Experts in experts: Arbolus creates corporate knowledge and raises $6M from Plug and Play

Startup Arbolus has raised $6M in funding from Valley-famous Plug and Play Ventures, led by UK early-stage fund Fuel Ventures. Arbolus is an expert knowledge platform that preserves the experiences and insights gained from the interaction between companies and professionals.

The three-year-old startup claims 7 times its growth compared to the same period last year. Over the past two years, the company has opened offices in Barcelona and New York and has appointed Pau Beltran, who previously worked for Disney, eDreams, OneMind and other large organizations, to the position of STO.

Arbolus uses AI-based natural language processing when working with ‘corporate knowledge’. In general, the introduction of machine learning into the business model of ‘selling’ expert knowledge online has made it more efficient. In the UK alone, $60B a year is spent on attracting external specialists. There are major players in the market (GLG, Third Bridge, Guidepoint and AlphaSights), but more local startups are also attracting the attention of investors. For example, a few months ago, proSapient, a SaaS platform for managing expert interaction, raised $10M in Round A.

While proSapient uses technology to make finding experts more efficient, Arbolus records interviews with them, transcribes them on its platform, and then shares that knowledge across networks of subscribed companies. Monetization comes from selling access to the software as well as transaction fees when companies pay directly to consult independent experts. Currently, KPMG’s Big Four is represented among the company’s 80 clients.

“Having the right information gives you a competitive advantage, but the usual ways of engaging with experts through one-hour calls alone are not helpful. These interviews are usually conducted by one department, and their results are lost in PowerPoint presentations or reports.

We bring innovation to the way companies work with external experts. By using innovative technology, we not only build up expertise within organizations, but also make it searchable and, most importantly, usable over months and years by different departments,” describes the benefits and operating principle and business model of his project, Sam Glasswell, CEO and co-founder of Arbolus.

“We bring innovation to the ways that companies work with external experts. Using innovative technologies, we not only accumulate experience in organizations, but also make it searchable and, most importantly, usable over months and years by different departments,” describes the benefits and operating principle and business model of his project, Sam Glasswell, CEO and co-founder of Arbolus.