Ethos Secures $22.75M from a16z to Revolutionize Expert Networks with AI-Driven Voice Onboarding
In the quest for specialized insights, companies often turn to platforms like LinkedIn or established expert networks such as GLG, Third Bridge, and AlphaSights. However, these avenues frequently fall short in delivering high-quality, tailored expertise. Traditional methods rely on experts completing forms based on their job titles, which are then used to match them with organizations seeking their knowledge.
London-based startup Ethos is poised to transform this landscape by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the expert matching process. By employing voice-powered onboarding, Ethos conducts comprehensive interviews that delve into an expert’s knowledge across various domains, capturing nuances that conventional job titles may overlook. This approach enables Ethos to better align natural language queries from companies with a broader spectrum of data, facilitating more precise matches.
For instance, Ethos can adeptly respond to complex client requests such as, Identify individuals who have worked at startups funded by top-tier investors, focusing on finance automation. Similarly, a pharmaceutical company could utilize Ethos to locate doctors specializing in a particular field who have authored relevant research papers or possess experience in drug development.
On May 6, 2026, Ethos announced a successful Series A funding round, raising $22.75 million. The round was led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), with additional participation from General Catalyst, XTX Markets, Evantic Capital, and Common Magic.
Anish Acharya of a16z highlighted the limitations of legacy platforms like LinkedIn and GLG, noting that they often provide superficial insights based solely on job titles. He emphasized that Ethos’s voice interview process, featuring curated questions, captures diverse sub-specializations, offering a more nuanced understanding of an expert’s capabilities.
Voice is the original form of human communication, Acharya remarked. Most people don’t know how to write their story down in a very succinct, compelling, and accurate way. Voice is a big unlock for Ethos.
Scaling the Ethos Network
Founded in 2024 by James Lo and Daniel Mankowitz, Ethos brings together a wealth of experience in consulting and artificial intelligence. Lo’s background includes tenure at McKinsey and SoftBank, where he contributed to the transformation of companies like WeWork and Arm. Mankowitz, an AI researcher from DeepMind, worked on projects such as YouTube’s video compression algorithm, Gemini, and the AlphaDev sorting algorithm.
The founders approached the challenge of building an expert network from complementary perspectives. Lo aimed to enhance economic and employment opportunities, while Mankowitz viewed the economy as a knowledge graph of people, companies, and products, believing that the right algorithms could effectively match these entities.
Traditional expert platforms almost purely focus on a mixture of job titles and job descriptions, Lo explained. What we observe is that most clients and most employers are not looking for a job title company. They’re looking for a specific skill and a specific capability.
Beyond data provided by experts, Ethos aggregates information from public sources such as blogs, academic papers, and social media links to enhance its matching capabilities. The company conducts interviews through its platform using voice agents to extract deeper insights.
While competitors like Listen Labs and Outset offer conversational AI for interviews, Ethos believes its curated network of experts provides a distinct advantage for certain clients.
Although Ethos has not disclosed specific client names, it reports that top hedge funds, private equity firms, leading foundational AI labs, and enterprise consulting firms are utilizing its platform. The company charges a per-project fee from businesses, typically taking 30% or more, depending on the project’s nature. Ethos is on track for an eight-figure annualized revenue but has not provided exact figures.
The platform is experiencing rapid growth, with approximately 35,000 experts joining each week through targeted invitations.
A significant challenge for Ethos is expanding its expert user base to meet client needs. The company notes that AI labs investing in mapping human talent have been beneficial to its growth.
Our perspective here is the AI labs have — are pointing a giant capital gun at every economically valuable occupation in the world, Lo stated. They’re trying to map out every profession. And so that’s an amazing tailwind for us.
He added that these labs are developing professional services in areas such as law, health, finance, and management, necessitating a diverse range of experts to build their models and receive feedback on products and strategies.
Currently, Ethos operates with a lean team of eight, aiming to maintain a compact structure while scaling its operations.
