Ellis AI emerged from stealth with a $10M seed round led by First Round Capital, 645 Ventures, Harlem Capital, Khosla Ventures, Thrive Capital, Slow Capital, Kearny Jackson, and Ariel Alternatives CEO Mellody Hobson.

Founded by Ryan Williams, best known for co‑creating the real‑estate investment platform Cadre, Ellis AI tackles the fragmented workflow that private credit managers face. Cadre once raised more than $160 million, peaked at $800 million, and was sold to Yieldstreet in 2024.

Ellis AI connects the scattered software, accounting data, and documents a private credit firm uses into a single accessible platform. The system flags data discrepancies and deploys AI agents for portfolio monitoring, report prep, and month‑end book closures. It keeps the human in the loop, allowing experts to make final decisions while the AI filters noise.

Williams says the goal isn’t to replace judgment but to accelerate decision‑making, narrowing the human loop over time while preserving expertise.