Michael Ulin, who co-founded genAI company Paxton, an all-in-one legal AI assistant, and was also its CTO, has left the legal tech business to create a new stealth startup focused on agents. The move comes several months after Paxton secured $22m in funding earlier this year.
Artificial Lawyer asked Ulin – who helped create the company back in 2023 – about the move. He said: ‘Paxton’s moving into a scale-up phase with its own rewards and challenges, but I’ve realized I’m happiest in the 0-to-1 trenches. I’ll share more soon, but the next venture is all about AI agents that quietly handle the admin grind for knowledge workers so they can stay in the flow.’
AL also asked him about leaving not long after the company received so much cash. He replied: ‘No change regarding that – still full steam ahead there.’ (I.e. Paxton carries on.)
In a Substack post that he shared earlier, he explained: ‘After two intensely rewarding years helping build Paxton from the ground up as CTO and co-founder, I’ve decided it’s time for me to step down from my role. This feels like the right moment – a natural pause to reflect on the incredible journey we’ve shared, the milestones we’ve hit, and to offer a glimpse into what lies ahead on my own entrepreneurial path, particularly within the AI space I’m so passionate about.
When we founded Paxton, our vision was ambitious: to fundamentally revolutionize legal workflows using cutting-edge AI. What started as that initial spark of an idea rapidly grew into a thriving company that is genuinely reshaping how legal professionals approach their work. The energy of these past two years, particularly the last nine months, has been incredible.
The metrics certainly tell a powerful story of validation: witnessing a 14x increase in Monthly Recurring Revenue confirmed our product-market fit and showed the legal industry’s hunger for intelligent solutions. Our active customer base expanded 8x, bringing in legal professionals across the country whose invaluable feedback helped us refine everything. But the numbers only capture part of the experience.
Technically, I’m incredibly proud that we pioneered a first-of-its-kind AI Legal Citator, using generative AI to solve the critical pain point of verifying case references – setting a new standard. Behind the scenes, our team designed and built a scalable AI architecture capable of processing millions of documents with accuracy and speed.
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As Paxton successfully closed its Series A funding, the company is now decisively entering its next crucial phase – what you might call the ‘Soldier’ stage. This phase is all about scaling: building robust structures, repeatable processes, and driving disciplined operational expansion. It’s about consolidating the territory gained and building durable, scalable systems. This requires a different kind of focus and leadership skillset than the initial founding stage.
Recognizing this natural evolution, and after many thoughtful discussions with the board and my co-founder Tanguy, it became clear that Tanguy, as CEO, possesses the ideal experience and focus to lead Paxton through this essential scaling chapter. His leadership is perfectly suited for the disciplined execution required now.
I step away with immense confidence in Paxton’s future. The company has a strong and dedicated team, solid financial backing from the Series A, and clear, aligned leadership under Tanguy ready for this scaling phase. As a continuing shareholder and passionate supporter, I’ll be enthusiastically cheering them on from the sidelines.’
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AL wishes Ulin all the best and also looks forward to watching Paxton grow during this next phase of its evolution.
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You can find more about Paxton here.
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(Image from Ulin’s Substack post in May.)
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