How we make money

The short version

How we plan to earn money

Some buyers in the index run referral programs that pay third parties for introducing companies. The Referral program field on each row of the buyer index summarizes what each buyer publishes about paying referrers, with a link to where we read it. Some have written terms. Others show only a headline figure or say terms are agreed privately, and the field says so.

When we join a program or sign a referral agreement, that buyer pays us a fee when a company we introduced signs a license or gets paid, on the terms of that agreement. Referral fees from buyers are the main way we plan to fund the index.

What changes when a buyer starts paying us

1. On the row: the Pays us field on that buyer’s row says that it pays us a referral fee, and the link to its website becomes our referral link, marked as sponsored. Links to buyers pass through our own address (/go/) so we can count visits and swap in a referral link when one exists.
2. Logged: the change goes on the changelog with its date.
3. Told to you first: before any introduction to that buyer, we tell you in writing that the buyer pays us a referral fee. You decide whether to go ahead.
4. Nothing else moves: the row’s order, tier, fields and wording stay as the methodology sets them.

What buyers can never buy

• Placement, order or tier.
• Removal or softening of a published fact.
• Changes to their row without a primary source. They request corrections the same way anyone else does.
• Access to sellers who did not ask to be introduced to them.
• A badge or label inside the index that is not a published fact.

What sellers pay

Nothing for the index, the value check, introductions or a look at an offer you already have, and we take no share of what a buyer pays you.

Our role in a deal

We are a finder, not your agent. We introduce you only to buyers you approve. We do not negotiate, we do not sign anything for you, and we never hold your data or your money. Any license is agreed directly between you and the buyer.

If we earn a fee, it is because of an introduction you approved, and you knew the buyer pays us before you approved it.

Why fees go on the row, not only on this page

The FTC’s Endorsement Guides, at 16 CFR 255.5, say that a material connection between an endorser and a seller must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. The FTC’s own FAQ says “A single disclosure on your home page won’t be sufficient” and “The closer the disclosure is to your recommendation, the better.” So a paying buyer is marked on its own row and in the note before an introduction. This page explains the rules behind it.

Other ties we will disclose

If AC0 AI, S.L.U. or the editor ever holds shares in, works for or advises a listed company, we will say so on that company’s row. If we ever offer a paid service of our own in this field, it will be labeled as ours and kept out of the index.

Questions about money or conflicts go to hello@datalicensingindex.com.