The short answer
A finder's fee for a supplier introduction is paid by whichever side gains from the new relationship, most often the supplier, once the buyer you introduced actually purchases. There is no standard rate. The amount, what it is calculated on and when it becomes due are whatever the written introducer agreement says, and without one you are relying on goodwill.
The finder's role is deliberately narrow: you connect two parties who would not otherwise have met, and they negotiate and perform the deal themselves. That narrowness separates a finder from an agent or broker who negotiates for one side.
How a supplier introduction is usually paid
Introducer agreements vary, but almost all of them settle the same seven terms.
| Term | What it settles | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|
| Payer | Supplier, buyer or, rarely, both | Being paid by both sides calls for written disclosure to both |
| Trigger | Introduction, signed contract or paid invoice | Payment on a paid invoice is the most common and the slowest |
| Fee base | First order, first-year contract value or all orders in a period | Decides whether repeat orders earn anything |
| Tail period | How long after the introduction a deal still counts | Long sales cycles need a long enough tail |
| Registration | A dated record of who was introduced and when | Your evidence if the introduction is disputed |
| Non-circumvention | The parties will not cut you out by dealing directly | Protects you once both sides know each other |
| Cap or minimum | Limits on the fee | Sets realistic expectations from the start |
Why non-circumvention is the clause that matters most
Once the supplier and buyer have met, neither needs you. A non-circumvention clause, backed by a dated registration of the introduction, is what keeps the fee owed if they later contract without telling you. Narrow versions cover only the deal you introduced; broad ones cover any deal between the parties during the tail period. Check which one you are signing before you make the call.
SourceX replaces the negotiated clause with an attribution rule: credit goes to the first valid referrer whose introduction leads to a verified company application within the attribution window. Your referral link carries your referral code to the company's application at sourcex.si/apply, so the record is created when the company applies rather than reconstructed later.
A data-licensing introduction is a supplier introduction
Introducing a company to SourceX follows the same pattern, with SourceX sitting between the two sides. The supplier is a US company holding years of operational records. The buyers are AI labs and data buyers that license those records for training and evaluation. SourceX qualifies the company, runs its data inventory, agrees one all-in price and the terms with it, takes the opportunity to buyers, contracts, delivers and collects payment.
What is supplied is a license, not a sale: the company keeps ownership and grants defined rights, typically an exclusive AI-training license for an agreed term. Copyright law illustrates the structure for material a company created. Under 17 U.S.C. section 201, ownership of a copyright can be transferred in whole or in part, and any exclusive right can be transferred and owned separately, so an owner can license specific rights in material it owns while keeping the rest.
| Question | Typical supplier-to-buyer finder deal | SourceX introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Who you introduce | A supplier to one buyer, or the reverse | A US company with valuable records, introduced to SourceX |
| Who negotiates | The supplier and buyer directly | SourceX and the company; you step back |
| Who pays you | Usually the supplier | SourceX, from its own fee; never deducted from what the company receives |
| Trigger | Whatever your agreement says | The buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee |
| Amount | Negotiated case by case | 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX collects, capped at $100,000 per referred company |
| Protection | Non-circumvention clause | First valid referrer within the attribution window |
| What you handle | Often samples, specifications or price lists | Basic fit information only; never the records themselves |
What the introduction involves from your side
- Check basic fit: a US company with 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), several years of documented operations, rights to its records and an owner or executive who can sponsor it.
- Register, then send the company your referral link or submit it through the referral form.
- SourceX reviews size, history, data breadth and rights with the company.
- The company maps its systems and records in a data inventory.
- The company agrees price and terms; nothing binds it until it signs.
- Buyers review the opportunity, the license is signed, the data is delivered and the company is paid.
- Your reward becomes payable once SourceX has received its fee. No reward is guaranteed.
Before you send the link, compare that structure with the introducer terms you are used to: the payout conditions sit on the rewards page, and the referral earnings calculator walks through the published formula step by step.
Limits and open questions
- Securities. Fees tied to raising capital or selling a company's securities raise broker registration questions. The SEC proposed a conditional exemption for finders in October 2020 (Release 34-90112), limited to helping issuers raise capital from accredited investors; it was never adopted and never addressed commercial or data-licensing introductions. If any introduction you make touches fundraising or a company sale, take securities advice first. Acquisition introductions work differently again, as the guide to private equity finder's fees explains.
- Employer and procurement rules. If you work for the buyer, accepting a fee from a supplier you recommend can breach your employer's policies. Disclose it and get approval in writing.
- Licensed professionals. Accountants, lawyers and financial advisers follow their own rules on referral fees and disclosure, which can be stricter than any contract.
- Agencies. Agencies that place suppliers with clients have their own norms on who pays; see agency referral fees.
- Tax. A finder's fee is generally taxable income for the recipient; where to report referral income covers the return.
This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm with your own counsel, tax adviser or professional body before acting.
Next step
If you know a US company whose records could supply AI buyers, register as a partner and send it your referral link, or ask its owner to apply directly at sourcex.si/apply with your code attached.