Matey recently announced it has raised $7.5 million in seed funding to advance its mission of delivering precision AI tools that actually work in the trenches of the justice system. The funding round was led by Timespan Ventures, with participation from returning investor Neo and new backer Streamlined Ventures.
Founded by Jared White, Matey is not chasing headlines or trying to impress with flashy interfaces. Instead, the company focuses on building tools that help public defenders, law firms, and government agencies manage the overwhelming volume of digital evidence associated with modern criminal cases. The company’s flagship platform, CrimD, is already in active use nationwide, helping legal teams efficiently navigate terabytes of discovery, transcribe and analyze digital media, and prepare for trial with speed and confidence.
What sets Matey apart is its commitment to transparency, accuracy, and explainability. In an industry increasingly cluttered with ChatGPT wrappers and AI vaporware, Matey’s platform doesn’t hallucinate case law or guess at facts. It reads, indexes, and reasons through actual case materials, providing audit trails and complete visibility into every step of the process. This isn’t AI for show—it’s AI built for strategy, designed to support attorneys when the stakes are highest.
The results speak for themselves. Legal teams using Matey have reported up to 90 percent time savings on discovery review, turning what used to be week-long processes into same-day readiness. In some cases, firms have saved more than $40,000 per matter by eliminating unnecessary data hosting fees and reducing setup time. Trial preparation is three times faster due to automated transcript generation, document summarization, and instant timeline creation. And onboarding is refreshingly simple—most users are fully operational within 30 minutes of receiving access.
Matey’s impact goes beyond efficiency. By making its platform accessible and easy to deploy, the company is helping under-resourced defenders deliver stronger cases and fairer outcomes. Public defenders often face crushing caseloads and limited access to technology. Matey is working to change that by scaling partnerships with universities and bar associations to ensure equitable access to its tools.
How the funding will be used: With the new financing, Matey plans to expand its product suite, grow its engineering and go-to-market teams, and deepen relationships with criminal defense organizations nationwide. The company is also exploring new features that build on its core strengths—such as advanced knowledge graphs, zero-click workflows, and AI modules that help uncover novel legal theories buried in complex data.
KEY QUOTES:
“We’re not chasing hype. We’re building tools that work under pressure, in court, during investigations, and when lives are on the line.”
Jared White, Founder & CEO of Matey
“We’ve enabled legal professionals to spend their time taking action based on their experience and expertise, not drudgery.”
Jason Whitson, COO of Matey
“Matey let us process nearly 1 million documents, generate a full timeline, and uncover new witnesses – all in under a day. No other tool could do that.”
Senior Investigator, Corporate Legal Team
“This has saved us $40,000+ on just one case. It’s letting us increase our case volume without sacrificing quality. That’s a win for our clients and our mission.”
Deputy Director, Public Defender Office
