Handshake AI vs Telegraph Lab
Both pay companies for internal business records used to train AI. The main differences on their published terms are below; the real answer comes from putting both offers side by side.
Key differences
- They pay differently: Handshake AI: priced after scoping: no figure until your records are reviewed; Telegraph Lab: pays a one-time amount for your records.
- Size rules differ: Handshake AI — 20+ employees, 3+ years; Telegraph Lab — no minimum published.
- Published ranges: Handshake AI $100K–$4M, Telegraph Lab $100K–$4M (each buyer's own figure, not an offer).
Side by side
| Handshake AI | Telegraph Lab | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Priced after scoping: no figure until your records are reviewed | Pays a one-time amount for your records |
| Who qualifies | 20+ employees, 3+ years | No minimum published |
| Accepts | operating | operating |
| How it pays | unknown: Handshake describes licensing the data; it does not state lump sum versus ongoing payments on the page. | upfront: a licensing payment with price and payment milestones set in a signed written agreement; no revenue share is described. |
| Published range | Handshake's own headline figure: companies can earn $100K to $4M+ depending on the data shared. The current page does not call this an estimate or say how it is set; it is not an offer. Source: joinhandshake.com, as of October 2026. | Target licensing payments of $100K-$4M, subject to data review and agreed terms. A calculator example for a 100-person, 10-year US company shows $385K-$895K, which the page calls illustrative. The buyer's figures, not an offer. |
| When it pays | Not published | Not published; payment milestones are set in each agreement. |
| Exclusivity | not stated | Varies; any exclusivity must be explicitly agreed. |
| Data handling | The company decides which records are included and which sensitive information is left out. Handshake explains who will access and prepare the data, including any de-identification needed, and the company reviews who may receive it, how it may be used and the safeguards before committing. The referral page says all data is scoped, de-identified and kept confidential. | Sensitive fields such as names, contact details and account IDs are removed, or replaced with consistent placeholders, then the prepared copy is reviewed against the agreed scope. The company approves scope before work begins and keeps its original files and ownership. The agreement names authorized recipients, which may include frontier AI labs. Telegraph says de-identification lowers but cannot remove re-identification risk. |
| Good fit if | You have 20+ full-time staff, at least three years of operating history, and want the buyer to prepare the data; Handshake says all data is scoped and de-identified. | You run an established business with years of documents and software records and want a one-time licensing payment under a written agreement that names the recipients. |
You can apply to both at once. Nothing you submit commits you, and two offers make it easier to judge either one. See comparing offers.
Apply to Handshake AI Apply to Telegraph Lab
Handshake AI: We may be paid: this buyer pays us a referral fee if a company we sent signs. You pay us nothing. Among buyers that fit your answers, buyers that pay us are shown first.
Telegraph Lab: We have applied to this buyer's referral program. If accepted, it may pay us a fee when a company we sent signs. You pay us nothing.
Sources
- Handshake AI - Data partnerships, accessed 2026-10-25
- Handshake AI - Refer a company, accessed 2026-10-25
- Telegraph Lab - Data partnerships, accessed 2026-10-15
- Telegraph Lab - Referral Partner Program, accessed 2026-10-15
- Telegraph Lab - Refer a company, accessed 2026-10-15
- Telegraph Lab - Terms, accessed 2026-10-15