Funding will fuel product expansion, accelerate enterprise adoption and embed artificial intelligence (AI) that automates workflows directly inside advisors’ existing tech stack

Focal, the AI-powered productivity platform purpose-built for financial advisors, announced today that it has raised a $5 million seed round from top venture capital and wealth industry leaders. The raise was co-led by Distributed Ventures, along with Wischoff Ventures and other industry insiders.

The capital will accelerate development of Focal’s advisor-focused meeting automation, performance coaching and back-office workflow platform. It will also expand enterprise adoption through automations that securely self-manage workflows across any advisor tool or back-office system, with or without an API.

Nearly one-third (28%) of financial advisors report insufficient client-facing time due to manual workflows and compliance obligations. As client expectations rise, there is increased advisor demand for platforms that save time, increase efficiency and elevate client service.

Focal captures data from conversations and advisor tools to power workflow automations and client insights. With features including AI note-taking, pre-meeting prep, CRM syncing, performance coaching, onboarding and KYC workflow support, Focal intuitively transforms conversations into action, empowering advisors to reclaim up to 50 hours per month and serve up to 30% more clients.

“To stay competitive and grow assets under management, firms must adopt AI to deliver smarter, faster, more personalized service—​or risk falling behind,” said John Connell, chief executive officer of Focal. “Focal isn’t about adding another tool to advisors’ tech stacks. Because our AI sits across all of these tools, it is reshaping how firms fundamentally operate.​ Focal was formed to help advisors save time, generate more revenue and optimize the client experience. Advisors at leading RIAs and enterprise teams rely on Focal to reclaim hours each week, and this funding will further accelerate our ability to service personalized autonomous workflows.”

Focal’s leadership team—Connell; Jerry Bai, chief product officer; and Clay Stupi, chief technology officer—bring decades of experience scaling enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) and compliance platforms at Microsoft, DocuSign, Chainalysis and leading wealth management firms. Their collective expertise equips them to build advisor-focused technology tailored to the rigorous demands of highly regulated industries.

“It’s rare to see a team with such deep enterprise software experience that also understands the complexities of regulated industries,” said Shawn Ellis, managing partner of Distributed Ventures. “The Focal team has experience building infrastructure for broker-dealers, large financial institutions and even the U.S. government. They’ve also worked closely with regulators, giving them firsthand insight into compliance requirements and best practices for developing these financial platforms. We’re looking forward to seeing how they can accelerate their AI platform and transform the financial advisory landscape.”

“Time is money for financial advisors,” added Nichole Wischoff, managing partner of Wischoff Ventures. “Focal is uniquely positioned to eliminate hours lost to manual, repetitive tasks. The team’s clarity of vision, technical execution and exclusive data partnership give them a real edge in reshaping advisor workflows.”

Focal’s experienced team and differentiated positioning have earned the backing of investors, advisors and executives across the financial services industry. The company is advised by leaders with experience at firms such as Fidelity and Ritholtz Wealth Management, who bring deep knowledge of both advisor pain points and enterprise-level compliance requirements. Other investors and contributors include Jason Pereira, senior partner at Woodgate Financial; Jamie Hopkins, chief wealth officer at WSFS Bank; Kellan Brown, chief operating officer at 100 Women in Finance; Michael Batnick, general partner at The Compound Capital Fund I, LP, the affiliated venture capital fund of Ritholtz Wealth Management; and others. Their guidance is helping to cement Focal’s reputation as the trusted provider of enterprise-grade solutions that align with industry regulations and drive meaningful productivity gains.

Beyond workflow automation, Focal is built with enterprise-grade security, stateless AI models and human-in-the-loop safeguards, all underpinned by U.S.-based engineering leadership. This compliance-first design delivers a secure, SEC- and FINRA-aligned solution that is trusted by advisors and robust enough for banks and credit unions. Focal is the only advisor AI platform offering these services exclusively on enterprise-grade Microsoft Azure—featuring stateless AI models that never retain or train on personally identifiable information.

To learn more about Focal, or to request a demonstration of the platform, please email info@meetwithfocal.com.

About Focal

Focal is an AI-powered productivity platform built for financial advisors and enterprise wealth teams. By transforming conversations into actions, Focal streamlines meeting prep, note-taking, CRM workflows, performance coaching, KYC and onboarding. With enterprise-grade security and compliance-first design, Focal enables advisors to reclaim time, increase capacity and improve client outcomes. To learn more or request a demo, email sales@meetwithfocal.com or visit meetwithfocal.com and follow Focal on LinkedIn.

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