Ethos uses voice onboarding to raise $22.75 million from a16z for its expert network

London-based startup Ethos is aiming to transform how companies find expert advice by using artificial intelligence to improve both discovery and matching. Traditionally, businesses rely on platforms like LinkedIn, GLG, Third Bridge, and AlphaSights to connect with professionals. However, these systems often depend heavily on job titles and static profiles, which can fail to capture deeper expertise.

Ethos is addressing this limitation by introducing voice-powered onboarding for experts. Instead of filling out traditional forms, users participate in conversational interviews where AI gathers richer insights into their skills, experiences, and domain knowledge. This approach allows the platform to build a more detailed and dynamic understanding of each expert’s capabilities beyond what is typically listed on a resume or profile.

On the client side, companies can submit natural language queries describing exactly what they need. Ethos then uses its AI-driven system to match these requests with highly relevant experts. For example, businesses can search for professionals who have worked at funded startups in specific sectors or doctors with both clinical experience and research publications. This level of precision aims to deliver higher-quality matches compared to legacy platforms.

The startup recently raised $22.75 million in a Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from General Catalyst, XTX Markets, Evantic Capital, and Common Magic. Investors believe Ethos’s approach can unlock deeper insights by focusing on real expertise rather than surface-level indicators like job titles.

Ethos was founded in 2024 by James Lo and Daniel Mankowitz. Lo previously worked at McKinsey and SoftBank, contributing to major company transformations, while Mankowitz is a former AI researcher at DeepMind, where he worked on advanced systems like YouTube’s video compression and AI models.

The platform also enhances its matching capabilities by analyzing public data sources such as blogs, academic papers, and social profiles. Additionally, Ethos conducts its own AI-driven interviews to extract deeper insights from experts. This positions it in competition with startups like Listen Labs and Outset, though Ethos emphasizes its curated expert network as a key advantage.

Currently, Ethos is seeing rapid growth, with around 35,000 new experts joining its platform each week. The company is already working with hedge funds, private equity firms, enterprise consultants, and AI labs. It charges businesses a fee of 30% or more per project and reports that it is on track to achieve eight-figure annualized revenue.

Looking ahead, Ethos believes the rise of AI-driven industries will further increase demand for high-quality expert networks. As companies seek precise skills and insights rather than generic roles, platforms like Ethos could play a crucial role in connecting knowledge across the evolving digital economy.