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Detailed guide

How data licensing works.

Years of emails, documents and everyday records show how your business works. We help you explore whether AI companies could license them. You keep ownership and decide whether to proceed.

A simple illustration of records licensed for an agreed use—not a completed deal.

Everyday work leaves useful records.

Support tickets, maintenance histories and other ordinary records can show what went wrong, what people decided and what happened next.

You don’t need a perfect database or AI expertise. We look at whether the records you already have could make a useful, responsible license.

Shelves of archive boxes and binders in a records room
Photograph 1. A records room, not a client’s.

Illustrative business: 100 employees, 10 years in business, based in the USA.

Where useful records often live
Record classTypical systems
Chat & messaging
  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Google Chat
  • Zoom
Email & calendar
  • Gmail
  • Outlook
  • Google Calendar
Documents & files
  • Google Drive
  • OneDrive
  • SharePoint
  • Dropbox
Work & knowledge
  • Jira
  • Asana
  • Monday.com
  • Notion
  • Figma
Sales & support
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Intercom
  • Zendesk
Business platforms
  • ServiceNow
  • Workday
  • SAP
  • Dynamics
Finance & operations
  • QuickBooks
  • NetSuite
  • Stripe
  • Shopify
Data & code
  • GitHub
  • GitLab
  • Snowflake
  • Databricks
  • Photograph 2. An example, not a client.

    An industrial distributor

    A changed order: the options considered, the decision and the final result.

  • Photograph 3. An example, not a client.

    A freight company

    A delayed shipment: dispatch notes, a new route and the delivery outcome.

  • Photograph 4. An example, not a client.

    An accounting firm

    A reconciliation: the working papers, the discrepancy and the correction.

See what the paperwork can look like.

These four illustrative samples show a profile, a scope sheet, license terms and a cleaned record. They are not client documents or standard deal terms.

Choose an exhibit

In plain words An example profile describing a company and its records without identifying the company—not the records themselves.

When you review an offer, look beyond the price: check the rights you would grant, your responsibilities and what you would keep after the single success fee.

Exhibit A. Anonymized buyer-facing profile

Sample

Industry
Commercial freight
Company size
50–100 employees
Digital history
2016–2025
Coverage
Dispatch and operations email
Approximate volume
About 200,000 records
Source systems
Dispatch platform and shared inbox
Record categories
Events, exceptions and resolutions
Language
English
Geography
United States
Rights status
Under review
Sensitivity
Customer and employee information
Exclusions
Sensitive and restricted records
Readiness
Subject to review and agreement
Company name
Withheld

Five steps, with a binding commitment at signing.

We guide you. Our licensing partner builds an anonymized profile and seeks bids. A signed offer is binding: you have 10 days to deliver, with the broker and buyer helping with export. The buyer scrubs the raw records and sends only cleansed data to the AI lab. There is no sample review or separate delivery approval.

StepStageWhat happensYour decision or commitmentWhat buyers see
1Fit checkTell us about your business and the records it has. No files or system access.Your decision or commitment Choose whether to request a fit check. Agreements come later.What buyers see Nothing
2ProfileOur licensing partner uses descriptions of your records to build an anonymized profile without your company name.Your decision or commitment Agree to profiling and review its scope. Sign the broker agreement before record descriptions are collected.What buyers see Nothing yet
3Buyer interestOur partner shares the anonymized profile with prospective buyers and seeks bids.Your decision or commitment Approve sharing the anonymized profile before it goes to buyers.What buyers see An anonymized profile, not your company name or record contents
4Your decisionReview any offer, including rights, responsibilities and what you would receive after the success fee.Your decision or commitment Decide whether to sign a binding offer.What buyers see The anonymized profile
5Signing and deliveryA signed offer is binding. You have 10 days to deliver the agreed records, with the broker and buyer helping with export. The buyer scrubs the raw records and sends only cleansed data to the AI lab.Your decision or commitment Sign directly with the buyer and deliver within 10 days.What buyers see The buyer you sign with: raw records within the agreed scope

Vardmark and the licensing partner see descriptions such as record counts, date ranges and source systems—never record contents. Scope, access and safeguards go into the buyer agreement before delivery. The AI lab receives only the data the buyer has cleansed.

Prepare to deliver within 10 days of signing.

The buyer agreement sets out access, responsibilities and payment. A signed offer is binding. You deliver the agreed records within 10 days, with the broker and buyer helping with export. We stay your point of contact.

How your data is protected
  1. Agree on the scope before signing.

    Confirm which systems, date ranges and sensitive sources are included or excluded, and how access will work.

  2. Deliver the records; the buyer scrubs them.

    You have 10 days after signing to deliver the agreed records, with the broker and buyer helping with export. The buyer accesses the raw records, scrubs them and sends only cleansed data to the AI lab. There is no sample review or separate delivery approval.

  3. Payment follows the signed terms.

    You pay one success fee at a variable percentage agreed in writing before signing. The broker collects it only after you have been paid. Acceptance conditions and payment timing are also agreed in writing.

  4. If a deal is canceled, collected data is deleted.

    Every buyer agreement requires complete deletion of the data collected for that deal, including working copies, samples and backups.

Every opportunity is different.

  • A buyer is not guaranteed.

    Buyer interest varies, and some records may attract no offers.

  • Payment is not guaranteed.

    Estimates are illustrations. Payment depends on the agreement and its conditions.

  • Finding a deal takes time.

    Timing depends on the records, the buyer and the terms. Once you sign an offer, you have 10 days to deliver.

  • We assess each opportunity.

    Rights, sensitivity, record quality and buyer interest all matter.

Here’s what we look at together.

  • Records from real work. Everyday activity gives the records their context.
  • Enough history. Can someone follow a question through to its outcome?
  • A way to access records. Can the agreed sources be assessed and collected?
  • Rights to license. Check what your contracts and the law allow with your own counsel.
  • A responsible fit. Sensitivity, quality and buyer needs all need review.
Tell us about your business

Know who you’re working with.

Randy Varde

Vardmark LLC

Randy Varde has years of experience as a technology business owner and software developer and is your point of contact at Vardmark Data.

Write directly: randy@vardmarkdata.com

What you can expect from us

  1. We stay your point of contact throughout.
  2. There is no upfront cost to explore. One variable success-fee percentage is agreed in writing and collected by the broker only after you are paid.
  3. No files to start and no obligation to license before signing an offer.
  4. You review any offer before deciding whether to sign. Signed offers are binding.
  5. Estimates and examples are illustrations, not offers or valuations.

Randy Varde, for Vardmark LLC

Questions worth asking.

For more on access and safeguards, read how your data is protected.

Business owners ask 8 questions

Who is behind Vardmark?

Vardmark LLC is a registered company in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, led by Randy Varde. We guide you through the process and stay your point of contact.

What does it cost?

Nothing upfront. You pay one success fee at a variable percentage agreed in writing before you commit. The broker collects it only after you have been paid; there is no separate Vardmark fee to pay.

What does Vardmark do?

We guide you and stay your point of contact. A separate licensing partner, the broker, builds the profile and seeks interested buyers.

Will anyone read our private email?

Vardmark and our licensing partner only see descriptions of the records, not email contents. The buyer you sign with accesses raw records within the agreed scope, scrubs them and sends only cleansed data to the AI lab. The lab never sees raw records.

What happens if we accept an offer?

A signed offer is binding. You sign directly with the buyer and have 10 days to deliver the agreed records, with the broker and buyer helping with export. The buyer scrubs the raw records and sends only cleansed data to the AI lab. Payment follows the signed terms.

What if a deal is canceled?

Every buyer agreement requires complete deletion of data collected for that deal, including working copies, samples and backups. Your cancellation rights are set in the agreements.

How much might we receive?

That depends on the records, your rights and buyer interest. An estimate is not an offer. What you keep depends on the agreed price and the single success fee, collected by the broker only after you are paid.

Can we say no along the way?

You can decline an offer before signing. A signed offer is binding, and you have 10 days to deliver with broker and buyer export support. Any cancellation rights are set in the agreements.

Questions about the agreement 5 questions

Do we still own our records?

Yes. A license grants defined usage rights; it does not sell the underlying records. Review those rights in the agreement.

Can we license everything we have?

Not necessarily. You and your advisors must confirm which records the company has the right to license.

What about personal or confidential information?

Address sensitive information, exclusions and safeguards in the agreements. Cleaning cannot guarantee anonymity.

What can a buyer do with the data?

The license sets permitted uses and restrictions. Review them before you accept an offer.

Will we know who the buyer is?

Yes. You review the buyer’s identity and terms before agreeing to a deal.

Who sees your data—and when.

We start with descriptions, not record contents. Buyers first see an anonymized profile without your company name. The buyer you sign with accesses and scrubs the agreed raw records. The AI lab receives only cleansed data from the buyer, never raw records.

  • No files or system access to start
  • Scope and safeguards agreed in writing
  • Collected data deleted if a deal is canceled
  • You approve the scope before signing
A conceptual illustration of agreed protections,
not a security certification.

Exhibit E. Who sees what

Vardmark
Your contact and company details, plus descriptions of your records. Never their contents. Your agreement with Vardmark, signed only if you choose to engage us.
Licensing partner (broker)
Descriptions of your records to build a profile. Never record contents. Your broker agreement, signed before those descriptions are collected.
Prospective buyers
An anonymized profile without your company name or record contents. Only after you approve sharing the profile.
The buyer you sign with
Raw records within the agreed scope. The buyer scrubs them and sends only cleansed data to the AI lab. Your buyer agreement, signed before delivery or access begins.
AI lab
Only cleansed data sent by the buyer, never raw records. After the buyer scrubs the records, under the agreed license terms.

Requesting a fit check does not sign any of these agreements.

Agree on these details before signing and delivery.

Sensitive sources and exclusions

Check for personal information, passwords, payment and health details, legally privileged messages, restricted third-party content and trade secrets. Ask your own counsel what you have the right to license; cleaning cannot give you rights you do not have.

What to check before signing

Where the buyer will process records, how you will export and deliver within 10 days of signing with broker and buyer support, what access is needed, permitted uses, cancellation terms and payment conditions.

If sensitive details are missed

The buyer repeats the entire cleaning process. Even then, a miss cannot be ruled out.

Please don’t send record contents, passwords or confidential documents through our forms or by email. Website inquiries are covered by our Privacy Policy.

Ready to see if there’s a fit?

Tell us a little about your business. No files or system access are needed. We’ll reply within 1 business day, and there’s no obligation to proceed.