Shakeel Lala
Co-founder, Marloo
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Marloo
1 conversation across 1 show.
Meet the people behind the company.
Latest conversation · Founders in Motion
$40M FinTech Founder on Raising Millions Before He Had a Business Idea | Shakeel Lala, MarlooAbout Marloo
Marloo makes AI software for financial advisers, paraplanners and their support staff. Beyond taking meeting notes, it drafts advice documents, runs compliance workflows and keeps context on each client relationship. Shakeel Lala and Hardy Michel, both former Sharesies managers, founded it in Wellington in June 2024 with Ben Robertson. The team works across Sydney, London and Wellington, and Blackbird led its US$10 million seed round in April 2026.
- Sector
- AI for financial advisers
- Business model
- B2B SaaS
- Founded
- 2024
- Founders
- Shakeel Lala, Hardy Michel, Ben Robertson
- Offices
- Sydney, London, New York, Wellington
- Markets
- Eight countries, including Australia, New Zealand and the UK
- Latest round
- US$10M seed, led by Blackbird (Apr 2026)
- Total raised
- US$12.7M (2026)
Sources: techfundingnews.com, marloo.com, nzherald.co.nz
The people on Day One.
Hear from the team.
Milestones.
- Raised A$4.2M pre-seed led by Blackbirdnzherald.co.nz
- Raised US$10M seed led by Blackbirdthenextweb.com
In the news.
- SmartCompany · 1 May 2026Marloo: $14 million
- The Next Web · 28 April 2026Marloo raises $10M led by Blackbird Ventures to replace the AI notetaker with an AI operating system for financial advisers
- NZ Herald · 8 September 2025Ex-Sharesies managers raise $4.6m for Marloo, their AI assistant for financial advisers
Backed by.
Blackbird.
Sources: techfundingnews.com
Thinking of working at Marloo?
Hear how the team works in their own words, then see the open roles.
Spot something wrong? Suggest a correctionUpdated 29 October 2026
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