Who sees our data during a licensing deal, and when?

Who sees a company's data, stage by stage?

Almost nobody sees records early, and the circle widens only as the company agrees to each step. The partner sees basic fit information. SourceX sees what the company chooses to share during qualification and inventory. Buyers review a described dataset before anything is signed. Actual delivery happens only after an executed agreement and the company's authorization.

That staging is the answer to the owner's real worry, which is not "will someone see it" but "will someone see it before I have agreed to anything." The design keeps each audience small until the company has said yes.

What does each party see?

Two notes on the table. First, "SourceX sees" at the inventory stage means information about systems and records, and anything beyond that is agreed with the company. Second, buyer identity is often confidential early on; see why AI data buyers are often kept confidential for the reasons.

What does the partner see, and what must they never touch?

A partner makes the introduction and gives basic fit information only. Partners never export, upload or describe confidential records. If an owner starts to show you a screen full of records, stop them politely and say the right people to show are SourceX and their own counsel.

Practical rules for the introduction call:

• Ask about categories, never contents: "Do you keep support tickets going back five years?" not "What do the tickets say?"
• Do not forward spreadsheets, screenshots or exports from the company.
• Describe the company to SourceX at the fit level: size, years of operation, systems in use, the sponsor.
• If the company wants you to stay out of later stages, step out. Credit follows the verified application, not your presence.

How is access controlled inside the buyer's organization?

That is set by the agreement, and it is the right thing to ask before signing. Agreements can address who may access data, which security measures apply and whether onward disclosure is allowed, but the actual terms in any deal are whatever the company signs. Rather than assume, use these questions:

1. Which roles at the buyer may access the delivered data?
2. May the buyer share it with subcontractors or affiliates, and under what conditions?
3. What security measures does the agreement require?
4. How long may the buyer retain the data, and what happens at the end of the term? See how long AI companies keep training data.
5. Is the existence of the deal itself confidential? See whether a company should announce its data license.

Counsel can turn these into drafting points. Nothing is binding until the company agrees price and terms and signs, so there is room to ask.

What access questions come up in unusual situations?

Different company situations change who must be involved before records are seen.

For a sponsor with a portfolio, the questions above scale up into diligence; portfolio data licensing and reputational risk is the investor's view.

What should an owner ask SourceX directly?

Ask these in writing and expect specific answers in the agreement rather than a verbal assurance:

• Which of our people will be asked to export or review data, and in what order?
• What de-identification and redaction will be applied before buyers or the buyer see anything?
• Which buyers see a description, and what does the description contain?
• Who inside SourceX handles our materials?

Do not rely on a partner to answer these; partners do not have access to the details and should not guess.

Next step

If a company's owner wants a clear answer on who sees what, share this staged map and register as a partner so you can make the introduction. The company can also begin at sourcex.si/apply. Partners earn 25% of eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects, capped at $100,000 cumulative per referred company, payable only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee; rewards are not guaranteed. The referral earnings calculator and FAQ have the program basics.