The reputation of Delve, a compliance startup that recently secured $32 million in funding, has deteriorated significantly. An anonymous whistleblower alleges Delve used SimStudio, an open-source agent-building tool created by Sim.ai, as the foundation for its Pathways no-code platform without proper attribution or a license agreement. DeepDelver contends the Delve team pitched Pathways to a prospect, who later became the whistleblower, claiming they built it independently despite its similarity to SimStudio. If true, this would violate the Apache license requiring credit for the original developer. Sim.ai founder Emir Karabeg confirmed he advised DeepDelver that Delve had no license agreement with Sim.ai, despite Sim.ai being a Delve customer and both being Y Combinator alumni. Karabeg expressed shock at the allegations, stating he had previously offered support to Delve.

The controversy adds to existing whistleblower claims about fabricated customer data and rubber-stamped audits, allegations Delve denies. Insight Partners' $32 million Series A investment, mentioned in a now-removed blog post, is under scrutiny. Delve's website shows signs of damage control, including scrubbed mentions of Pathways and a broken contact page. The allegations have ignited significant outrage on X, becoming a trending topic with a critical community note. Delve has not responded to inquiries.