At Maple VC, we don't just invest early. We invest first. Bench IQ has announced a $5.3M funding round co-led by Battery Ventures and Inovia Capital — a milestone we're proud to have helped make possible as their first investor in 2023.
BenchIQ is transforming legal practice through AI agents and datasets that help attorneys understand their judges — including what factors influence rulings and how judges prefer arguments framed. Their insight: 97% of judicial rulings lack written opinions, leaving a vast dataset unexploited. Until now.
The Talent Framework
At Maple, we believe every great company is built by a combination of three archetypes: Inventors spark breakthrough ideas, Builders attract talent and capital, and Operators scale organizations. We view Builders as underestimated yet most crucial. The BenchIQ founding team demonstrates this balance.
Maxim Isakov — Engineering / Inventor
Maxim was a founding engineer at ROSS Intelligence, where he created the first legal case text summarizer and pioneered AI in law. He later worked with early PagerDuty engineers at OpsLevel before joining BenchIQ with longtime collaborator Jimoh. He brings the rare ability to see what technology can do in a domain before anyone else has built it.
Jimoh Ovbiagele — Product / Builder
Jimoh served as CTO and co-founder of ROSS Intelligence, originating the judicial AI concept before mainstream adoption. Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 and the ABA's Legal Rebels list, he demonstrated remarkable resilience when ROSS shut down following litigation. Veteran Kirkland & Ellis partner Jeffrey Gettleman knew within ten minutes that Jimoh was his ideal partner.
Jeffrey Gettleman — Domain Expert / Operator
Jeffrey spent 17+ years at Kirkland & Ellis, observing firsthand how judge knowledge influenced case outcomes. He recognized that 97% of judicial rulings lack written explanations — an unexploited data opportunity. After experimenting with alternative judge datasets, he determined this represented a powerful, untapped resource. His credibility with the legal industry gave BenchIQ the distribution advantage others couldn't replicate.
Together, these founders combine vision, product ambition, and industry credibility, attracting backers including top-tier VCs and prestigious law firms.
The Investment Framework
Why We Wrote the First Check
In May 2023, Maple was introduced to Jimoh through LP Karam Nijjar at Inovia. Over three months, we assessed the founders, opportunity, and market. We conducted references with ROSS employees, consulted law firms including Cooley and Wilson Sonsini, and pressure-tested assumptions with other investors.
By August 2023, Maple led the round with a $750K check before other firms committed. We found conviction across all evaluation dimensions — founder determination, market timing, beachhead strategy, and distribution potential. Most compelling was BenchIQ's insight about reconstructing judicial reasoning with significant network effects potential.
"What stood out right away with Andre was his energy and optimism. It quickly became clear he also had grit, a solutions-oriented mindset, and the independence of thought I look for in a partner. Building a company isn't a straight line — you need people who lean into the hard problems and stay positive along the way. A startup is a long journey, and ultimately I asked myself: is this a person I want alongside me for that journey? My answer was yes."
Jimoh Ovbiagele, BenchIQ
Where BenchIQ is Headed
BenchIQ aims to establish a new standard for legal practice. Judicial intelligence represents an emerging capability with the potential to reshape bankruptcy proceedings and broader litigation. If successful, similar to how Westlaw and Lexis became essential tools, BenchIQ could become the baseline for judicial intelligence across the profession.
We are proud to be BenchIQ's first believer, and excited to have Battery Ventures and Inovia as partners on this journey. At Maple VC, First Check isn't just about investing early. It's about backing Builders before the world sees what they see.