Andreessen Horowitz Backs Fearn, an AI Startup Automating Patent Drafting
Fearn, a startup building AI software for patent drafting, has raised $5.5 million in seed funding led by Kindred Ventures with participation from Andreessen Horowitz. The tool allows inventors to draft patents themselves in minutes rather than weeks, positioning itself in the growing legal-tech sector that has expanded from $1 billion in 2019 to over $4 billion last year. The investment reflects a broader trend of startups helping companies bring legal work in-house rather than relying solely on outside counsel.
Fearn, a legal-tech startup founded by Han Kim and Angela Gao, has secured $5.5 million in seed funding to develop AI software that automates patent drafting. The platform allows inventors to upload technical documents and generate patent drafts with a single click, scoring material quality, creating patent drawings, and charging a flat $2,000 per draft. The funding round was led by Kindred Ventures and included participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Designer Fund, and Essence Venture Capital. Kim, who previously worked as a patent prosecutor at Morrison Foerster, identified patent drafting as an ideal automation target due to patents' highly structured nature and the technical fluency required. The startup represents a distinct strategy within legal tech—rather than accelerating lawyer productivity like competitor Harvey, Fearn aims to enable companies to handle more legal work internally. The legal-tech sector has experienced significant growth, expanding from approximately $1 billion in 2019 to over $4 billion in the past year.
What different sources said
- Business InsiderLeft
VCs can't get enough of legal startups. Andreessen Horowitz just invested in one taking work from patent lawyers.
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