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- QuestionsWhat if something sensitive slips through after a data delivery?
If sensitive data reaches a buyer by mistake, the company freezes further delivery, notifies the buyer in writing under the agreement, requests isolation and certified deletion of the affected items, traces them through the delivery manifest, and asks counsel about notification duties. Agreeing that plan before signing makes a mistake manageable.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a 13-week cash flow forecast, and how do practitioners build one?
A 13-week cash flow forecast is a rolling, week-by-week projection of a company's cash receipts and disbursements over the next quarter, updated every week and compared with actual results. Turnaround advisors, lenders and boards use it to see when liquidity gets tight and which payments the business can safely make.
Read → - GuidesWhat is a borrowing base certificate, and where does a license receivable fit?
A borrowing base certificate is the periodic report an asset-based borrower gives its lender, listing eligible receivables and inventory and applying advance rates to set availability. A receivable from a one-time data license may not meet the credit agreement's eligibility tests, so plan cash without counting it until the lender confirms.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a buy-and-build strategy in private equity?
A buy-and-build strategy is a private equity approach in which a sponsor acquires a platform company, then buys smaller add-on businesses in the same or an adjacent market and integrates them to grow scale, capabilities and exit value. Each acquired US company keeps its own operating history, so each can be screened separately for data licensing.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a carve-out transaction, and who keeps the records afterward?
A carve-out transaction is the separation of a division, product line or subsidiary from its parent company so it can be sold to a new owner, spun off to shareholders or listed. Because the unit usually shares systems with the parent, the deal documents must settle which entity keeps the historical records and the right to license them.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a CEO peer advisory group, and what can a chair share?
A CEO peer advisory group is a confidential, facilitated forum where non-competing chief executives meet regularly to discuss decisions and challenges. A chair can appropriately offer a speaker topic or a one-to-one introduction with the member's consent, and must never pass on members' confidential information.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a chief restructuring officer, and what does a CRO do?
A chief restructuring officer (CRO) is an interim executive, usually from a turnaround or restructuring firm, appointed by a distressed company's board to control cash, lead negotiations with lenders and creditors, and steer a restructuring, sale or wind-down. Alongside asset sales, a CRO can ask whether operational records could be licensed before systems are retired.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a computer-use agent, and where does its training data come from?
A computer-use agent is an AI system that operates software the way a person does, reading the screen, clicking and typing to finish a task. Training and evaluating one needs examples of how real work moves through business tools, which public web text rarely shows and companies hold in their own records.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a confidential information memorandum (CIM) in M&A?
A confidential information memorandum (CIM) is the detailed sell-side document an M&A advisor shares with qualified buyers after they sign an NDA, describing the company's history, market, customers, operations, team and financials. It follows the anonymous teaser and comes before management meetings, the data room and the letter of intent.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a customer data ownership clause, and can it block a data license?
A customer data ownership clause is the contract term that says who owns information a client provides, or a vendor generates while serving that client, and what the vendor may do with it. Read with the confidentiality and use-rights terms, it decides which records a services company can license, which need client consent and which are off-limits.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a data asset, and when can a business license one?
A data asset is information a business controls that has measurable value: it can be used, protected and, where rights allow, licensed for a fee. For an operating company, the most licensable data assets are years of connected records of real work, such as tickets, deal histories and engineering reviews, that it created and can still export.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a data broker under state law, and is licensing your own records the same thing?
Under state registry laws such as California's, a data broker is generally a business that sells or licenses personal information about consumers with whom it has no direct relationship. Licensing a company's own operational records is generally different, but definitions vary by state, so owners should confirm with counsel.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a data flywheel, and why isn't it enough for AI developers?
A data flywheel is a self-reinforcing loop in which a product collects data from the people using it, uses that data to improve, attracts more users and so collects more data. It refines products well, but it mainly records interactions with one product, not the wider business work AI agents must learn, so developers also license company records.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a debtor in possession, and what can it do without court approval?
A debtor in possession is a company in chapter 11 that keeps control of its assets and keeps operating its business instead of handing them to a trustee. It can act in the ordinary course of business on its own, but using, selling or leasing estate property outside the ordinary course generally requires notice and a court hearing.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a double opt-in introduction and how do you do one?
A double opt-in introduction means you ask both people whether they want to meet before you connect them. Neither side is exposed to a cold contact, and each agrees first. When the topic involves a company's records, the owner opts in to a licensing conversation before any name is submitted to SourceX.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a fee-sharing arrangement, and how is it different from a referral reward?
A fee-sharing arrangement divides a fee a client pays a professional with someone else, and professional conduct rules for lawyers and CPAs often restrict it. A reward paid from a third party's own fee for an introduction is a different structure, but each professional must check their own rules before accepting one.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a finder's fee, and how does it differ from a referral reward?
A finder's fee is a payment to someone who introduces two parties that go on to complete a transaction, such as a buyer and a seller, a provider and a client, or a company and an investor. Whether it is lawful depends on the deal: introductions tied to securities transactions can raise broker-registration questions, so the type of transaction matters.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a fractional CFO, and what should one check before introducing a client?
A fractional CFO is an experienced finance executive who works part-time for several companies at once, usually on a retainer, covering forecasting, cash, reporting, financing and deal preparation without a full-time salary. Because they see a client's systems and work directly with the owner, fractional CFOs are well placed to spot records a company could license.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a fractional COO and when does a company need one?
A fractional COO is an experienced operations executive who works part-time, usually on retainer, for one or more companies instead of joining as a full-time officer. They set up processes, run the operating cadence and manage the team. Their SOP and workflow documentation also shows when a company holds deep process records.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a fully paid-up license, and how does it differ from royalties?
A fully paid-up license is a license for which the licensee pays one agreed amount up front, with no further royalties or running fees for the licensed term. SourceX deals typically follow this shape: one all-in price, paid once, with the company keeping ownership of its data.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a golden dataset in AI evaluation, and how is one built?
A golden dataset is a small, carefully reviewed set of examples with known correct answers, used to measure how well an AI system performs. Also called a golden set or ground-truth set, it is built from real cases and expert labels, and records with verified outcomes fit it well.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a HIPAA business associate, and can it license the data it holds?
A HIPAA business associate is a person or company that creates, receives, maintains or transmits protected health information on behalf of a covered entity, such as a billing firm, claims processor or IT vendor. It may use that information only as its business associate agreement allows, so client PHI is generally not the vendor's to license.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a letter of intent (LOI) in M&A, and what does it mean for a data license?
A letter of intent in M&A is a written outline of the main deal terms, price, structure and timetable, that a buyer and seller agree before drafting the definitive agreement. Most terms are non-binding, but exclusivity and confidentiality usually bind. If a client may license its data, raise it before the LOI is signed.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a liquidating Chapter 11, and what happens to company records?
A liquidating Chapter 11 is a bankruptcy case in which the debtor sells its assets and distributes the proceeds under a plan instead of reorganizing. The debtor usually stays in control as debtor in possession and runs the sales, so records, systems and data rights should be assessed before the wind-down budget shuts subscriptions off.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a liquidating trust, and what happens to its records?
A liquidating trust is a trust that holds a company's remaining assets, sells them and distributes the proceeds, run by a liquidating trustee. Its assets can include archived records and data rights. If the data still exists and the trustee has clear authority, SourceX can review it for licensing.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a liquidity event for a private company owner?
A liquidity event is a transaction that converts an owner's illiquid stake in a private company into cash or tradable assets, such as a sale, merger, IPO, recapitalization or secondary sale. A records license is a proceeds event for the company, not a sale of shares.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a managed service provider, and what does an MSP actually do?
A managed service provider (MSP) is an outside company that runs some or all of a client's IT under an ongoing contract, usually for a recurring monthly fee: help desk, monitoring, patching, backup, security, and cloud or Microsoft 365 administration. Unlike a break-fix shop, an MSP is paid to prevent problems, not only to repair them.
Read → - ResourcesWhat is a metadata-only PSA ticket history inventory template for MSPs?
A PSA ticket history inventory is a metadata-only sheet an MSP fills from its own reports: ticket counts by year, categories, resolution-note coverage and client-ownership flags. It lets a partner judge fit before introducing the MSP to SourceX, without exporting any ticket.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a midsize company? Definitions by employees and revenue
A midsize company is a business large enough to have departments, managers and several core systems but well short of large-enterprise scale; no single US legal definition exists. Federal research statistics count any independent firm under 500 employees as small, while banks and investors define the middle market by revenue or EBITDA, with bands that vary by source.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a minority recapitalization, and how does it work?
A minority recapitalization is a transaction in which an owner sells a minority stake, or has new capital invested, to take partial liquidity while keeping control of the company. It differs from a sale of control. An owner weighing one might also compare a data license as a separate, non-dilutive source of proceeds.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a NAV loan, and what does it mean for portfolio companies?
A NAV loan is a loan to a private equity fund, not to its portfolio companies, secured by the net asset value of the fund's investments, usually through pledges over holding-company equity and distribution accounts. Funds use NAV loans for liquidity, follow-ons or early distributions, but one facility then has a claim on cash from every pledged company.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a no-shop clause, and what does it restrict during a sale?
A no-shop clause is a provision, usually in a letter of intent or purchase agreement, that bars a seller from soliciting, encouraging or negotiating competing offers during an agreed exclusivity period. Its reach depends on the drafting, so advisors should check whether other deals, such as licensing the company's records, are restricted or need disclosure.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a non-circumvention agreement, and do you need one to refer a company?
A non-circumvention agreement is a contract in which the parties you introduce promise not to bypass you and close the deal without paying you. Enforceability depends on governing law and drafting. In the SourceX program, registered introductions, attribution rules and published terms address the same risk, so read those instead.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a partner portal, and what can a referral partner see?
A partner portal is a login area where referral partners register, submit introductions, read the program terms and follow what happens to each referral. At SourceX the partner role is limited to introductions and basic fit information, so a portal is never a window into the company's confidential records or a licensing deal.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a permanent capital holding company?
A permanent capital holding company is a business that acquires operating companies and intends to own them indefinitely, funded by its owners' capital and retained cash flow rather than a fund with a fixed life, so no exit date is forced. Long holds favor levers that add value without selling a company, decided subsidiary by subsidiary.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a plan administrator or wind-down officer in bankruptcy?
A plan administrator, or wind-down officer, is the person or entity a confirmed chapter 11 plan empowers to carry out the plan after confirmation, often controlling remaining assets and records. Its powers come from the plan and confirmation order, so it is usually the right contact to authorize a records license.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a platform company in private equity, and why do its records matter?
A platform company is the initial, usually larger acquisition a private equity firm makes in a sector, chosen as the base for follow-on add-on acquisitions. It supplies the management team, systems and infrastructure the add-ons are folded into, which is why mature platforms often carry many legacy systems and long, varied record histories.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a pledge fund, and who approves a portfolio company's data license?
A pledge fund is a private investment vehicle in which investors pledge capital to a sponsor but decide deal by deal whether to fund each investment, instead of committing to a blind pool the sponsor deploys at its discretion. Because investors approve each deal, a portfolio company's major decisions, such as licensing its data, often need their consent too.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a portfolio operations group in private equity?
A portfolio operations team is the group inside a private equity firm that helps portfolio companies improve after the deal closes, using operating partners, functional specialists and advisors who run firm-wide programs such as procurement, talent and systems. It is the natural owner of a portfolio-wide data-licensing screen, while each CEO conversation stays with one relationship owner.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a qualified referral? Definitions to check in a referral agreement
A qualified referral is an introduction that meets the conditions in a referral agreement for credit or payment. At SourceX, credit goes to the first valid referrer whose introduction leads to a verified company application, and a reward becomes payable only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a quality of earnings report, and how does it treat one-time income?
A quality of earnings (QoE) report is a diligence analysis, usually prepared by an accounting or transaction advisory firm, that tests whether a company's reported earnings are accurate and repeatable. It bridges reported EBITDA to adjusted EBITDA, so one-time proceeds, such as a payment for licensing a records snapshot, are normally separated from run-rate earnings.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a receivership, and who controls a company's records during one?
A receivership is a court proceeding in which a judge appoints a neutral receiver to take control of, protect and sometimes sell a company's property, often at a secured lender's request. Because the receiver controls the company's assets, including its records and systems, any data license needs the receiver's involvement and usually court approval.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a referral bonus?
A referral bonus is a reward a company pays you for introducing a new customer who goes on to buy. The fairest bonuses are a percentage of the revenue from the deal you introduced, with a written cap and a clear payment trigger — not a flat gift or vague promise. In the SourceX partner program, the bonus is {{rate}} of collected platform fees, capped at {{cap}} per referred company.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a referral fee, who pays it and when is it earned?
A referral fee is a payment one business makes to a person or firm for introducing a customer, client or deal that turns into paid work. The business that gains the customer pays it, and in most B2B programs the fee is earned only after the referred deal closes and the payer collects, not for the introduction itself.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a residuals clause, and why does it matter in a data license?
A residuals clause is a confidentiality term allowing the receiving party to use general knowledge retained in its people's unaided memory. It protects memory, not documents. It does not give anyone the right to copy or license a counterparty's files, emails or datasets, which is why it rarely helps a company licensing its records.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a restructuring support agreement, and does it limit asset sales or licenses?
A restructuring support agreement (RSA) is a contract in which a distressed company and key creditors, often with its sponsor, commit to support a defined restructuring, with milestones, voting lock-ups and a fiduciary out for the board. Many RSAs also restrict asset sales and licenses outside the ordinary course, so a records license may need consent from the required creditors.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a retrade in M&A, and what can a seller do about it?
A retrade in M&A is a buyer's attempt, after the letter of intent and usually during exclusivity, to lower the agreed price or shift terms in its favor, typically citing diligence findings. Sellers reduce retrade risk by testing their own numbers first, tightening the LOI, keeping alternatives warm and building proceeds the buyer does not control.
Read → - QuestionsWhat is a search fund? A plain explanation for referral partners
A search fund is an investment vehicle in which an entrepreneur, the searcher, raises money from investors to find, buy and then run one established private company, usually stepping in as its CEO. Investors first pay for the search, then get the right to fund the acquisition. Targets are typically profitable, owner-led businesses whose founders are ready to step back.
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