Last Updated: 27 March 2025
Ethos, a new startup, just announced it raised $3.25 million from General Catalyst. The company uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help businesses easily find specialized experts, cutting down the long, complicated process companies usually face.
Finding credible, specialized experts is often slow and frustrating. Traditional methods like manual searches or personal networks can't keep up with today's fast-moving business world. Ethos uses AI to search through hundreds of millions of profiles online. It quickly identifies experts by looking at their academic work, coding projects, podcasts, or portfolios, matching them exactly with what businesses need.
This means private equity firms, hedge funds, and consulting companies can find niche experts in just minutes, not days. Companies can also speak anonymously with these experts through Ethos, getting clear, easy-to-use transcripts created by the platform’s AI, making the whole process smoother and more effective.
Ethos doesn't just pay experts for their time on calls—it also offers royalties when their insights are cited by others. This unique approach encourages experts to keep sharing valuable knowledge, rewarding them continuously rather than just once.
Ethos was founded by James Lo and Daniel J. Mankowitz, both experienced in their fields. Lo previously worked at McKinsey and SoftBank, turning expert knowledge into useful strategies. Mankowitz, from Google DeepMind, helped develop powerful AI tools, including AlphaZero, bringing advanced technical skills to Ethos.
Alongside General Catalyst, the funding attracted notable investors like 8VC, Conviction, Common Magic, Interface Capital, and key AI researchers from Google DeepMind and Amazon, showing strong belief in Ethos’s potential.
Right now, Ethos mainly works with finance and consulting businesses. But the founders see a bigger future. They plan to expand their AI-powered matching to advisors and startups, conference speakers, and even connecting talented individuals with new job opportunities. Ethos believes AI can enhance human abilities—not replace them—aligning with the views of its investors who aim to use AI to empower people.
Ethos also focuses on ethical use of AI, combining powerful algorithms with human oversight. This ensures the platform accurately understands what businesses need and identifies the most suitable experts, keeping recommendations precise and relevant.
