Concept Framework Graduate Feature: Legal-Pythia

In the lead up to launching our fourth cohort of Concept Framework, we connected with graduates from previous cohorts to learn more about their startup and hear their personal experiences and insights from the program. 

Legal-Pythia (external link)  is a legal tech company that uses AI technology to organize and understand information to help legal professionals improve their efficiency and save time performing tasks. The company is operated from the United Kingdom and United States by CEO and Founder, Jeremy Bormann, and CTO, Samuel Kopp. 

In 2020, Legal-Pythia took part in the Legal Innovation Zone’s Concept Framework program — an online, 6-week, interactive program that helps future entrepreneurs bring their innovative idea to life by creating a focus on validating ideas and building a Minimum Viable Design of the solution.

We spoke with Jeremy to learn more about his experience in the program and how it has helped him advance Legal-Pythia in the legal tech industry. 

What was the inspiration behind Legal-Pythia?

In 2019, I was interning at Linklaters LLP in Frankfurt, Germany where I was a part of the Technology, Media & Telecommunications team. I noticed that my mentor was really frustrated with the lack of work-life balance, often finding herself having to sort through countless documents on top of everything else she had to do. I noticed the amount of paperwork and information she had to sort through and organize was significant, so I took the initiative to help her. 

As someone with a background in programming, and with the help of my dad who has a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, I thought to myself “why not make a program that is more efficient and trustworthy?”, which is when I came up with the idea for Legal-Pythia.  

What background and experience do you have in the legal tech industry?

I’m still quite fresh in the field with only two years of experience and background in the legal tech industry. On top of my internship at Linklaters LLP, I was also part of a great internship opportunity in machine learning and AI at CERN in Geneva for six months, and participated in Mishcon de Reya’s MDR lab program for another nine months. I currently work as a GDPR intern at my university, and have some background in data science, and knowledge in programming languages including Python, JavaScript, and C Sharp. 

How did you first hear about Concept Framework and what about the program caught your eye?

I just googled it! I was searching for accelerators and programs around the world and had been applying to as many as I could. When I came across Concept Framework, I liked the openness of the program and the opportunity to learn a lot, without having to perform and pitch to secure a spot like other legal tech accelerators require. Concept Framework is less stressful and a good opportunity to learn more about the start-ups and that’s why I chose to apply to the program.

What led you to join the program and what were you hoping to get out of it?

I was hoping to learn as much as I could and gain a network of people — which worked! By joining the program, I’ve connected with a lot of people on LinkedIn, including the LIZ team. We decided to join the program for the experience, to see what’s on the market, understand what others were doing, and see how far things can go. We also learned a lot about marketing, business plans and executions which are all very important to know about. 

How has Concept Framework helped you develop and advance your legal tech startup?

The program led me to question a lot of decisions we had made in the early stages. Since attending the workshops, we’ve gone back and forth to refine every process of our business. Thanks to the program, we’ve learned how to build our ideal customer persona, how to refine our lean canvas model and gained knowledge on B2B marketing. Listening to legal tech founders at the end of every session, learning about their expertise and knowledge, and being able to ask them questions was really helpful as we were able to implement their business strategies into our start-up.

What tips would you give to entrepreneurs hoping to join our next cohort?

Try to be as detailed as possible about your idea, do good competitive research and know your competition really well. If you have a prototype, send it out, add a pitch deck, and include as much information about your business as possible, even if you think it’s irrelevant to the application. Also being as concise and clear as possible throughout your application is crucial.

Applications for the 2022 cohort of Concept Framework close on January 14, 2022. Learn more and apply here (external link) . 

To learn more about Legal-Pythia, visit their website (external link) . You can also reach out to Jeremy via LinkedIn (external link) .

This interview has been edited and/or condensed for clarity.