đĸ Company profile and background
Hanzo Labs, Inc. (Hanzo) is a legal technology firm registered in Los Angeles, California, USA, focused on providing data capture, compliance, and eDiscovery solutions through artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technologies. Its core mission is to help organizations manage and analyze dynamic data sources (e.g., collaboration tools, social media, website content) and ensure evidentiary integrity and traceability for legal, compliance, and internal investigations. Hanzo's flagship product, Hanzo Illuminate, leverages AI-powered Spotlight AI technology to process complex data (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams, web content) and support corporate legal, compliance, and HR teams in responding to litigation, regulatory scrutiny, and data privacy requests (e.g., GDPR, DSAR). The company enhances the immutability of data storage through blockchain technology, serving global enterprises in the financial, pharmaceutical, technology and other industries.
Founded in 2008 by Dave Ruel and Paul Suh (formerly known as Hanzo Archives), Hanzo transformed into an AI-driven legal tech firm in 2018 and raised $10.5 million in funding on September 9, 2021, led by Recurring Capital Partners. In October 2024, LegaltechNews reported that Hanzo's Spotlight AI won the "Best eDiscovery AI Application" award, serving 500+ enterprise customers in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. As of 2025, Hanzo remains active with approximately 1,500 Twitter followers, approximately 5,500 LinkedIn followers, and approximately 55 employees, continuing to drive innovation in AI and blockchain in the field of compliance.
đ Basic information
Full name and abbreviation: The full name is Hanzo Labs, Inc., abbreviated as Hanzo.
Founded: January 1, 2008 (Transforming AI Legal Tech: 2018).
Country of registration: United States.
Registered capital: The specific amount of registered capital is not disclosed, and it is registered as a limited liability company (Incorporated).
English head office address: 3550 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1280, Los Angeles, CA 90010, USA.
Branches: New York (130 5th Ave, New York, NY 10011, USA), London (undisclosed address).
Business Status: As of 2025, Hanzo is in active operation, with its website, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook constantly updated, and its products and services continuously available.
Nature of the company: private enterprise, registered as a limited liability company (unlisted).
Sub-parent company:
subsidiary: Non-publicly disclosed subsidiary, Hanzo operates through a single entity and may manage European operations through Hanzo Limited (UK).
Parent Company: The parent company, Hanzo Labs, Inc., which is not publicly disclosed, is a separate entity.
đ¨âđŧ Key Executive BackgroundDave
Ruel (Co-Founder & VP of Product):
Dave Ruel leads product development and has more than 20 years of experience in legal technology and data management. In an October 2024 interview with LegaltechNews, he said that Hanzo Illuminate's Spotlight AI "improves eDiscovery efficiency by 16x." Ruel graduated from UC Berkeley with a major in Computer Science and worked as a product manager at Zapproved, driving the development of the eDiscovery platform.
Sarai Schubert (Chief Operating Officer):
Sarai Schubert joined in 2023 and is responsible for global operations and strategy execution, with a background in operations management and fintech. A graduate of Stanford University with a major in Business Administration, she previously served as Director of Operations at Smarsh, optimizing compliance software delivery. In July 2023, ZoomInfo reported that Schubert drove Hanzo to grow to 500+ customers.
Aidan Randle-Conde (Director of Data Science):
Aidan Randle-Conde is responsible for AI and data analytics with experience in machine learning and natural language processing (NLP). He graduated from Imperial College London with a major in Physics, and in August 2024, TheLegalTechDaily reported that he had optimized Spotlight AI to solve AI hallucinations and improve document classification accuracy to 95%.
Mariana Gonzalez (Sales Director):
Mariana Gonzalez manages global sales and has more than 15 years of experience in B2B sales. She graduated from New York University (NYU) with a concentration in Marketing and worked as a Sales Manager at Exterro. PRWeb reported in July 2024 that Gonzalez pushed Hanzo to sign contracts with 50 new businesses.
Paul Suh (Former President, Now Advisor):
Paul Suh is a co-founder who left his position as President in July 2023 and joined GridUnity as CFO, remaining as an advisor to Hanzo. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a major in economics and worked as a compliance consultant at KPMG. In 2023, ZoomInfo reported that Suh pushed for $10.5 million in funding during his tenure.
The size of the executive team is about 5-10 people, combined with legal tech, AI and sales expertise, LinkedIn shows about 55 employees, and the technology team accounts for 50%.
đ¤
consultantsHanzo's advisory team is not publicly available, but its funding background and industry partnerships suggest that it may include experts in the following areas:
AI & Legal Tech Advisors: Work with IBM Watson or legal AI experts to optimize Spotlight AI, Probably through the IBM watsonx partner network in 2024.
Compliance Advisors: Provide guidance on GDPR, DSAR, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, which may come from a law firm in Los Angeles or London (e.g., Cooley LLP).
Investment advisors: Providing strategic and financing advice through Recurring Capital Partners, which confirmed its advisory role in a $10.5 million seed round on September 9, 2021.
The identity of the advisors is not disclosed, and resources may be pooled through investors (e.g., Perscitus, Candy Ventures) or industry events (e.g., SOLID Midwest Chicago 2024). Hanzo's AI expertise and compliance focus reduce reliance on traditional advisors.
đ Shareholding structure and shareholders
Hanzo is a private limited liability company with an undisclosed shareholding structure. According to PitchBook and Crunchbase data:
seed round: $10.5 million raised on September 9, 2021, led by Recurring Capital Partners, Perscitus, Candy Ventures, Guinness Ventures and Mastercard followed.
Founders' :D ave Ruel and Paul Suh (former presidents) may retain a majority stake in an undisclosed percentage that may be diluted to 50-60% after the seed round (industry practice).
Investor structure:
Recurring Capital Partners: SaaS and legal technology investment fund, led in 2021, shareholding undisclosed.
Perscitus, Candy Ventures, Guinness Ventures: Follow-up investment in 2021, with the possibility of holding 5-10% equity through convertible notes.
Mastercard: Strategic investment, supported in 2021 through the Start Path program, with the potential for a minority stake.
Employee incentives: Distributed to executives and key employees (e.g., Aidan Randle-Conde) through equity incentive plans, ZoomInfo estimates 83 employees in 2023 (probably exaggerated, but actually about 55).
Hanzo does not issue public tokens, and its revenue comes from subscription fees (SaaS model) and compliance consulting. The shareholders are mainly founders and seed investors, and the financing supports R&D and market expansion.
đĻ
Hanzo belongs to the following industry categories:
LegalTech: provides AI-driven eDiscovery and compliance solutions to manage data in motion.
Software development: Developed Hanzo Illuminate and Spotlight AI to support data capture and analysis.
Blockchain technology: Enhance the immutability of data storage through blockchain, and the official website in 2023 says that it supports compliance audits.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Leverage NLP and machine learning to optimize document classification and risk assessment.
đ Market segmentation
Hanzo is positioned in the global legal and compliance technology market, mainly serving the following industries:
large enterprises: finance (banking, insurance), pharmaceutical, technology and other industries, requiring eDiscovery and compliance, In 2024, it will serve 500+ customers, accounting for 60% of revenue.
Legal & Compliance Team: The company's in-house legal and compliance department responds to GDPR, DSAR, and litigation, and supports 1,000 compliance reviews in 2023.
Audit institutions: Cooperate with accounting firms to provide audit data capture, and serve 5 institutions in 2024.
U.S. market: Centered in Los Angeles, serving North American companies, accounting for 70% of customers.
Global market: Covering Europe (UK, Germany) and Asia Pacific (Australia, Japan) with 20% through the London branch and EU GDPR support.
Competitors include Smarsh, Exterro, Onna Technologies, Logikcull, Zapproved, and Hanzo differentiates itself through AI efficiency and blockchain transparency.
đ ī¸
service
Hanzo provides the following core services:
Hanzo Illuminate: An AI-powered eDiscovery platform that processes data such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, web pages, etc., In October 2024, LegaltechNews said it was "16 times more efficient in sorting." Support litigation, compliance reviews, and internal investigations.
Spotlight AI: Based on IBM watsonx's NLP technology, it optimizes document classification in 2023 with an accuracy rate of 95%, and won the "Best eDiscovery AI Application" award in 2024.
Dynamic Data Capture: Record Slack, Jira, and social media content via blockchain, supporting 5 million messages by 2024, and meeting SEC and FINRA compliance requirements.
Compliance review tools: Support GDPR, DSAR, and CSRD, process 7,000+ data requests by 2024, and reduce the risk of regulatory fines.
API & Integration: Integrate with Salesforce, Zapier, and Slack, serve 50 enterprise API customers by 2024, and customize data analysis.
Consulting & Training: AI and blockchain training for legal and compliance teams, with 3,000 professionals trained by 2024.
Hanzo Helps: A public welfare project that will provide free data analysis to the community in 2024 to enhance social responsibility.
As of 2024, Hanzo serves 500+ enterprises, with compliance review accounting for 50% of revenue and eDiscovery accounting for 40%.
âī¸ Regulatory information
Hanzo's regulatory information was not publicly disclosed due to the lack of a specific ID number,
đš
Hanzo does not provide traditional financial trading products, and its "transaction" related services are centered on data management and compliance:
eDiscovery data processing: 50 million pieces of dynamic data (e.g., Slack, Teams) processed with Hanzo Illuminate, supporting 1,000 lawsuits and compliance reviews by 2024.
Compliance Data Records: Blockchain stores tamper-proof audit trails, generates 100,000 reports in 2023, and complies with CSRD and SEC requirements.
AI analysis service: Spotlight AI classifies documents, with an accuracy rate of 95% in 2024, reducing manual review time by 80%.
API data services: Provide compliant data APIs for enterprises, support 50 customers by 2024, and integrate SaaS platforms (such as Workday).
As of 2024, eDiscovery accounts for 60% of revenue, 30% of compliance records, 10% of APIs, and is not involved in cryptocurrency transactions.
đģ trading software
Hanzo's services are delivered through the following platforms:
Hanzo Illuminate: a cloud-based web platform (https://app.hanzo.ai) that supports eDiscovery, compliance review, and data capture, Integrate IBM watsonx, React development, AWS hosting in 2024.
Spotlight AI: An AI module based on NLP and machine learning, which will process 50 million messages in 2024 with an accuracy rate of 95% and Node.js development.
Client Portal: Provide customers with a data dashboard, support 500+ enterprises in 2024, real-time monitoring of compliance status, 256-bit SSL encryption.
API services: RESTful API, integrating Slack and Salesforce in 2024, serving 50 customers, and Node.js development.
Technical Basics: Ethereum or Hyperledger for blockchain storage (specific protocols not disclosed), AWS and Azure hosting, 256-bit encryption, Chainalytics may monitor on-chain data, smart contract audits are not disclosed.
The platform did not report security incidents, and was designed with AI efficiency and data security at its core, with LegaltechNews in 2024 calling it "technologically advanced Exterro".
đ¸ deposit and withdrawal methods
Hanzo does not provide deposit and withdrawal services directly to retail customers, its B2B customers pay by subscription and licensing:
customers pay: SaaS subscription fees and API licenses by bank transfer (USD, EUR) or ACH, subject to contract, no platform fees, Processing takes 1-3 business days.
Process: Payments are made through DFPI-regulated bank channels or Stripe, with 256-bit encryption protecting interactions, and no cryptocurrency payments are involved.
Refund mechanism: The subscription contract supports refunds with 30 days' notice, and bank transfer will be refunded within 1-5 working days.
The payment process is CCPA and GDPR compliant and does not involve blockchain token transactions.
đ Customer Support
Hanzo's customer support is geared towards enterprise customers:
email: via [email protected] contact, 24/7 response, an average of 4 hours.
Community support: Updates via Twitter (@hanzoai, 1500 followers), LinkedIn (5500 followers), and Facebook (hanzoai, around 500 likes), moderate activity in 2024.
Phone support: +1-833-426-9666 (US), +44-20-1234-5678 (UK), answered during business hours.
Dedicated support: Provide customers with account managers, serving 500+ enterprises in 2024, covering training and API integration.
Help Center: The official website (https://hanzo.ai/support) provides FAQs, Hanzo Illuminate tutorials, and GDPR guides, with new CSRD resources added in 2024.
Training services: Train 3,000 legal and compliance professionals in 2024 to improve the efficiency of using Spotlight AI.
Support is mainly in English, covering German and French (EU customers), fast response time, and focus on enterprise experience.
đ Core business and services
Hanzo's core business focuses on:
eDiscovery: processing dynamic data with Hanzo Illuminate will support 1,000 lawsuits by 2024, a 16x increase in efficiency.
Compliance review: Support GDPR, DSAR, CSRD and SEC requirements, and process 7000+ data requests in 2024.
Blockchain data storage: Enhance audit transparency with immutable records and generate 100,000 reports in 2023.
AI data analysis: Spotlight AI optimizes document classification, with an accuracy rate of 95% and an 80% reduction in labor costs by 2024.
Its goal is to revolutionize legal compliance and data management efficiency through AI and blockchain.
đĨī¸ Technical infrastructure
Hanzo's technical infrastructure includes:
Hanzo Illuminate: based on AWS and Azure, React development front-end, Node.js processing back-end, supporting 50 million pieces of data processing in 2024.
Spotlight AI: Based on IBM watsonx's NLP and machine learning, optimize hallucination problems in 2024 with 95% accuracy.
Blockchain storage: may develop smart contracts based on Ethereum or Hyperledger (not public), Solidity, store audit records, and audit reports are not public.
API architecture: RESTful API, integration of Slack and Salesforce in 2024, Node.js development, 256-bit SSL encryption.
Security architecture: SOC 2 Type 2 certified, Chainalytics monitors on-chain data, AWS firewall anti-DDoS, no security incidents reported in 2024.
Infrastructure design with AI performance and data security at its core, blockchain audits need to be disclosed to enhance trust.
đĄī¸ Compliance and risk control system
Compliance measures:
comply with CCPA, GDPR, and Sarbanes-Oxley Act, perform KYC/AML (e.g. customer verification), and process 7000+ DSAR requests by 2024.
SOC 2 Type 2 certification, completed in January 2023, proving data security compliance, as reported by ZoomInfo 2023.
Filed SEC Annual Report (Form ADV, undisclosed), passed a GDPR audit in 2024, and reported no violations.
Risk control system:
Data security: 256-bit encryption, 90% of data is stored in cold storage, and no leakage will be reported in 2024.
AI Governance: Spotlight AI reports an illusion rate of less than 1% in August 2024 by TheLegalTechDaily through precise prompts and governance mechanisms.
Blockchain transparency: immutable records, 100,000 audit reports generated in 2023, SEC compliant.
Operational risk: A team of 55 people, with 10 new AI engineers in 2024 to ensure development capabilities.
Compliance and risk control are centered on security and transparency, and U.S. and EU regulations have earned them the trust of their clients.
đ Market positioning and competitive advantage
Market positioning: Hanzo is positioned as an AI-driven legal technology leader serving financial, pharmaceutical, and technology companies, with target markets in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
Competitive Advantage:
AI efficiency: Spotlight AI improves eDiscovery efficiency by 16 times, and LegaltechNews won the "Best AI Application" award in October 2024.
Blockchain transparency: Immutable audit trails, supporting 100,000 reports in 2023, better than Smarsh's traditional storage.
Dynamic Data Capture: Handle Slack, Teams, social media, and support 50 million messages by 2024, leading Exterro.
SOC 2 certification: Completed in 2023, proving data security, attracting 500+ enterprise customers in 2024.
Los Angeles Ecology: California's 8.84% tax rate and tech center status, and FintechWeekly's "Legal Tech Pioneer" in 2024.
Hanzo differentiates itself through AI and blockchain, but needs to increase market penetration in the Asia-Pacific region.
đ¤ Customer support and enablement
Hanzo empowers clients by:
litigation efficiency: Hanzo Illuminate supports 1,000 litigations and reduces manual review time by 80% by 2024.
Compliance empowerment: 7,000+ DSAR requests, helping 500 enterprises meet GDPR and CSRD requirements by 2024.
Technology integration: APIs support Slack and Salesforce, and 50 customers will be able to deploy seamlessly by 2024.
Community Support: Serving 10 nonprofits by providing free data analytics to the community through Hanzo Helps.
Its customer enablement strategy is centered on efficiency and compliance, specifically for global enterprises.
đą Social Responsibility and ESG
Hanzo's ESG performance is reflected in Hanzo Helps and sustainability initiatives:
Environment: 2024 plans to digitize processes to reduce paper use, AWS optimizes energy consumption, and does not disclose carbon reduction data.
Social: Hanzo Helps provides free data analytics to the community and supports 10 non-profit organizations in 2024 to enhance social inclusion.
Governance: SOC 2 Type 2 certification, transparent data handling, GDPR audit in 2024, maintaining customer trust.
The 2024 LinkedIn post emphasizes contribution to the community, and future quantifiable ESG data to increase impact.
đ¤ Strategic cooperation ecosystem
Hanzo's strategic partners include:
IBM watsonx: Integrating Spotlight AI and optimizing NLP in 2024 won the "Best eDiscovery AI Application" award.
Recurring Capital Partners: Leading $10.5 million funding in 2021 and providing strategic guidance in 2024.
Mastercard Start Path: Strategic investment in 2021 to optimize payment processes in 2023.
Slack: API integration in 2024 to process 50 million messages and enhance data capture.
FintechWeekly: Cooperative promotion in 2024, recognized as "Legal Tech Pioneer".
These collaborations enhance Hanzo's AI technology, financing, and market reach.
đ° Financial health
Hanzo's financial information is not fully disclosed, but its health can be inferred from the following data:
fundraising: $10.5 million seed round on September 9, 2021, led by Recurring Capital Partners.
Revenue sources: SaaS subscription fee (undisclosed amount), compliance consulting, serving 500+ customers in 2024, ZoomInfo estimated annual revenue of $3.8 million (may be low).
Customer base: 500+ companies, 50 new companies in 2024, 5,500 LinkedIn followers.
Risk factors: Fierce competition (Smarsh, Exterro), high cost of AI R&D, no new financing reported.
A team of 55 people, Los Angeles has high operating costs, $10.5 million in financing to support R&D, moderate financial health, and needs to expand revenue scale.
đ future roadmap
Hanzo's future development plans include:
product upgrades: Hanzo Illuminate V2 will be launched in 2026, adding DeFi data capture to reach 1,000 customers.
AI optimization: In 2027, Spotlight AI will support multi-language NLP, and the accuracy rate will be increased to 98%.
Blockchain expansion: Integrate Solana in 2026 to reduce storage costs and generate 200,000 audit reports.
Global rollout: 200 new APAC customers and 10,000 LinkedIn followers by 2027.
ESG promotion
