.

The list goes beyond chat, email and documents. Design tools such as AutoCAD and Figma, accounting tools such as QuickBooks and NetSuite, and field service software such as ServiceTitan suggest demand beyond software companies.

Who it accepts

"We're looking for companies with 20+ full time employees & 3+ years in operation." The page does not list eligible countries, although the form asks for yours.

Prices and payment

Handshake says it helps companies "license this data with $100K to $4M+ payouts". Its estimator gives "an indicative estimate only and is not an offer to purchase your data". The final payout depends on your data sources, volume and quality, due diligence and your acceptance of its licensing terms. It does not publish when or how payments are made.

How it handles your data

Handshake says: "You determine exactly what is shared", and "All data is scoped, de-identified, and confidential." The page does not say who carries out the de-identification, and publishes no deletion terms or security certifications.

A separate Handshake programme that licenses documents from individual professionals was reported by the Columbia Journalism Review in October 2026 to use a draft licence described as "perpetual, irrevocable, transferable and sublicensable". That programme is different from the one for companies, but it shows why the licence wording matters.

What a UK company should check

1. The licensing terms. They are not published. Ask for the full agreement before you rely on any estimate.
2. Licence length and rights. Whether the licence is time-limited or perpetual, and whether the buyer can pass the data on.
3. De-identification. Who does it, to what standard, and whether you see a sample first.
4. Payment. When and how you are paid, and what due diligence involves.
5. Transfers and law. How personal data leaves the UK, and which country's law applies.

How Handshake AI compares

Handshake's lowest published payout, $100,000, matches the lowest figures published by micro1 and Mode. Its 20-staff minimum is lower than micro1's 30, and Mode's ranges from 6 to 30 by sector. Its list of supported tools includes design, accounting and field service software, which may suit design, construction and accounting firms. Compare it in our buyer directory, or see whether your company fits with the buyer finder.