Democratise access to technology for high-quality legal work globally

Article originally published by journalist Hilde Oreld in Finansavisen

In a year and a half, Saga has grown from zero to 65 employees, 4,500 users across 16 countries, and revenue that could approach €8–9 million as early as this year.

Artificial intelligence has become the new gold rush in the legal industry. Internationally, companies such as Harvey, LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters have spent billions developing AI tools capable of analysing contracts, summarising legal sources and automating legal work that previously required hours of manual labour.

An ever-growing ecosystem of legal tech companies and AI initiatives is emerging across Europe, while major law firms are experimenting with their own solutions to streamline everything from due diligence to internal knowledge sharing. Amid this technological wave - which some sources liken to the dotcom boom - Saga has largely flown under the radar. Whereas many AI tools are built primarily by technologists, Saga is built around how legal professionals actually work, and the company founded by Bosse Langaas and Knut-Magnar Aanestad has clearly struck a chord internationally.

Last year, its first full year of operation, the company generated revenue of approximately €1.3 million. In the first three months of this year alone, revenue reached around €1.9 million, and the company is growing by 20 per cent each month. Saga is now on track to generate between €8 million and €9 million in revenue this year. It already employs 65 people, serves 600 clients and has 4,500 users across 16 countries worldwide.

“Saga is not an answer machine, but it gives lawyers faster and better insights.”
- Knut-Magnar Aanestad

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So what exactly have Bosse Langaas and Knut-Magnar Aanestad developed that the legal industry seemingly cannot get enough of? An artificial intelligence platform created by lawyers and technologists with decades of experience in the legal sector.

To gain international traction from day one, the founders quickly partnered with a group that brought extensive experience from the Dutch legal sector and legal tech industry. Today, Saga works with law firms, public-sector organisations and in-house legal departments across multiple countries and legal systems.

“We provide our solution to hundreds of law firms, public-sector organisations and in-house legal departments. There is a significant gap between what AI can do and how lawyers actually work. From day one, we integrated our solution with legal methodology and structure. Saga is not an answer machine, but it gives lawyers faster and better insights,” says Knut-Magnar Aanestad, a recognised expert who is frequently invited to speak internationally.

Aanestad has also been part of a think tank at Harvard Law School, one of the world’s most renowned law schools. He previously worked at Arntzen de Besche, Schjødt and CMS Kluge, where he served as Director of Innovation.

Bosse Langaas has a background spanning investment banking, international business development and technology-driven growth companies. At Saga, he leads the commercial side of the business, while Aanestad focuses on product, legal workflows and innovation.

"I’m not a lawyer; perhaps more the black sheep of the family," says Bosse Langaas, the son of Eva Langaas, the visual artist who is well established in Norwegian art history. As well as hanging on a number of private walls, her work is very well established in public buildings across Norway.

“Around 50 investors at home and abroad have already contacted us about joining us on this journey.”
- Bosse Langaas

“We realised that we wanted to build something together. We think similarly about creating businesses and building company culture. Knut-Magnar had been hired to drive change and had long been open to new ideas. He was restless, and I was overflowing with energy and expertise. We created an AI-supported project management system, and that became the beginning of Saga,” says Langaas.

He adds that the company’s long-term ambition is to democratise access to technology for high-quality legal work globally.

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For readers interested in the full founder story and the original interview, the full Norwegian feature can be found in Finansavisen

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