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Ellis launched with over $10 million in seed funding to develop an AI-native operations platform for private credit, led by First Round Capital.

PRIVATEJul 30, 2026•10 days ago

Amount Raised

$10 Million

Round Type

Seed

OtherFinancial ServicesGovernment And Military

Investors

Thrive CapitalMellody HobsonGallery VenturesCollide CapitalWestboundWilshire LaneSlow VenturesKhosla VenturesHarlem Capital645 VenturesFirst Round Capital

Description

Ellis, the first AI-native operations platform for private credit, has emerged from stealth mode. The company secured more than $10 million in seed funding to advance its innovative technology. First Round Capital led the financing alongside notable investors. This funding will support the development of its groundbreaking platform.

Company Information

Company

Ellis

About

The startup is also working on a product to be a co-signer on leases. As for the co-signer product, called Ellis Rent, the company will start work on it later this year. Ellis was founded by Sampei Omichi, who moved to the U.S. in 2017 to attend college, before working at fintech River Financial. Omichi told TechCrunch he founded Ellis because “what many fail to realize is that college campuses are the modern day Ellis Islands for high-skilled immigrants and entrepreneurs in the U.S.” After being rejected for a H1-B visa in 2021, Omichi decided to start Ellis.

Predictive Intelligence
Strategic

ML-powered predictions for Ellis's next move

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Funding Insights

Based on industry data
VC-backed spending patterns
VC-backed companies spend 89% more on sales and 100% more on marketing than bootstrapped peers
Tech investment trends
83% of B2B companies plan digital investments, with 79% prioritizing customer experience tech

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