€1.3 Million for the Legal AI: Successful Funding for Legal Tech JUPUS

May 28, 2024

The startup JUPUS has successfully attracted new investors for its AI-powered secretary for lawyers which is the first to enable the legally trained and fully automated communication and processing in legal matters. Leading the funding is the High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), along with Combination VC, consisting of business angels such as Refurbed founder Kilian Kaminski and Wandelbots CTO Georg Püschel. Among the existing investors returning for this round are well-known family offices, as well as notable figures such as Foodpanda founder Felix Plog and legal tech experts Philipp Hammerich (rightmart) and Stefan Schicker (SKW Schwarz). With the €1.3 million, the now 15-member JUPUS team can further develop its AI software, which is already in use by hundreds of lawyers across Germany.

As the first legal AI secretary in Europe, JUPUS automates the entire process from initial client contact to the complete file. Lawyers are supported by an AI-chatbot, an online appointment booking tool, and an AI platform that automatically collects and processes inquiries, information, and documents, facilitating automated communication with clients.

“The legal industry is facing its biggest transformation in the last 120 years,” explains JUPUS founder René Fergen. “We are a major driver in the practical application of AI, benefiting both the legal professionals and those seeking legal help.” Since its pre-seed funding in January 2023, the team has grown from two to 15 members. As of May 2023, hundreds of law firms across Germany are already using JUPUS, with the AI tool handling over 200 inquiries per day.

A total of €1.3 million has been raised for the further expansion of JUPUS in the second funding round, which was quickly oversubscribed. “VCs have shown great interest in the development in the LegalTech sector and our approach,” says Fergen. In addition to renowned business angels from the legal sector and successful players from the German startup scene, JUPUS has also caught the attention of the High-Tech Gründerfonds – Germany’s most active and largest early-stage investor. “We are thrilled to have HTGF as a great new partner,” Fergen adds.

Law firms today face significant operational challenges due to a shortage of skilled workers while the complexity of client intake and case processing increases.

The JUPUS team impressively addresses this challenge with their versatile AI solution, especially in mandate management. JUPUS has quickly built a significant customer base. As investors, we believe we can create a leading company in an under-digitalized market.

Max Bergmann, Investment Manager at HTGF

The approximately 50,000 law firms in Germany are struggling with a severe shortage of skilled workers and increased client expectations. “Time, personnel capacity, and lucrative mandates are being lost,” explains Fergen. With JUPUS, firms save 40 work hours per month and convert twice as many website visitors into inquiries. The pressure on the legal industry to digitize is growing. A recent survey by the Federal Bar Association shows that while the number of lawyers has nearly tripled since 1990, the number of new trainee legal assistants has dropped by 70% in the same period.

Everyone who doesn’t have a staffing problem in the legal secretary’s office now will have one in the next few years. But with JUPUS, we canmitigate this trend and provide lawyers with a powerful digital tool.

René Fergen, founder from JUPUS

About JUPUS
The Cologne-based company JUPUS is one of the leading providers of AI software for the legal sector in Germany and enables lawyers to fully automate the client intake process from initial contact to the complete file. Law firms are supported by an AI chatbot, an online appointment booking tool and an AI platform that automatically collects and processes inquiries, information and documents and enables automated communication with clients. The JUPUS team consists of 15 employees and since May 2023, hundreds of law firms throughout Germany have already been processing more than 200 inquiries per day via JUPUS. The company was founded in 2022 and is managed by the two founders René Fergen and Jannis Gebauer.
www.jupus.de

About High-Tech Gründerfonds
The seed investor High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) finances tech start-ups with growth potential and has supported more than 750 start-ups since 2005. With the launch of its fourth fund, HTGF now has about 1.4 billion euros under management. Its team of experienced investment managers and start-up experts support young companies with expertise, entrepreneurial spirit and passion. HTGF’s focus is on high-tech start-ups in the fields of digital tech, industrial tech, life sciences, chemistry and related business areas. To date, external investors have injected about 5 billion euros of capital into the HTGF portfolio via more than 2,000 follow-on financing rounds. In addition, HTGF has already successfully sold shares in more than 180 companies.
Fund investors in this public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital and 45 companies from a wide range of industries.

Media contact
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH  
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager   
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121 
t.jacob@htgf.de