Valla - Why We Invested

The legal industry is long overdue disruption — and finally AI is having an impact. Tasks that once took dozens of billable hours can now be done in seconds, driving down costs, expanding access, and setting the stage for sweeping change over the next five years. We wanted to back a consumer-first solution in this space, as they deliver savings directly to those who’ll benefit from them most.

That’s why we’re excited to lead a £1.5m pre-seed round in Valla — a legal platform built to empower workers navigating workplace disputes. Valla is breaking the mould of how legal support has been delivered for decades, targeting a huge market with a bold, mass-market vision.

We're investing alongside powerhouses like Techstart, Ascension Ventures, Active Partners, Portfolio Ventures, and notable angels like Tom Blomfield (former CEO of Monzo), Gary Turner (co-founder of Xero), and Kayee Cheung (ex-Spotify, ex-Skyscanner).

Valla is a consumer-first solution that allows everyday people to access powerful, AI-driven legal tools. The platform levels the playing field in employment disputes — a space where most companies prefer to settle. And that offers significant opportunities to drive high ARPU and viral growth: one Valla user recently secured a £60k settlement using the platform.

The legal landscape is shifting — and Valla is at the forefront.

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So, what does Valla actually do?

Valla is an AI powered legal platform transforming access to justice for the 12.4 million UK workers affected by employment law breaches each year. By using AI to assess cases and generate tailored legal documents, Valla dramatically cuts costs and simplifies a traditionally complex process.

The platform empowers workers considering legal action to:

• Collect and organise evidence
• Generate essential documentation (like settlement letters)
• Access fixed-price expert support — without the hefty fees of traditional legal services

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Core services include:

• Merit assessments (£149): Users upload their documents (e.g. in an unfair dismissal case), and Valla’s LLMs analyse them against case law to assess the likelihood of compensation.
• AI-generated template letters: Professionally written letters (e.g. requesting a settlement) a fraction of the cost of a solicitor..
• Coaching for self-representation: Guidance for navigating legal processes, including tribunals, on your own terms.

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For legal professionals, Valla also offers:

• Access to verified, pre-assessed cases
• Data insights on trends in employment law
• Tools for trade unions to identify high-potential cases worth supporting

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Valla is building a smarter, more accessible legal system — and putting power back into the hands of the people.

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Why does Valla fit the Ada Thesis and what got us excited?

The investment in Valla aligns directly with our economic empowerment thesis: to reduce discrimination and wage gaps by giving individuals - in particular underserved groups who might face more discrimination - the tools to challenge injustice. Valla will join other startups in our portfolio pursuing this mission, including Organise, a workers' network with over a million members.

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Valla is democratizing access to justice for millions of UK workers — lowering costs, expanding access, and rebalancing power in employment disputes. This is an overlooked but high-potential market. Just consider:

• Citizens Advice employment website pages see 12 million visits annually
• There are 14,000 monthly UK searches for “no win no fee solicitor employment”
• 8,000–10,000 legal professionals actively practice employment law in the UK

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Since launching in 2022, Valla has already made a serious impact:

• 12,000+ workers supported in raising complaints, securing settlements, and navigating tribunals
• Year-on-year demand has more than doubled
• Strong organic growth, conversion rates, and monthly revenue
• A loyal user base reflected in 58+ positive, recent reviews

Valla is pioneering the use of LLMs in case assessment and has already built a respected presence in the market. If they scale quickly, they'll soon own one of the largest structured datasets of real employment cases — many with known outcomes (e.g. settlements or tribunal wins).

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‍What truly sets Valla apart is the team’s human-centred approach.
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Legal disputes are emotionally draining, and Valla offers more than just tools — it offers community. Users are placed in support groups, adding a vital social and emotional layer that makes the product not only more supportive but also more defensible and differentiated.

At the helm is Danae Shell, the type of founder we love. She combines:

• Brand building — set up the DIY Law TikTok channel which has 100,000 followers
• Mission-driven credibility — well respected for her advocacy in legal aid and access
• Start-up acumen —cut her teeth at scale-ups like accounting platform FreeAgent

With the right backing, Valla is poised to become a category-defining company — with economic, social, and structural impact baked into its model.

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How did the investment happen?

Danae Shell initially contacted Ada Ventures after reading our AI framework, a synthesis of our investment thinking around the most disruptive technology of modern times.

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Looking forward

This new round of funding will enable Valla to:

• Scale its market presence through data-driven marketing
• Build out new AI-powered tools to drive down costs and improve outcomes for users
• Establish key partnerships with trade unions throughout 2025

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Currently focused on employment law, Valla has bold plans to expand into other legal domains — all while building toward its vision of becoming an AI-first legal platform (see what EvenUp is doing in the U.S.).

We’re excited to support Danae and her ambitious, mission-driven team as they build what could be one of the next great impact unicorns in legal tech.

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