In the fast-paced business world, where efficiency is key, artificial intelligence (AI) is making waves by simplifying tedious tasks. Wokelo, a Seattle-based startup, is a testament to this trend, especially in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) sector.
Founded by ex-management consultants Siddhant Masson and Saswat Nanda, Wokelo is harnessing the power of AI to transform the laborious process of M&A research. The company’s AI-driven platform generates comprehensive, multi-page due diligence reports in mere minutes. These reports cover everything from company overviews and news insights to funding summaries and industry landscapes, complete with extensive citations.
Wokelo’s offerings extend beyond company reports. The platform also produces sector reports, competitive analyses, and maintains a secure data room for file uploads and a Q&A chat function for targeted research. This innovative approach aims to shift the focus from mundane data gathering to high-level analysis and strategic decision-making, leveraging human expertise where it matters most.
Masson, Wokelo’s CEO, and Nanda, its CTO, have firsthand experience in the grueling world of M&A consulting. “We’ve been through the rigorous process of manual research and creating presentations. It’s not just about adding logos on a bad day but also involves critical thinking for our clients on better days,” Masson reflected.
In 2022, Wokelo secured $1.5 million in pre-seed funding from a mix of venture capital firms and angel investors, including notable leaders from various industries. This funding is fueling product development, sales, and marketing efforts, as Wokelo sets its sights on enterprise customers.
Yohei Nakajima from Untapped Capital, one of the investors, praised Wokelo for significantly enhancing their due diligence process. Untapped had even tried developing an in-house AI tool before switching to Wokelo.
Wokelo’s initial customer base includes venture capital and private equity firms, corporate development teams at large companies, and investment banks. Early adopters of the technology include prominent names like Guggenheim Partners and the Tata Group.
Despite stiff competition from companies like Ansaranda, Thomson Reuters, and AlphaSense, Wokelo distinguishes itself by focusing on private markets and offering deeper insights beyond data curation.
Masson and Nanda haven’t built their platform on large language models alone. They’ve developed significant proprietary technology, including a unique chunking algorithm, prompt management framework, and autonomous quality-assurance agents, among other innovations.
Wokelo’s services aren’t available via a self-serve model. Instead, potential clients engage in a consultative selling process, leading to tailored annual or semi-annual contracts.
Testing Wokelo’s capabilities, I requested temporary access to generate a due diligence report on Agility Robotics. The AI uncovered several insights I had missed in my manual research, showcasing its ability to complement and even surpass human research capabilities.
The company’s advisory board includes Tyler Dean from Confluence VC, Arvind Neelakantan from OpenAI, and Dheeraj Harjai from Humana, reflecting its strong industry connections.
The backstory of Masson and Nanda is a journey of friendship and shared professional paths. Meeting after business school and working together at Monitor Deloitte, they both later transitioned to corporate strategy roles at Tata Group, each focusing on different sectors. Masson’s exposure to natural language processing and AI at the University of Washington and Nanda’s experience with NLP at Tata AIG laid the groundwork for Wokelo.
Recognizing AI’s potential to eliminate repetitive tasks, they embarked on developing Wokelo. “We started experimenting and soon realized AI had evolved enough to tackle the grunt work we faced as consultants,” Masson remarked.
In summary, Wokelo stands as a pioneering force in the realm of business automation, particularly in M&A research. By leveraging AI, it’s not only streamlining the due diligence process but also redefining how strategic decisions are made in the business world. This innovative approach offers a glimpse into a future where AI and human expertise collaborate to achieve greater efficiency and deeper insights.
