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The Finance Startup Bringing Agentic AI to Wall Street

The Finance Startup Bringing Agentic AI to Wall Street

21 segments available

Brothers Chaz and Arnie Englander started Model ML after building and selling two YC companies. What began as a tool to help them analyze deals has grown into a full AI-powered workspace purpose-built for financial services, empowering firms to create automations and workflows that reflect exactly how their teams operate. And it's already being used by 10% of the world's top investment banks and private equity firms to automate everything from client-ready PowerPoint decks to deep-dive research and due diligence. In this conversation with YC Partner Gustaf Alstromer, they discuss going from internal tool to production platform, the power of perseverance, and their ambition to build a billion-dollar company with just ten people. Learn more about Model ML: https://www.modelml.com Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply Work at a startup: https://www.ycombinator.com/jobs Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:06 - What Is Model ML? 02:10 - Early Success 02:44 - What Companies Did Before Model ML 03:24 - Model ML Origin Story 04:53 - Their Customers 05:15 - Automating Analyst Work 06:51- AI Model Evolution 08:12 - Vision Model Breakthroughs 10:49 - Sales Process 12:44 - Lessons From Past Startups 13:24 - Hiring Advice 16:52 - The Power of Perseverance 17:02 - Fat Llama Origins 17:46 - Fancy Origins 25:04 - Customer Obsession 26:38 - Staying Customer-Centric 33:46 - Advice to Builders 39:38 - Why Do YC Multiple Times 41:22 - AI in SF 42:19 - Where to Build? Europe vs. SF

Segments Timeline

1
0:00 - 1:07
1:06 duration229 words

Intro

"In the last seven days, we've signed the same number of contracts as we signed in the whole of Q4. There is clear tangible value being driven by these products, and it's only going to get better and q..."

2
1:07 - 2:10
1:03 duration198 words

What Is Model ML?

">> So Monal is an AI workspace for financial services. So that's our oneliner. What that actually means in practice is we've so we built a workspace that's akin to kind of the office suite. our own ve..."

3
2:10 - 2:45
0:34 duration125 words

Early Success

">> I can tell that you guys are excited about how things are going right now. Would you put some words on how how things are going? >> Vertical. >> Uh look, I mean, in the last seven days, we've signe..."

4
2:45 - 3:24
0:39 duration149 words

What Companies Did Before Model ML

">> So they would have their um data sets uh and then they would they would spend a lot of time in the office suite or in Outlook, right? Um, and you know what that meant was, you know, a lot of that p..."

5
3:24 - 4:53
1:28 duration318 words

Model ML Origin Story

">> Yeah. So we um so we sold our first two companies and um after we sold our second company we did a bunch of kind of investing ourselves which I think on the whole we were pretty bad at. But we beca..."

6
4:53 - 5:15
0:22 duration76 words

Their Customers

">> Yeah. So um you know we can say now that we're about 10% of the largest private equity firms and investment banks in the world use our product. um you know we have other customers asset managers so..."

7
5:15 - 6:51
1:35 duration339 words

Automating Analyst Work

">> so as crazy as it sounds now right so let me use an example whereby um let's say you're you're tracking a public company right and every quarter or every time there's a release um maybe as part of ..."

8
6:51 - 8:12
1:21 duration305 words

AI Model Evolution

"ago? >> A year ago. >> A year ago. So the models have probably progressed a lot in that year. What were things the models could do a year ago that were impressive and what can they do today and where ..."

9
8:12 - 10:52
2:39 duration610 words

Vision Model Breakthroughs

">> I also think the uh the vision models. >> Yeah. I mean, when they first started coming out and and improving and we were sitting next to each other, we were going crazy, weren't we? It was like the..."

10
10:52 - 12:44
1:52 duration410 words

Sales Process

"or in general just the most senior people at the firm regardless of if you're a top five or top 10 investment bank priority firm as I said I'll sub them up and whatever it might be um which I think at..."

11
12:44 - 13:24
0:40 duration145 words

Lessons From Past Startups

">> I would say you've definitely got to enjoy it. You've got to enjoy building companies. Uh is my overarching uh thought. What about you? >> I think you've just got to be prepared for the worst. Yeah..."

12
13:24 - 16:52
3:28 duration815 words

Hiring Advice

">> You can definitely be calmer. definitely karma but I but but there is there is certain things that you just cannot prepare yourself for you know I think like you know like it just in general no mat..."

13
16:52 - 17:04
0:11 duration35 words

The Power of Perseverance

">> yeah we just don't like losing >> um maybe go back to like uh winter 17 >> fat llama Um, tell us about Fatal Lama. >> Um, so Fatal Lama was a marketplace that"

14
17:04 - 17:46
0:42 duration165 words

Fat Llama Origins

"allowed people to rent items from people nearby with the main differences, you know, uh, you were insured. So if I let if you're my neighbor and I lent you a camera, a $10,000 camera, I'm insured. If ..."

15
17:46 - 25:05
7:18 duration1698 words

Fancy Origins

">> Yeah, so Fancy again consumer business. So we were a a last mile grocery delivery business uh which now everyone's probably bored of speaking about them but back then so this was end of 2019 uh sta..."

16
25:05 - 26:38
1:33 duration338 words

Customer Obsession

"one we emailed Patrick directly and he responded like within he sorted us out >> yeah it was awesome >> so if Patrick listen says thank you Patrick he sort us out um but I think on both of those the t..."

17
26:38 - 33:46
7:07 duration1529 words

Staying Customer-Centric

"customer feedback stage >> so naturally uh and I and I'm 100% involved with that and and it's also what I enjoy as well right you know spending time you know I don't like demoing on a screen. I like s..."

18
33:46 - 39:38
5:52 duration1347 words

Advice to Builders

"a problem. You know what I mean? And so I think it's like really think about that. Uh and and and that tends to last for a long time as well. >> I got this email uh I think it was yesterday from a per..."

19
39:38 - 41:22
1:43 duration343 words

Why Do YC Multiple Times

">> the second and third time it wasn't a financial thing. We still get asked like still we've we've had loads of teams that you know people that have worked for us that have gone on to even start YC c..."

20
41:22 - 42:19
0:56 duration216 words

AI in SF

">> I mean it was just crazy. I think I think again working side by side with people building really cool products working seven days a week and that buzz you know around the office around San Francisc..."

21
42:19 - 46:10
3:51 duration807 words

Where to Build? Europe vs. SF

">> Go this is a tough one. Uh it's tricky. I think we absolutely love San Francisco. Uh we've said it many times. Every time we come here, >> it's the best place in the world. >> There's something dif..."

The Finance Startup Bringing Agentic AI to Wall Street — Chaz Englander | Searchlore