Today, we’re thrilled to sit down with Richard Karlsson, CEO and co-founder of Grasp, a Swedish AI FinTech company that’s revolutionizing the finance industry with cutting-edge multi-agent systems. With a background as a McKinsey consultant, Richard, alongside his co-founders, identified a critical need for automation in investment banking and management consulting. Fresh off a $7 million Series A funding round, bringing their total to $9 million, Grasp is rapidly expanding globally, including a new office in London. In this conversation, we’ll explore the inspiration behind Grasp, the transformative power of their AI technology, and their ambitious plans for the future.
How did your time at McKinsey shape the vision for Grasp, and what personal experiences led you to focus on automating finance tasks?
My time at McKinsey was eye-opening in many ways. I saw firsthand how much of our work—over 90% of it—was tied up in repetitive, manual tasks like sifting through reports, building complex Excel models, and putting together presentations. These were critical to the job, but they left little room for strategic thinking or creativity. I started to question how we could shift that balance. The frustration of spending endless hours on grunt work, combined with a growing curiosity about technology’s potential, planted the seed for Grasp. I knew there had to be a way to automate these processes and free up professionals to focus on higher-value work.
Can you share how your collaboration with Simon Hällqvist, with his AI expertise from Ericsson, influenced Grasp’s early direction?
Partnering with Simon was a game-changer. His background in AI at Ericsson gave us the technical foundation we needed to turn a concept into reality. While I understood the pain points in finance, Simon brought a deep understanding of how AI could solve complex problems. Together, we brainstormed how multi-agent systems could mimic the intricate workflows of finance professionals. His perspective helped us see beyond simple automation to building a platform that could handle multimodal tasks—combining text, data, and visuals in ways that hadn’t been done before in this space. That synergy shaped Grasp’s mission from day one.
Could you walk us through how Grasp’s multi-agent AI system works and what kind of impact it has on finance professionals?
Absolutely. Grasp’s multi-agent AI system is designed to replicate the complex, multi-step tasks that analysts in investment banking or consulting handle every day. Think of it as a team of specialized AI agents working together—one might extract data from reports, another builds financial models, and a third formats outputs into presentations. For example, when valuing a company, our system can pull relevant data from trusted datasets, run analyses, and generate a polished report in a fraction of the time it would take manually. This means professionals can focus on interpreting results and advising clients rather than getting bogged down in the process. The impact is both time savings and better quality outputs since the AI minimizes human error.
How does Grasp integrate with the tools and datasets that finance professionals already rely on in their daily work?
Integration is at the core of what we do. We’ve built Grasp to seamlessly connect with the productivity tools and datasets that are staples in the industry—think Excel, PowerPoint, and proprietary financial databases. Our platform acts as a layer on top of these, pulling in data and pushing out results in formats that fit existing workflows. We also prioritize compatibility with trusted datasets, ensuring accuracy and relevance. This approach means professionals don’t have to overhaul their systems to use Grasp; it slots right into their day-to-day, making adoption smooth and intuitive.
With this latest $7 million Series A funding, what are the key priorities for Grasp’s growth in the coming months?
This funding is a huge milestone for us, and we’re laser-focused on a few critical areas. First, we’re doubling down on product development to enhance our AI capabilities and tackle even more complex finance tasks. Second, we’re expanding our team—both in product and sales—to keep up with demand and ensure we’re delivering top-notch support. Finally, we’re investing in our international footprint. The new London office is just the start, and this capital will help us scale our operations to serve more regions effectively. It’s all about building on the momentum we’ve created.
Speaking of London, what made it the ideal choice for your first international office, and what unique opportunities do you see there?
London was a natural fit for us. It’s a global financial hub with a massive concentration of investment banks, consulting firms, and private equity players—exactly the audience that can benefit most from Grasp. We’ve seen strong demand from UK-based firms for technology that can streamline their workflows, especially as competitive pressures grow. London also offers access to top talent and a gateway to other European markets. Being there positions us to build stronger relationships with clients and tailor our solutions to their specific needs. It’s an exciting step for us.
Grasp has grown rapidly, serving nearly 200 customers across 30 countries since 2020. What do you think has been the biggest driver behind this success?
I think it comes down to addressing a real, urgent need. Finance professionals are under immense pressure to deliver faster and better results, and traditional methods just can’t keep up. Our technology offers a tangible solution—cutting down manual work while maintaining the high-quality output they rely on. Word of mouth has played a big role too; when a Big Four firm sees results, they talk, and that credibility attracts others. Plus, starting small in 2020 allowed us to refine our product with early adopters, so by the time we scaled, we had a solid offering. It’s been a combination of timing, tech, and trust.
Looking ahead, what’s your forecast for the role of AI in transforming the finance industry over the next decade?
I believe we’re just scratching the surface of what AI can do in finance. Over the next decade, I expect AI to move beyond automation of routine tasks to becoming a true strategic partner—offering insights, predicting trends, and even shaping decision-making in real time. We’ll see multi-agent systems like ours evolve to handle increasingly sophisticated challenges, blending financial expertise with predictive analytics. The $1.4 trillion market of human-intensive finance work is ripe for disruption, and AI will redefine how professionals operate, making firms more agile and competitive. It’s an exciting time, and I think we’ll see a complete shift in how value is created in this space.