Why did I found SocraticsAI?

If you’ve ever spent countless nights wrestling with complex spreadsheets or perfecting a hundred-slide pitch deck, you understand the challenges of deal-making. The financial industry has long been defined by late nights, manual processes, and the constant pressure of accuracy. But what if there was a better way?

That question drove me to create SocraticsAI. After nearly two decades in M&A and private equity, followed by over a decade in the tech world, I saw an opportunity. What if we could eliminate the tedious grunt work and empower financial professionals to focus on strategic, high-value activities?

SocraticsAI is designed to do just that: revolutionize deal-making for boutique investment banks, private equity firms, and corporate development teams.

From the Trenches to Innovation

When I first envisioned SocraticsAI, I wasn’t simply looking to start a company—I was driven by the culmination of my career. My journey began in the trenches of private equity and corporate development, where I navigated the intricate world of mergers, acquisitions, and billion-dollar transactions. Back then, financial modeling was an essential but incredibly tedious part of the job, consuming countless hours cleaning data, building models, and preparing presentations. It was the epitome of “grunt work,” a rite of passage for many young professionals in the financial services industry.

Fast-forward to 2023, when generative AI and tools like ChatGPT took the world by storm. I saw the same spark in AI that I had witnessed during other transformational waves like the internet and cloud computing. This was no incremental improvement—it was a fundamental shift. With a background spanning both finance and early-stage technology companies, I realized I was uniquely positioned to bridge these worlds and tackle a persistent problem in deal-making: inefficiency.

A Pain Point I Knew All Too Well

As a former investment banker and operator, I intimately understood the bottlenecks that have plagued the industry for decades. Despite advances in tools like Excel, PowerPoint, and virtual data rooms, the core processes—financial modeling, due diligence, and valuation—remained manual, time-intensive, and prone to errors. Conversations with peers in private equity and corporate development confirmed what I suspected: even in 2023, little had changed.

The realization hit me during my time advising startups on fundraising. I frequently found myself building models and pitch decks, often turning to AI tools to expedite the process. These tools weren’t perfect, but they showcased the potential for automating repetitive tasks. The question became clear: Why hasn’t anyone built a platform that streamlines deal-making for mid-market firms? Why isn’t there an AI-driven solution that automates the mundane and frees professionals to focus on the strategic, high-value work?

Our Focus: Boutique and Mid-Market Firms

Early on, we made a deliberate decision to focus our company on boutique investment banks, mid-market private equity firms, and corporate development teams. Much more than larger firms with more resources, smaller players are often constrained by budgets and bandwidth, yet they are essential to the ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation.

This choice was personal. I thought about my mother, an immigrant small business owner who struggled to access financial tools and advice. If she had access to better insights and resources, her journey might have been less daunting. By empowering deal-makers who serve founders and family-owned businesses, we aim to democratize access to financial expertise and create a ripple effect of economic opportunity.

The Vision for SocraticsAI: Smarter, Faster, More Human

SocraticsAI transforms how deals are done. We help deal-makers:

• Save Time: Automate repetitive tasks, cutting execution time by up to 70%.

• Enhance Accuracy: Reduce errors and ensure consistency.

• Unlock Creativity: Focus on strategy, client engagement, and complex problem-solving.Our user-first approach uses natural language AI, so professionals can get what they need with simple prompts, without needing to learn another complex SaaS platform.

We’ve designed our tools with the end-user in mind. We know that analysts don’t want to learn a clunky SaaS interface, and managing directors don’t want to sift through endless emails. Our platform uses natural language AI to bridge these gaps, delivering actionable insights and seamless collaboration.

A Call to Action for the Future of Finance

The financial deal making industry is at an inflection point. Just as Excel transformed financial modeling in the 1980s, AI has the power to usher in a new era of efficiency, creativity, and impact. Those who embrace this change will thrive, while those who cling to legacy systems risk falling behind.

At SocraticsAI, our mission is simple but ambitious: to empower the next generation of deal-makers to do their best work. By focusing on mid-market firms, we’re not just building tools—we’re building a future where the barriers to entrepreneurship and liquidity are lower than ever before.

If you’re in investment banking, private equity, or corporate development and tired of the status quo, we invite you to join us on this journey. Let’s make deal-making smarter, faster, and more impactful—for everyone.

To learn more about SocraticsAI and how we’re revolutionizing deal-making, visit socratics.ai.