Investors, regulators, and practitioners now watch how Legal Tech platforms mature under stricter rules on AI inventorship. Moreover, enterprise buyers demand measurable productivity gains. This article examines Ankar’s raise, market context, and the road ahead for automated IP workflows.

Funding Signals Market Shift

Ankar’s Series A underscores investor belief in end-to-end Legal Tech stacks. Atomico led the $20 million round, while Index Ventures, Norrsken VC, and Daphni joined. Previously, the startup closed a £3 million seed earlier in 2025. Altogether, disclosed funding now sits near $24 million.

Consequently, Ankar plans to double headcount and expand into the United States. Founders Tamar Gomez and Wiem Gharbi, both Palantir alumni, cite enterprise security heritage as a core differentiator. Furthermore, early customers such as L’Oréal and law firm Vorys already use the platform within critical R&D environments.

Key Series A metrics impressed Atomico. The company reported more than $1 million in ARR, with 75% of that booked in 2025 alone. Additionally, users allegedly enjoy 40% productivity improvements and a 96% recommendation score.

These signals illustrate surging confidence. Nevertheless, capital alone cannot guarantee adoption, as incumbents like Clarivate and Questel guard long-standing relationships. Therefore, product depth and regulatory alignment remain decisive.

Platform Automates IP Tasks

The startup brands its product a “Patent OS,” positioning the suite as daily workspace for inventors and counsel. It integrates automated prior-art search across 150 million patent applications and 250 million scientific papers. Subsequently, users draft claims and specifications with AI assistance while retaining human oversight.

Drafted documents flow directly into prosecution response templates, shortening turnaround cycles. Moreover, portfolio analytics translate filings into strategic heat maps, revealing gaps and licensing opportunities. This full-cycle approach aims to replace fragmented point tools.

Accordingly, the platform tackles five pain points:

• Time lost on manual novelty searches
• Repetitive claim drafting across jurisdictions
• Disjointed prosecution tracking spreadsheets
• Low visibility into competitive filing trends
• Security concerns with generic AI services

Each capability feeds the next, building a continuous workflow. However, governance layers ensure lawyers approve every AI suggestion before submission. These safeguards help firms align with evolving USPTO guidance.

Seamless automation boosts throughput. Still, successful deployment depends on disciplined change management. Consequently, Ankar offers onboarding playbooks and integration APIs to minimize disruption.

Regulation Shapes Product Road

Regulatory scrutiny over AI inventorship intensified in 2025. The USPTO’s November guidance reaffirmed that only humans qualify as inventors; AI remains a tool. In contrast, European offices evaluate similar rules yet.

Therefore, Legal Tech vendors must log human contribution inside drafting flows. Ankar embeds audit trails that capture reviewer identity, timestamps, and final claim wording. Additionally, on-premise or dedicated cloud options seek to assuage trade-secret fears.

Meanwhile, law societies warn against hallucinated citations that could invite malpractice claims. Vendors respond with restricted model prompts and citation verification loops. Nevertheless, buyers still demand contractual assurances for liability sharing.

These compliance pressures steer roadmap priorities. Consequently, security and traceability features often outrank flashy generative UX upgrades in backlog discussions.

Competitive Landscape Intensifies

Incumbent IP software vendors offer vast archives and entrenched user bases. Clarivate’s Derwent, Questel, Anaqua, and PatSnap already monetize patent analytics. Startups focusing only on drafting also crowd the arena.

However, Ankar differentiates through unified workflow coverage and modern data architecture. Investors argue that a single pane reduces context switching. Moreover, the founders’ Palantir lineage signals battle-tested security pedigree.

Market data shows opportunity. WIPO counted 3.55 million patent applications in 2023, setting a record. Future Market Insights values broader IP support services at $32.8 billion for 2025, with high growth projected.

Consequently, multiple business models can coexist. Price competition will rise, yet feature completeness and privacy guarantees may decide winner pools.

Enterprise Adoption Drivers

Growing R&D budgets and aggressive filing targets amplify demand for Legal Tech efficiencies. Furthermore, IP now represents a dominant share of corporate value, elevating patents from compliance tasks to strategic assets.

Buyers cite three headline benefits when piloting Ankar:

1. Reduced search and drafting hours, cutting outside counsel spend
2. Improved claim quality through instantaneous prior-art checks
3. Actionable portfolio insights supporting licensing or defensive strategies

Professionals can enhance their expertise with the AI+ Legal™ certification. Certification holders often lead automation projects and influence procurement choices.

These adoption catalysts unlock faster ROI. However, leadership buy-in remains essential to shift entrenched habits. Therefore, champions often emerge from R&D, not only legal, signalling cross-functional momentum.

Risks And Mitigations

Despite promise, several risks shadow AI-driven patent workflows. Data privacy ranks first. Feeding unpublished inventions into external models could destroy novelty if leaks occur. Consequently, closed deployments and strict access controls remain non-negotiable.

Prosecution quality also matters. Generative text can fabricate citations or misstate claim scope. Nevertheless, human-in-the-loop review, red-flag alerts, and citation cross-checks mitigate error rates.

Market competition poses another challenge. Established vendors may quickly integrate similar AI modules. In contrast, startups must iterate faster and prove superior accuracy metrics.

Finally, overreliance on reported productivity figures invites scrutiny. Therefore, enterprises should request pilot data before full rollouts.

These hurdles underscore cautious optimism. However, disciplined governance and transparent metrics can convert risk into competitive edge.

Strategic Outlook Ahead

Legal Tech momentum shows no sign of slowing. Record patent filings and rising regulatory complexity create fertile ground for automation. Moreover, investor confidence reflected in Ankar’s Series A signals capital availability for capable teams.

Subsequently, we foresee consolidation between niche drafting tools and analytics incumbents. Platforms offering full-cycle workflow coverage plus airtight security will likely command premium valuations.

Meanwhile, regulatory bodies will keep refining AI guidelines. Vendors able to document human oversight cleanly should navigate those shifts smoothly.

Therefore, enterprises evaluating patent automation should prioritize governance, integration ease, and demonstrable ROI. Balanced scorecards will separate marketing hype from sustainable innovation.

These trends suggest a pivotal decade for IP management. Consequently, proactive leaders should upskill and pilot solutions early.

Conclusion And Next Steps

Ankar’s $20 million raise highlights accelerating investment in Legal Tech. The startup promises streamlined patent search, drafting, prosecution, and analytics within one secure workflow. Furthermore, regulatory clarity and rising filing volumes reinforce demand for AI assistance.

Nevertheless, privacy, hallucination, and competitive pressures require vigilant governance. Enterprises should test platforms rigorously and cultivate certified talent. Additionally, professionals may pursue the linked AI certification to drive successful deployments.

Act now: evaluate your IP processes, engage stakeholders, and explore certified training to seize the Legal Tech advantage.