London-based startup Ethos has successfully closed a $22.75 million Series A funding round, backed by a consortium of investors including a16z, General Catalyst, XTX Markets, Evantic Capital, and Common Magic. The company is setting out to modernize the expert network industry, moving away from traditional, static profile forms in favor of an advanced, voice-powered AI onboarding process. By engaging professionals in conversational interviews, Ethos captures a more nuanced understanding of individual capabilities, aiming to provide superior matching services for firms seeking specialized high-level consultation.

Established in 2024 by founders James Lo and Daniel Mankowitz, the platform addresses a critical gap in professional networking: the limitation of relying on simple job titles to define expertise. Ethos utilizes conversational AI to extract granular details from experts, allowing companies to conduct highly specific searches. For example, the platform can identify professionals who possess both niche clinical experience and a documented history of research in specific drug development fields, a level of precision often missing from legacy databases.

In addition to its proprietary voice-driven interviews, the platform synthesizes data from public sources such as academic journals, professional blogs, and social networks to create a comprehensive knowledge graph of global talent. This technical approach has resonated with high-stakes sectors, including hedge funds, private equity, and AI research laboratories. The platform is currently scaling rapidly, with approximately 35,000 new professionals joining the network on a weekly basis.

As the demand for high-quality, verified human data grows—particularly for the training of large-scale AI models—Ethos is positioning itself as a vital infrastructure player. Operating on a percentage-based fee structure per project, the company is reportedly moving toward eight-figure annualized revenue. Through its focus on mapping deep-seated capabilities rather than surface-level credentials, Ethos is working to fundamentally redefine how the modern global economy connects specialized knowledge with industrial demand.