How do referral fees work, and how is this site paid?

Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research

What is a referral fee?

A referral fee, sometimes called an introducer or finder's fee, is money a buyer pays to a person or business that sends them a new customer or supplier. In this market, the supplier is a company licensing its records, and the referrer is whoever made the introduction.

The fee is usually paid only if the deal actually signs or completes. Introductions that go nowhere typically earn nothing.

Referral programs are common across many industries. As of October 2026, several AI data buyers publish one, offering a reward to people who introduce companies with useful records.

How are these fees usually structured?

As of October 2026, published buyer referral programs use a few common structures. The details, limits and conditions differ from program to program.

• A flat amount per referred company that signs
• A flat amount that varies with the size of the deal, up to a stated maximum
• A percentage of the transaction value or of the licensing payments
• Conditions such as a time window, a minimum company size, and rules about who gets credit if two people introduce the same company

Does the referral fee come out of my payment?

At least one data program's published referral agreement says referral fees are never deducted from, or offset against, what the referred company is paid. Most programs do not address the question on their public pages at all.

So confirm it yourself. Ask the buyer, in writing, whether any referral fee affects your price or payment, and check that the contract you sign shows your full payment without deductions for introducer fees.

How does this site get paid?

This site is a disclosed matching service run by Minimus Ventures LLC. We do not charge companies that use it. Some buyers may pay Minimus a referral fee when a company we sent signs with them. Not every buyer listed has a referral program, and fees differ between those that do. Each buyer's page on this site states whether we are in its referral program.

We do not take a share of your payment, hold your money, or handle your data. Your contract and payment are directly between your company and the buyer you choose.

If you would like to know whether a particular buyer has a referral arrangement with us, ask. We will tell you.

Does the fee affect which buyers we show you?

No. We order matches by fit: your company's size, status, industry, systems and the kinds of records you have, compared with what each buyer says it takes. Buyers that pay no referral fee appear on the same terms as those that do.

We tell you this because U.S. advertising rules expect it. The FTC's Endorsement Guides, revised in 2023, say that a financial connection between a recommender and a business should be clearly disclosed when people would not otherwise expect it, and FTC guidance says commission-earning links should be disclosed close to the recommendation.

What if someone else referred you?

Brokers, advisors and others may also earn referral fees from buyers. That is normal, but you should know about it. Ask anyone recommending a buyer whether they are paid for the introduction and how. A good adviser will tell you plainly.

Knowing about a fee does not mean the advice is bad. It simply lets you weigh it with the full picture.

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice.