Fuse Cohort 7

Meet the next big thing

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Fuse sparks innovation through multi-disciplinary collaboration

What is Fuse?

Fuse is one of a kind – a community of technology companies, clients and lawyers, forming a unique environment where ambitious minds collaborate to accelerate digital change.

Ranked in Band 1

Incubators & Accelerators Chambers and Partners LawTech Guide

"I can’t wait to see what these companies will do. For LegalTech, we took a focused approach to selection, going deep into some of the problems commonly faced by our lawyers. The Digital Assets stream is client nominated, which enables us to learn with them about new and emerging legal questions in this area. We have all – Fuse, the cohort, A&O Shearman's lawyers and our clients – got an exciting year ahead!"

SHRUTI AJITSARIA

Partner & Head of Fuse

Watch: Official Fuse Cohort 7 trailer (2023)

Cohort 7 attracted over 220 applications, our highest ever number

Cohort 7 at a glance

Fifteen companies have been chosen to join Fuse. The companies were selected via an open application process as well as nominations from a select number of A&O Shearman's financial institution clients.

The Selection Committee brings a diversity of perspectives

The Selection Committee

The breadth of experience and expertise of our Selection Committee is vital to selecting a cohort that truly taps into our lawyers’ and clients’ pain points and which targets areas ripe for digital transformation. Thank you to all our Selection Committee members, including David Griffin, BT Group; Oli Harris, Goldman Sachs; Hannah Seal, Index Ventures; and Elisa Garcia Anzano and Emmanuelle Brissaud, Meta, whose insights were instrumental in shortlisting companies for Cohort 7.

"I find Fuse extremely helpful, particularly on keeping me at the cutting edge of the intersection of financial services, LegalTech and emerging technologies and taking some of those insights and experiences back into my daily working life; and seeing the energy and enthusiasm through the pitches and trying to take some of that energy back to the desk after the selection day."

Oli Harris

Goldman Sachs

"Throughout my time in LegalTech, I've seen the market start to evolve into where it should've been a few years ago and through each Fuse Cohort, I see that evolution happening as the technology and the ideas start to come together, and produce some really interesting platforms."

David Griffin

"Now, more than ever, I am seeing start-ups that really understand the needs of the customer, which is something I was not seeing as much a year ago. Fuse is bringing early-stage start-ups that already have some commercial traction and that is rare to see."

Elisa Garcia Anzano

Meta

Click on the photo to hear from the committee member

Client nominated: Digital Assets

Bitbond BondEvalue Chainalysis Hunit Inveztor Komainu Millicent

Digital Assets

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10BE5 Enigio Pactio Phosphor

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New to Fuse

Amplified Global Avvoka Definely DraftWise

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Fuse Alumni

This year’s client nominated stream focuses on digital assets, allowing A&O Shearman to create an epicentre of learning for our lawyers, clients and the selected companies

A&O Shearman nominating clients

Click on the photo to hear from the committee member

Thanks to our many clients, including Citi, Goldman Sachs, the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA), J.P. Morgan, Lloyds Bank and Nomura, who nominated technology companies providing a wide range of services in digital assets and other uses of distributed ledger technology.

"We are thrilled to have participated in the nomination process for Fuse Cohort 7. It is a privilege to work with such great partners in supporting innovative companies. Staying at the forefront of innovation is integral to our culture at J.P. Morgan as we seek the best way to serve our clients.”

Michael Noonan

J.P. Morgan

"It was great to join the Fuse selection committee and see our nominated company join Cohort 7. The programme continues to be the leading forum for companies looking to scale at the intersection of legal, RegTech and financial services and I am excited to continue collaborating with the Fuse team as they bring innovative commercial solutions to fruition.”

Oli Harris

Goldman Sachs

Watch: Digital Assets trailer to hear from the entrepreneurs

Click to learn more about the companies resident in Fuse

Bitbond helps financial institutions to create digital assets easily and securely through enterprise-grade tokenisation technology, allowing for an immutable and transferable proof of ownership, and to manage the token lifecycle with distribution and payment automation functionality.

"We are super excited to be part of Fuse Cohort 7. Many of our customers operate in a highly regulated environment – exchanging insights with leading experts helps us further develop our value proposition. Participating in Fuse will add further clarity to our vision of transforming the way asset ownership is exchanged and managed.”

Radoslav Albrecht Founder & CEO

Client nominated: digital assets

New to Fuse

Click to learn more about the companies resident in Fuse

Watch: New to Fuse trailer to hear from the entrepreneurs

Watch: Fuse Alumni trailer to hear from the entrepreneurs

Fuse Alumni

Click to learn more about the companies resident in Fuse

"We are pleased to continue our support for the firm's Fuse incubator through the nomination process for Cohort 7, giving promising and innovative companies the opportunity to enhance their product offering and franchise through collaboration with legal and industry partners.”

Andrew Murray

Citi

These companies tackle sector-specific issues faced by our lawyers and clients. We are excited to work with these technologies to embed more modern ways of working.

We are delighted to invite back a select group of companies so that we can increase adoption of these technologies among our network of clients and lawyers globally.

Meet the Fuse cohort and learn more about their technologies

Bitbond

BondEvalue

Hunit

Chainalysis

Millicent

Komainu

Inveztor

Phosphor

Pactio

Enigio

10BE5

DraftWise

Definely

Avvoka

Amplified Global

Radoslav Albrecht

Founder & CEO

New to Fuse

"We are privileged to have worked with A&O on a number of high-profile matters. We are excited to build on that relationship as we continue to develop and release a suite of complementary products that will serve A&O and its clients across a spectrum of matters."

John Kwan

Co-Founder

10BE5 helps lawyers quickly draft capital markets disclosures and conduct associated due diligence processes by using advanced data analytics, computer vision and natural language processing techniques, cutting down the time spent on manual and laborious tasks.

Mohamed Taha Co-Founder

John Kwan Co-Founder

Client nominated: digital assets

"We are extremely proud to have been nominated to participate in Fuse. We see immense opportunities for technology to disrupt and democratise traditional financial markets and look forward to sharing our insights and learnings gleaned from our journey, as well as learn from other participants and A&O's clients."

Rahul Banerjee

Co-Founder & CEO

BondEvalue helps investors instantly trade bonds in both full and fractional sizes through their bank or broker via an exchange with transparent prices, enabled by blockchain technology.

Rahul Banerjee Co-Founder & CEO

Client nominated: digital assets

"The Fuse program by Allen & Overy is a valuable platform for companies and brands seeking to innovate while managing risk. We are thrilled to be connected and share our expertise in order to build trust in blockchains."

Jonathan Levin

Co-Founder & CSO

Chainalysis helps government agencies, financial institutions and cybersecurity companies to analyse blockchain data through its investigation, compliance, and market intelligence software. Chainalysis builds trust in blockchains to promote more financial freedom with less risk.

Michael Gronager Co-Founder & CEO

Rajaram Kannan Co-Founder & CEO

Jonathan Levin Co-Founder & CSO

Client nominated: digital assets

"Hunit’s participation in the Fuse programme promises to be hugely impactful in the development of the company and of the smart legal contract sector in general. Fuse is the perfect setting to improve the foundations that Hunit has built through extensive collaboration with leading solicitors and innovation-focused clients."

Aaron Powers

Co-Founder & CEO

Hunit helps lawyers turn conventional, natural language agreements into self-executing smart legal contracts.

Aaron Powers Co-Founder & CEO

Jan Berger Co-Founder & CCO

Client nominated: digital assets

"Joining Fuse is a significant opportunity for Inveztor, allowing us to access the invaluable resources and expertise of A&O. We believe that being part of this year's Fuse cohort will help us to refine and grow our product, expand our market reach and provide an exceptional client experience."

Katee Hunter

Co-Founder & CEO

Inveztor helps debt capital market participants to streamline the issuance and management of escrows and bonds. The platform connects participants, digitises deal management processes and enhances operations in a real-time, transparent environment.

Katee Hunter Co-Founder & CEO

Alastair Sharp Co-Founder & CPO

Client nominated: digital assets

"We are very proud to have been selected for Fuse Cohort 7. It is a testimony to a developing understanding that regulated infrastructure providers like Komainu play a significant role in maturing the digital asset industry."

Nicolas Bertrand

CEO

Komainu helps institutional investors to hold digital assets in a segregated and regulated environment by providing a custodial service solution built on institutional grade technology, which is supported by risk and compliance standards developed alongside a global investment bank.

Nicolas Bertrand CEO

Client nominated: digital assets

"In a vertical with an incredibly fast-changing landscape, the opportunity to join Fuse provides us with access to an outstanding global network of experts and industry leaders. We're confident that partnering with Fuse will propel Millicent closer to our goal of creating a world where financial empowerment is within everyone’s reach."

Kene Ezeji-Okoye

Co-CEO

Millicent helps financial institutions and their clients to issue and instantly settle digital money using shared ledger payments technology.

Kene Ezeji-Okoye Co-CEO

Stella Dyer Co-CEO

New to Fuse

"Enigio’s software solution creates digital original documents that can be updated, verified, freely transferred, and cancelled by the holder of the document. With our technology, and A&O’s expertise and network, we see the opportunity with Fuse as a catalyst in accelerating market adoption and entering new verticals that are ripe for end-to-end digitalisation."

Göran Almgren

Co-Founder

Enigio helps companies to create freely transferable digital documents and assets. Enigio’s trace:original is a generic solution that can be used to securely transfer both value and data between any entity and/or organisation without the need for onboarding.

Patrik Zekkar CEO

Göran Almgren Co-Founder

Mats Stengård CTO

New to Fuse

"Our ambition is for Pactio to de-risk and simplify private equity exchange, serving investors and their advisors from the initial deal closing through to exit. It is a privilege to have Fuse's support as we amplify the benefits of our technology for the firm, its clients, and across the wider legal sector."

Eric Heimark

CEO

Pactio helps private equity investors, accountants and lawyers to close deals seamlessly and build a single source of truth for investment ownership, structures and cap tables across the investment lifecycle.

Lorenzo Foglianti Spadini CTO

Eric Heimark CEO

New to Fuse

"A&O has pioneered much of the project finance markets as we know them today. We're honoured to work with A&O and Fuse to transform, modernise and standardise the craft to scale development and financing in these complex markets."

Oliver Beavers

Founder & CEO

Phosphor helps deal teams accelerate the underwriting and closing process for real asset acquisitions and financings. Phosphor combines the financial model, legal documentation and other key deal data into standardised building blocks on a common, synchronised platform. This enables deal teams and counsel to focus on the unique aspects of a transaction.

Oliver Beavers Founder & CEO

Fuse Alumni

"We are delighted to have been selected to return to Fuse to carry on the good work we started back in 2021. Having the support of A&O and Fuse will help accelerate our development and refine our thinking as we develop a world-first intelligibility standard."

Minesh Patel

Founder

Amplified Global helps internal legal teams objectively assess and simplify the language used in contracts and other legal documents. It helps create efficiencies in the contract drafting process and allows for standardisation of language and clauses.

James Stuart Co-Founder

Minesh Patel Founder

Fuse Alumni

"Fuse provides the unparalleled opportunity to put cutting-edge LegalTech into the hands of some of the most forward-thinking lawyers in the world."

Eliot Benzecrit

Co-Founder

Avvoka helps lawyers draft and negotiate any legal document, leveraging structured contract data to create better commercial outcomes by monitoring negotiation patterns and clause variations. The powerful no-code automation editor empowers more users to generate accurate documents at scale.

David Howorth Co-Founder

Eliot Benzecrit Co-Founder

"We are thrilled to continue our participation in Fuse and to deepen our relationship with Allen & Overy. The firm does an excellent job supporting innovative tech solutions in the legal space and we have benefitted greatly from our partnership with them."

Ozan Yalti

Co-Founder

DraftWise helps lawyers to draft new contracts, quickly find relevant precedents and manage preferred clauses and defined terms, all within Microsoft Word.

Emre Ozen Co-Founder

Ozan Yalti Co-Founder

Fuse Alumni

"We are delighted that Definely has been selected to join Fuse as an alumni member for Cohort 7. The Fuse programme has been such an incredibly helpful part of our journey to date so I'm glad we'll be able to get even more value from our relationship with Fuse and A&O."

Nnamdi Emelifeonwu

Founder & CEO

Definely helps lawyers to more easily access defined terms and references in documents by providing a 360 degree ‘one click’ solution to drafting and reviewing documents.

Rhys Hodkinson CCO

Nnamdi Emelifeonwu Founder & CEO

Explore the fifteen technology companies joining Cohort 7 of Fuse, A&O Shearman’s tech innovation hub.

Talk to us

Fuse Alumni

New to Fuse

Digital Assets

Nominating clients

The Selection Committee

Cohort 7 at a glance

What is Fuse?

Talk to us

Fuse Alumni

New to Fuse

Digital assets

Nominating clients

The Selection Committee

Cohort 7 at a glance

What is Fuse?

Talk to us

Fuse Alumni

New to Fuse

Digital assets

Nominating clients

The Selection Committee

Cohort 7 at a glance

What is Fuse?

Talk to us

Fuse Alumni

New to Fuse

Digital assets

Nominating clients

The selection committee

Cohort 7 at a glance

What is Fuse?

Talk to us

Fuse Alumni

New to Fuse

Digital assets

Nominating clients

The Selection Committee

Cohort 7 at a glance

What is Fuse?

Talk to us

Fuse Alumni

New to Fuse

Digital assets

Nominating clients

The Selection Committee

Cohort 7 at a glance

What is Fuse?

Talk to us

Fuse Alumni

New to Fuse

Digital assets

Nominating clients

The Selection Committee

Cohort 7 at a glance

What is Fuse?

Talk to us

Fuse Alumni

New to Fuse

Digital assets

Nominating clients

The Selection Committee

Cohort 7 at a glance

What is Fuse?

"We are delighted to support Fuse’s important initiative to help start-up technology companies develop. Driving and supporting innovation in the Debt Capital Markets is a strategic objective for ICMA. We are excited to follow the progress of the companies picked for the next Fuse cohort and assist them where we can.”

Georgina Jarratt

ICMA

"It’s been wonderful watching the journey Fuse has been on over the recent years. The FinTech community is diverse and vastly networked; it works best when all players come together to leverage all the skills available – being able to nominate awesome founders to join the 7th cohort is a wonderful example of that network in practice.”

Kirsty Rutter

Lloyds Bank

“Innovation within the Digital Asset space is increasingly underpinned by the enterprising work of the legal field. Nomura is very excited to have one of its portfolio companies nominated as part of the Fuse project and I look forward to collaborating with other leading start-ups in this space.”

Robyn Friedman

Nomura

Together with our clients, we have chosen a dynamic group of companies covering various aspects of the digital assets ecosystem to join Fuse Cohort 7.

Allen & Overy LLP One Bishops Square London E1 6AD, United Kingdom

Tel +44 20 3088 0000

Wanted: Disruptive thinkers

Get in touch to learn more about our latest cohort and see how you can be involved.

Talk to us

Fuse Alumni

New to Fuse

Digital assets

Nominating clients

The Selection Committee

Cohort 7 at a glance

What is Fuse?

Get in touch

Fuse Alumni

James Ding Co-Founder

BRENNA SPEISER Fuse Senior Manager +44 20 3088 3099 brenna.speiser@aoshearman.com linkedin.com/in/brenna-speiser

BRENNA SPEISER Fuse Senior Manager +44 20 3088 3099 brenna.speiser@allenovery.com linkedin.com/in/brenna-speiser

SHRUTI AJITSARIA Partner & Head of Fuse +44 20 3088 1831 shruti.ajitsaria@aoshearman.com linkedin.com/in/shruti-ajitsaria

SHRUTI AJITSARIA Partner & Head of Fuse +44 20 3088 1831 shruti.ajitsaria@allenovery.com linkedin.com/in/shruti-ajitsaria