Manchester-based LegalTech company Summize has appointed experienced entrepreneur and former Brightflag co-founder Alex Kelly as a board adviser.
A qualified lawyer, Kelly co-founded legal software company Brightflag in 2014 and served as its chief operating officer, helping scale the business before its acquisition by Wolters Kluwer.
His appointment follows Summize’s $50m (£40m) Series B funding round earlier this year.
Summize founder and CEO Tom Dunlop said Kelly’s experience of building an international LegalTech business made him an ideal fit for the company’s next phase of growth.
He said: “When we started thinking about who could help guide our next chapter, we wanted someone who had genuinely been there. Alex has.
“Alex is a qualified lawyer who spent years at Matheson before co-founding Brightflag in Dublin in 2014.
“Within its first year, Brightflag had set up in New York. Over the next decade, Alex and his co-founder Ian Nolan scaled it into a leader in legal operations, and it was acquired by Wolters Kluwer.
“Sound familiar? A legal tech company. Founded in Europe. A heavy US presence. A strong mid-market presence. Even some mutual customers along the way. Brightflag’s story is one we see a lot of ourselves in.
“So what will Alex bring to Summize? First, experience. He has taken a business down the exact road we’re on, and he knows the turns ahead.
“Second, a different perspective. Alex is a high-quality sounding board with a view from a different corner of legal tech. Someone to challenge us, spar with us and help us think bigger.
“And honestly? We just get along which always helps. He’s down to earth, relatable, and exactly the kind of person you want in the room when big decisions are being made.”
Kelly said: “Delighted to be joining Summize as a board advisor.
“I’m looking forward to working with Tom Dunlop and the team as they help corporate legal teams unlock more value from their contracts.”
Summize is an AI-powered contract lifecycle management provider with a growing presence in the US, including offices in Boston and San Diego.