Investment in legal tech startups remains robust, outperforming the broader European tech sector in 2023. While European tech funding has declined by nearly half, legal tech startups have only seen a one-third decrease compared to 2022. The rise of AI in streamlining legal processes has piqued investor interest, leading to optimism for the sector’s growth in 2024. Here are ten legal tech startups that have captured the attention of venture capitalists.
Venture capitalists bullish on legal tech
Despite the challenges faced by the European tech industry in 2023, legal tech startups have managed to maintain investor confidence. With $583 million raised in the sector so far this year, according to Dealroom, legal tech has demonstrated resilience in the face of broader economic uncertainties. This performance can be attributed to the rapid growth of AI, which has prompted many legal tech startups to develop innovative solutions aimed at saving time and costs associated with legal processes.
Top ten legal tech startups
Sifted, a leading tech news outlet, interviewed prominent venture capital firms Outward VC, Molten Ventures, Ventech, and Cavalry Ventures to identify the top ten legal tech startups to watch in 2024. Unsurprisingly, six out of the ten nominated startups incorporate AI as a key component of their offerings.
Robin AI (UK)
Robin AI is a legal AI solution catering to finance, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) firms. It focuses on streamlining contract drafting and review processes for mid-market and enterprise companies. Robin AI has gained significant traction in its niche, with in-house legal counsel as its core customer base.
Farillio (UK)
Farillio’s platform is designed to provide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with accessible and cost-effective legal resources. It offers guides, videos, and checklists to help SMEs navigate legal complexities. Farillio is exploring partnerships with insurers, associations, telecoms, and employee benefits schemes to embed its platform in their offerings.
Hopkins (Germany)
Hopkins is a comprehensive legal solution with a focus on consumer rights. It utilizes algorithms to predict case outcomes and optimal negotiation strategies, offering a suite of tools to assist lawyers. Operating in a fragmented space known for poor customer service, Hopkins aims to establish itself as a dominant player by emphasizing customer satisfaction and trust. It is also relevant for the growing self-employed workforce.
Henchman (Ghent)
Henchman offers AI-powered contract drafting software. It connects to a law firm’s repository of saved contracts, making clauses readily available to lawyers through its co-pilot feature.
Juro (UK)
Juro, headquartered in London, provides an AI-enabled contract management solution. Customers can manage contracts throughout their lifecycle, from drafting and reviewing to signing, tracking, and storing. The platform caters to general counsels of companies and is used across various business functions such as HR and sales.
LegalFly (Ghent)
LegalFly’s specialized legal AI co-pilot aids lawyers in reviewing and comprehending contracts more efficiently. The software also simplifies the generation of new contract templates and facilitates the anonymization of legal documents for secure sharing without disclosing confidential content.
Orbital Witness (UK)
Orbital Witness focuses on automating legal due diligence for property transactions. It leverages data scraping and machine learning to produce diligence reports by analyzing property folios. This innovative approach reduces the time and cost associated with property transactions and enhances client affordability.
RightHub (UK)
RightHub operates as an intellectual property (IP) marketplace, facilitating transactions within a global IP network and providing IP portfolio management services. The company raised $15 million in a seed round, positioning itself to capitalize on the growing importance of IP rights, particularly in light of AI advancements.
IPRally (Finland)
IPRally offers an AI-driven patent search and classification platform, simplifying the process of determining whether an invention already exists and providing insights into the patent landscape.
Maigon (Sweden)
Maigon automates the legal document review process, allowing users to focus on strategic tasks instead of repetitive legal routines. Its AI contract review solution screens agreements, answers legal questions, and offers guidance for finalizing contracts.
Despite the challenges faced by the European tech sector in 2023, legal tech startups have demonstrated resilience and attracted significant investment. The integration of AI into legal processes has been a key driver of innovation, offering time and cost-saving solutions for businesses. As we move into 2024, these ten legal tech startups are poised to make significant contributions to the legal industry and are worth keeping an eye on as they continue to disrupt and transform the sector.
