Full Answer

Data ownership creates a measurable valuation premium at exit. Companies with owned infrastructure—data warehouses containing years of customer history, conversion records, and attribution data—typically command 15-30% higher multiples. The key distinction is ownership versus access: data stored in your BigQuery instance transfers with the business, while data locked in Meta, Google Analytics, or Shopify stays behind. For a $10 million company, the difference between owned and platform-dependent data can mean $1.5-3 million in exit value.