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Ironclad Launches Jurist: an AI-Powered Assistant That Shows its Work

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The conversational AI assistant utilizes purpose-built multi-agent technology that works together to automate legal work, giving legal professionals a singular place to work with all the right tools and information in one seamless experience

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Ironclad, the leading digital contracting platform for modern businesses, today announced the public launch of a new conversational AI legal assistant, Ironclad Jurist. Jurist allows legal professionals to draft, edit, review, summarize, translate, and answer questions related to modern contracting. Jurist is the only AI-powered assistant purpose-built for lawyers that lets users create and iterate on any legal document with past company precedent, benchmarks, and real-time changes in the legal space—all in an online, fully editable .docx workspace.

Jurist, built on Ironclad’s open-source visual programming platform Rivet, offers users unprecedented transparency into AI decision-making within a contract by displaying agent actions and reasoning, complete with citations in its online research mode. Leveraging industry-leading prompt routing, specialized legal prompt engineering, and a sophisticated retrieval automation generation (RAG) approach that harnesses multiple top-tier LLMs, Jurist is transforming the landscape of AI-assisted legal work.

“Jurist has already eliminated hours of manual review from our document review process. Its intuitive interface lets us easily define our own parameters, transforming tasks like NDA reviews into a streamlined workflow,” said Katelyn Canning, Director and Head of Legal at Ocrolus. “What truly sets it apart is its ability to select the most appropriate AI model for each task behind the scenes, delivering useful results without requiring us to craft intricate prompts. This combination of power and simplicity has made it an indispensable tool for our legal team.”

After a rigorous five-month beta, which included in-house legal teams at companies like Ocrolus and Signifyd, and leading law firms including Gunderson Dettmer, Jurist is now generally available. With Ironclad Jurist, users can:

Perform legal work in one central place: Jurist provides a new surface for lawyers to work with, iterate, draft, edit, research, and ask questions, all within a single environment. Users can directly edit AI outputs—and write prompts for specific sections of documents to fine-tune contract language—in a native .docx editor.Personalize AI outputs with past documents: Jurist produces personalized drafts, reviews, and edits based on the context users provide, including templates and executed agreements.Access the latest legal knowledge from verified online sources: Users can stay current with the ever-evolving legal landscape from the most reputable online legal research sources.Verify actions taken by your team of agents: Jurist explains its decisions in real time and cites sources when answering prompts, empowering users to use what they create with confidence.Work in a responsible, privacy-forward environment: Jurist does not allow companies like OpenAI or Google to retain or train on customer data. Ironclad provides customers with complete enterprise-grade security and holds numerous certifications, including several ISOs. Ironclad is also compliant with GDPR, HIPAA, and the SOC 2 Type II Security Trust Criteria. To learn more about Ironclad’s security certifications, click here.

“Legal is the perfect application for LLMs, because LLMs are exceptionally good at working with unstructured data – which is the lion’s share of the types of documents lawyers work with,” said Ironclad Chief Product Officer Michel Feaster. “We built Jurist to help bridge this gap, and wanted to create something that was congruent with the ways that lawyers are already working. Lawyers need to be able to edit in real-time in one place, or be able to ask questions about specific parts of a contract, or compare and edit groups of documents at the same time. And because Ironclad has been building technology for lawyers and optimizing contracts for 10 years, our AI agents are fine tuned to be best in class at legal editing.”

“Using Jurist has helped give us a singular workplace to drastically speed up many kinds of legal work,” said Zuhair Saadat, Contracts Manager at Signifyd. “For example, performing an MNDA review or drafting custom clauses for an order form typically takes an hour to a day. Using Jurist, we could do this in minutes—in some cases seconds—depending on complexity. If I need to edit the output, translate it, or ask a question about it, I can do that right in the product without leaving. It reduces time spent on these kinds of tasks, saves money on attorney fees, and gives me a leg up. Whatever I’m doing, I never have to start from scratch.”

“We’ve released Jurist as a standalone product, built on Ironclad architecture, because we feel this will benefit the entire legal community—whether they already use Ironclad or not,” said Ironclad President Jeremy Smith. “We are committed to enabling legal teams with the products they need to drive tangible business impact, and we believe Jurist will make a lasting impact on the future of the legal field.”

To learn more about Jurist and try it for yourself, click here.

About Ironclad
Ironclad is the #1 contract lifecycle management platform for innovative companies, powering billions of contracts every year. L’Oréal, OpenAI, and other leading innovators use Ironclad to collaborate and negotiate on contracts, accelerate contracting while maintaining compliance, and turn contracts into critical carriers of operational business intelligence. It’s the only platform flexible enough to handle every type of contract workflow, whether a sales agreement, an HR agreement or a complex NDA. The company is backed by leading investors like Accel, Sequoia, Franklin Templeton, Y Combinator, and BOND. For more information, visit www.ironcladapp.com or follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Media Contact:
Paul Chalker
paul.chalker@ironcladhq.com

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SOURCE Ironclad Inc.

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Ridero Raises $2.7 Million to Tackle Vehicle Affordability Through AI-Powered Financial Infrastructure

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Backed by RiverPark Ventures, NY Ventures, Green Egg Ventures, Blackpoint Capital, and Potamkin Ventures, Ridero is expanding access to flexible vehicle financing.

NEW YORK, Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ridero, an AI-powered automotive financial infrastructure company, today announced $2.7 million in total pre-seed funding, with backing from RiverPark Ventures, NY Ventures, Green Egg Ventures, Blackpoint Capital, and Potamkin Ventures.

The funding will accelerate Ridero’s mission to address the growing vehicle affordability crisis by enabling financial institutions and automotive retailers to offer more flexible financing options at scale.

As vehicle prices and financing costs continue to pressure American households, traditional automotive financing products have struggled to keep pace with changing consumer needs. Ridero is building the technology infrastructure to expand access to alternatives to conventional auto loans, including new- and used-vehicle leasing and balloon financing.

“Millions of vehicles have historically been difficult to lease because the financial infrastructure needed to support them at scale hasn’t existed,” said Brock Thompson, Co-Founder and CEO of Ridero. “We’re building that infrastructure to give lenders and dealers more ways to make vehicles affordable and accessible,” said Natalie Williams, Co-Founder and CTO of Ridero.

Ridero’s platform combines AI-powered deal structuring, risk analytics, and automated lender connectivity to help financial institutions launch, distribute, and manage residual-based financing products.

The company’s technology is already in use at dealerships across the Northeast and Southern United States. Ridero has also established a strategic partnership with Auto Financial Group (AFG) to expand access to residual-based financing products and integrated with Tekion to bring its financing capabilities into existing dealership workflows.

Ridero is advancing additional strategic partnerships and technology integrations with financial institutions and automotive technology providers.

The funding will support continued product development, expansion of institutional partnerships, and growth of Ridero’s team.

About Ridero

Ridero is an AI-powered financial infrastructure company modernizing automotive finance. Its platform connects financial institutions and automotive retailers, enabling the launch, distribution, and management of flexible vehicle financing products, including new- and used-vehicle leasing and balloon financing.

Ridero was founded by Brock Thompson and Natalie Williams, who bring complementary backgrounds in institutional investing and artificial intelligence. Thompson previously worked at The Carlyle Group and The Amherst Group, while Williams came from Capstone Investment Advisors and UBS. Both founders attended Columbia University together.

Website: ridero.ai

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OpenHear BM420 Named a CES® 2027 Innovation Awards® Honoree

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Recognized in the Accessibility & Longevity category, the open-ear bone conduction hearing aid reflects Shokz’s expanding expertise in hearing care

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Shokz, a pioneer in open-ear audio technology, today announced that OpenHear BM420 has been named a CES® 2027 Innovation Awards® Honoree in the Accessibility & Longevity category. Developed by Shokz’s affiliated professional hearing-care company ShokzHear, the device reflects the application of Shokz’s bone conduction expertise to hearing solutions designed with comfort, accessibility and everyday wearability in mind.

OpenHear BM420 is a professionally fitted, non-surgical bone conduction hearing aid designed to provide an alternative to traditional in-ear hearing aids and implantable bone conduction solutions. Its open-ear design keeps the ear canal unobstructed for comfort during extended wear, while individually adjustable hearing settings, directional microphones and background noise reduction help improve speech clarity in everyday environments.

“In hearing care, performance matters, but so does whether people feel comfortable wearing a device day after day,” said Fengyun Liao, Director of ShokzHear. “OpenHear BM420 brings our experience in open-ear bone conduction technology to that challenge, offering an alternative designed around both hearing assistance and everyday comfort. We’re honored to have this approach recognized by the CES Innovation Awards®.”

This recognition comes as Shokz prepares for CES 2027, where the company will showcase continued innovation in open-ear technology, including expanding applications beyond traditional audio.

OpenHear BM420 will be available beginning November 20, 2026, in the U.S. through participating hearing centers, ENT clinics and hospitals.

The CES Innovation Awards® program, owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, is an annual competition recognizing outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology. Entries are evaluated by a panel of industry experts, including engineers, designers and members of the media. The 2027 honorees, including product descriptions and images, can be found at ces.tech/ces-innovation-awards.

To learn more about Shokz, ShokzHear, OpenHear BM420 or the complete OpenHear Series, visit ShokzHear.com or follow @ShokzHear on Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About ShokzHear
ShokzHear is an affiliated company of Shokz, a global leader in bone conduction technology and open-ear acoustics. Drawing on more than a decade of innovation in consumer audio, ShokzHear is dedicated to advancing professional hearing care through accessible and comfortable hearing solutions, leveraging its expertise across both bone conduction and air conduction technologies. Its OpenHear series combines innovative acoustic engineering with everyday wearability, helping eligible individuals with hearing loss experience a different, more comfortable way to hear. Learn more about the brand at ShokzHear.com.

About CES®
CES is the most powerful tech event in the world – the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators. This is where the world’s biggest brands do business and meet new partners, and the sharpest innovators hit the stage. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, CES features every aspect of the tech sector. CES 2027 takes place Jan. 6-9, 2027, in Las Vegas. Learn more at CES.tech and follow CES on social.

The CES® Innovation Awards® are based upon descriptive materials submitted to the judges. CTA did not verify the accuracy of any submission or of any claims made and did not test the item to which the award was given.

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Bankers Expect Higher Funding Costs as Outlook for Loan Demand Softens

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ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bank executives expect a tougher operating environment over the next year, with continued pressure on funding and little improvement in loan demand, according to a survey by fintech IntraFi.

Eighty-seven percent of respondents expect funding costs to increase in the next 12 months, up 84 points from the third quarter of 2025.

“Bankers are facing pressure on both sides of the balance sheet,” said Mark Jacobsen, CEO and cofounder of IntraFi. “The challenge is how to pursue growth without sacrificing profitability or stretching balance sheets. That puts a premium on disciplined pricing, strong customer relationships, and flexibility in how banks fund their business.”

IntraFi’s third quarter Bank Executive Business Outlook Survey was conducted online from October 5 to October 19, 2026, and includes responses from 411 bank CEOs, presidents, CFOs, and COOs nationwide.

Bond market volatility is also shaping bankers’ outlook. Over the next 12 months, 58% said the most significant potential effect of current long-term interest rates and bond market volatility on their securities portfolios would be higher funding costs or pressure on net interest margins. Another 16% cited further unrealized losses that could limit capital flexibility.

Other key findings

Balance sheet strategy: 47% are maintaining their current strategies, while 22% are accepting lower securities balances to make room for loans or cash and liquidity.Economy: 83% expect economic conditions to worsen or remain unchanged over the next 12 months.Access to capital: 78% expect access to capital to remain unchanged.Mortgages: 74% are not pursuing products or programs to help homeowners locked into low mortgage rates move or upgrade their homes.

Download the full report.

About IntraFi

A trusted partner chosen by more than 3,000 financial services companies, IntraFi defines success not by the volume of transactions it enables, but by the quality of relationships it forms. Its network, established over 20 years ago, connects institutions of all sizes to help participants build stronger relationships with their customers, fund more loans, seamlessly manage their liquidity needs, and earn fee income.

The network brings scale, giving each participant access to tens of billions of dollars in funding, the highest per-depositor and per-bank capacity, and the peace of mind of being able to make large-dollar placements.

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SOURCE IntraFi

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