Entry bar
Handshake AI asks for 20 full-time employees and 3 years in operation. micro1 asks for 30 employees and established documentation in English, with US companies first.
Programme comparison
Handshake AI vs micro1, side by side
Handshake AI advertises $100K to $4M+ and accepts companies with 20+ full-time staff and 3+ years in operation. micro1 publishes tiers from $100K to $2M+, asks for 30+ employees and data mainly in English, and pays within 30 days of acceptance. Only micro1 publishes referral pay and payment timing.
Page updated 19 Oct 2026. Figures checked 18 Oct 2026 at their sources.
In short
Where they differ
What they want
Handshake AI names finance models, underwriting workflows and production or quality records. micro1 names SOPs, knowledge bases, CRM data, project histories and QA processes, and builds RL environments from them.
Referrals
micro1 publishes $50K per referral up to a $700K deal, or 7.5% above, and when it is paid. Handshake AI has a referral link without published terms.
Payment timing
micro1 reviews data for up to 30 days, then pays within 30 days of the invoice. Handshake AI ends its process with delivery and payment but gives no timing.
Estimates
Both show sample estimates and both disclaim them: Handshake AI calls its figure indicative and not an offer to purchase; micro1 says not a quote or binding offer.
Each point restates the sourced rows in the table below, checked 18 Oct 2026.
Side by side
Every published point
| Point | Handshake AI |  micro1 |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Licensing programme for business records | Data partnerships for RL environments |
| What it takes | Operational business records such as documentation, workflows and project history. Examples on the page include finance models, underwriting workflows, manufacturing production records and quality reports, drawn from tools like Gmail, Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, NetSuite and AutoCAD. The company decides what is in scope, and records are de-identified.(Handshake AI, checked 18 Oct 2026) | Operational material: SOPs, knowledge bases, internal documentation, CRM data, project histories and QA processes, plus decision patterns and human feedback on AI outputs. It is used, de-identified, to build reinforcement-learning environments.(micro1, checked 18 Oct 2026) |
| Published figures | "Earn $100K to $4M+" on the programme page and "$100K to $4M+ payouts" on the licence page. A sample estimate on the page reads $383,000 to $897,000. Handshake labels its estimate indicative and not an offer to purchase.(Handshake AI, checked 18 Oct 2026) | Three tiers: $100K to $500K for qualified partnerships, $500K to $2M for large datasets or ongoing work across several teams, $2M+ for highly unique proprietary data. It says payments typically run from $150K to over $2M, and it licenses qualifying agent trajectories for $1M to $2M a year. Its estimate page shows an indicative $50,284 to $92,776, described as not a quote or binding offer. Pay depends on quality, uniqueness and value.(micro1, checked 18 Oct 2026) |
| How it pays | Through a licence, with delivery and payment as the last step. Whether that is a lump sum or recurring is not stated.(Handshake AI, checked 18 Oct 2026) | A lump sum for the initial data. After transfer, micro1 has 30 days to review and approve it; the company then invoices and is paid within 30 days. Agent trajectories are licensed per year. Companies keep ownership, can review samples before use, and data is licensed only to labs and enterprises in the US and allied countries.(micro1, checked 18 Oct 2026) |
| Who qualifies | Companies with at least 20 full-time employees and at least 3 years in operation.(Handshake AI, checked 18 Oct 2026) | 30 or more full-time employees, mature operations and several years of records across business systems. Data mainly in English, and the team must work in English. US companies come first, then other Western markets.(micro1, checked 18 Oct 2026) |
| Licence, rights, control | Not published | Not published |
| Referral | A "Refer a company" link exists, but no fee or terms are shown.(Handshake AI, checked 18 Oct 2026) | $50,000 for enterprise deals up to $700,000, or 7.5% of the deal value above that. For companies that no longer operate: $75,000 for deals up to $1 million, or 7.5% above. Paid by wire once the referred company reaches set milestones.(micro1, checked 18 Oct 2026) |
| Who it sells to | AI labs, none named on the page.(Handshake AI, checked 18 Oct 2026) | Not published |
| Not published | Payment structure (one sum or over time); Exclusivity and licence length; Referral terms | Exclusivity; Licence length; Which labs use the environments |
How to use this comparison
Both columns quote what each programme prints about itself. Neither is an offer: published ranges are there to attract companies, and the real number follows a look at your records. Use the table to decide which questions to ask, then hold any written offer against the published ranges with the offer check.
Missing cells mean the programme does not say, not that the answer is no. The programme directory lists every programme we track, including those without enough published detail for a profile.
Keep reading
Related pages
Handshake AI profile$100K to $4M+ advertised; 20+ full-time staff and 3+ years required.Read micro1 profileTiers from $100K to $2M+; paid within 30 days of acceptance; 30+ employees.Read Replay vs Polyshares, side by sideAnother pair, same method.Read Turing vs SimpleClosure, side by sideAnother pair, same method.Read Grepped vs Troveo, side by sideAnother pair, same method.Read
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
01Is Handshake AI or micro1 easier to qualify for?
On headcount, Handshake AI (20 full-time staff, 3 years) sets a lower bar than micro1 (30 employees). micro1 also wants established English documentation.
02What do their published ranges say?
Handshake AI advertises $100K to $4M+. micro1 publishes tiers of $100K to $500K, $500K to $2M and $2M+. Both are marketing ranges, not offers.
03Which one pays for referrals?
micro1 publishes $50K per referral for deals up to $700K, or 7.5% of larger deals. Handshake AI shows a referral link without terms.
04Do I keep ownership of my data?
micro1 says companies retain ownership of their underlying data. Handshake AI describes a licence scoped by the company.
05How do they pay?
micro1 pays in full within 30 days of the invoice, after a review of up to 30 days. Handshake AI ends its process with delivery and payment but publishes no structure or timing.
Stay current
Get the monthly price update
Once a month: deals that disclosed a value, programmes that changed their published figures, and corrections to this site. Free, and one click to leave.
Holding an offer already? Compare it with published ranges.