Key takeaway
Advertised ranges are not expected earnings. The useful number is the cash left after the costs and obligations of an accepted deal.
Read the public numbers in context.
Handshake advertises company data licensing payouts of $100K–$4M. micro1 advertises $100K–$2M+ for approved packages. Diffraction’s business-data page uses a $250K-or-more headline with a share of each license. These are program statements reviewed October 6, 2026—not VOID offers, verified typical earnings or evidence that your records qualify.
Company payments and referral rewards are different.
A company is compensated for a permitted data package under its accepted terms. A referrer may receive a separate payment under a referral program. The existence of a referral reward does not establish the company’s price or whether a referral will be accepted.
VOID may receive program compensation if the relevant conditions are met. That possibility is disclosed before an introduction. There is no upfront seller referral fee for the initial service; a broader service would need a separate agreement.
Calculate the amount you can actually keep.
Start with gross contracted receipts in a stated period. Subtract external fees, internal preparation time, legal and privacy review, engineering work and ongoing delivery costs. Keep contingent or unpaid amounts separate from received cash.
| Illustrative item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hypothetical accepted offer | $100,000 |
| 40 preparation hours at $100/hour | −$4,000 |
| Review budget | −$5,000 |
| Export / engineering budget | −$3,000 |
| Net before tax and other obligations | $88,000 |
This example is arithmetic, not an appraisal, a typical outcome or a prediction. If no deal closes, the $12,000 preparation spend in this example still reduces cash.
Understand when payment becomes due.
Ask which event triggers payment: signature, delivery, acceptance, a downstream sale or a revenue threshold. Check who decides acceptance, how long review may take, whether there is a cure period and what evidence confirms the trigger.
For revenue sharing, define the base. Gross buyer receipts and net revenue after deductions can produce very different amounts. Ask about reporting, payment frequency, audit rights and what happens when the relationship ends.
Avoid turning an upside case into a budget.
Do not fund normal operations from an unaccepted data offer. Set a preparation cap, identify who can authorize the next stage and retain a no-deal scenario. Tax treatment, accounting and any cross-border withholding need advice for the actual entity and transaction; the calculator leaves these out explicitly.