How our estimate is calculated
Our calculator multiplies your full-time office headcount by a rate per employee built from two figures Mode publishes: the $100,000 low end of its stated range and your industry's minimum headcount. It then shows 0.8 to 1.35 times that midpoint, capped at $5 million. It is an illustration, not an offer.
The formula, line by line
| Line | What it is | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| A | $100,000 | The low end of "could be worth $100K–$5M" on Mode's BizBuyData program page, read October 29, 2026 |
| B | Minimum full-time office employees for your industry | Mode's program page, October 29, 2026: 6 for law firms; 10 for accounting, finance and medical; 30 for all other businesses and nonprofits |
| C | Rate per employee: A ÷ B | Our method |
| D | Your full-time office employees | You |
| E | Midpoint: C × D | Our method |
| Range | 0.8 × E to 1.35 × E, rounded to the nearest $10,000, each end capped at $5,000,000 | The band is our judgment. The cap is the high end of Mode's published range |
If D is below B, we don't show an estimate. For businesses outside law, accounting, finance and medicine with 20 to 29 employees, we also note that Mode's October 13, 2026 press release cited a minimum of 20, so the current minimum is worth confirming with Mode.
Why we anchor on the minimum
Mode publishes a range and a minimum headcount for each industry, but not how it prices. The simplest reading that uses only Mode's own numbers is that the smallest organization it currently accepts in each industry sits at the bottom of its published range. That gives law firms the highest rate per employee, which fits the press release's statement that AI labs are "prioritizing legal and accounting data".
How it compares with Mode's CEO
On The LFG Show, Dan Novaes gave one worked example: a company with "say 200 employees … gets a million dollars". For a 200-person business outside law, accounting, finance and medicine, our method gives $530,000 to $900,000, which is below his example. That's deliberate. Our rate for those businesses uses the program page's current minimum of 30. With the press release's minimum of 20, the rate would be $5,000 per employee, which matches his example exactly. When Mode's published figures disagree, we use the more conservative one.
Benchmarks by industry and headcount
| Industry | Minimum (B) | Rate per employee (C) | At the minimum | 50 employees | 200 employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law firm | 6 | $16,667 | $80,000 – $140,000 | $670,000 – $1,130,000 | $2,670,000 – $4,500,000 |
| Accounting or CPA firm | 10 | $10,000 | $80,000 – $140,000 | $400,000 – $680,000 | $1,600,000 – $2,700,000 |
| Finance firm | 10 | $10,000 | $80,000 – $140,000 | $400,000 – $680,000 | $1,600,000 – $2,700,000 |
| Medical or healthcare practice | 10 | $10,000 | $80,000 – $140,000 | $400,000 – $680,000 | $1,600,000 – $2,700,000 |
| Software or tech company | 30 | $3,333 | $80,000 – $140,000 | $130,000 – $230,000 | $530,000 – $900,000 |
| Nonprofit | 30 | $3,333 | $80,000 – $140,000 | $130,000 – $230,000 | $530,000 – $900,000 |
| Other office-based business | 30 | $3,333 | $80,000 – $140,000 | $130,000 – $230,000 | $530,000 – $900,000 |
What the estimate leaves out
Mode says it reviews "the systems and dates in scope, years of history, record volume and quality, and ownership and access terms before making a fixed offer" (program FAQ). Our calculator sees none of these. Things that can move a real offer up, down or to zero:
- Years of records. Mode's application asks how many years of operational data you have.
- Systems in scope. Email and chat alone are a different corpus from email, chat, CRM, tickets and billing together.
- Volume and quality. Business Insider reports that this data is often priced by the terabyte (Business Insider, Oct 13, 2026).
- Exclusivity and ownership. The same report notes that exclusivity matters to buyers, and Mode's agreement defines scope and any exclusivity.
- Who counts. We count full-time office (desk) employees only. Mode's application asks for desk and non-desk staff separately.
- Location. Mode's referral page covers companies in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia only, and its program page calls teams primarily based in the U.S. the strongest fit.
- A moving market. Novaes said on the show that "different types of data will be valuable" and "modalities will change" (11:00). Mode's own minimum for general businesses moved from 20 to 30 within weeks of launch.
Mode's FAQ says its calculator "is illustrative, not a guaranteed offer". The same is true of ours.
What happens to the numbers you enter
The calculator runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type into it is sent anywhere unless you submit the introduction form. See our privacy policy.
Changes to this method
- October 29, 2026: first published, using the minimums on Mode's program page as of that date.
Frequently asked questions
Is the estimate an offer from Mode?
No. It is our illustration built from figures Mode publishes. Mode makes a fixed offer only after reviewing your systems, dates, years of history, record volume and quality, and ownership and access terms.
Why don't you show an estimate below the minimum headcount?
Mode's program page lists a minimum number of full-time office employees for each industry. Below it, our method has no published anchor, so we show the minimum instead of inventing a number.
Why is the rate per employee highest for law firms?
Because the rate is the $100,000 low end of Mode's published range divided by each industry's minimum headcount, and law firms have the lowest minimum: 6 full-time office employees.