Samaya AI Raises $43.5M to Build Specialized AI Tools for Financial Analysis and Economic Modeling

Samaya AI Secures $43.5 Million to Build Specialized AI for Financial Services

Samaya AI, a startup focused on creating AI tools specifically for financial analysts, has raised $43.5 million in new venture capital funding. The round was led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), with participation from prominent investors including Eric Schmidt, Yann LeCun, David Siegel, and Marty Chavez. The company's post-funding valuation remains undisclosed.

Founded in 2022 by AI researchers from leading institutions such as Google Brain, Meta’s Fundamental AI Research lab, Amazon Web Services, and the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Samaya AI targets financial services with specialized AI models rather than broad general-purpose language models.

Specialization Over Generalization

Co-founder and CEO Maithra Raghu explains that the company's approach is rooted in the belief that expert-level intelligence comes from specialization. Generic large language models (LLMs) may struggle to meet the high standards of quality and reliability financial firms demand. Samaya’s focus is on building domain-specific AI to deliver precise, trustworthy results.

First Product: Financial Research and Analysis Tool

Samaya’s initial offering is an AI tool that performs financial research by scanning high-quality data sources such as SEC filings and integrating with a firm’s internal knowledge base. It assists analysts in tasks like finding comparable companies, comparing financial valuations, and supporting due diligence on potential investments.

The tool is already in use at Morgan Stanley’s International Securities Group and several hedge funds. Katy Huberty, Morgan Stanley’s global director of research, highlights that Samaya helps generate actionable insights by combining internal research with external data, enhancing the firm's analytical capabilities.

Introducing Causal World Models for Economic Analysis

Samaya recently introduced a new AI agent called Causal World Models, which specializes in modeling economic systems. For example, it simulated the impact of proposed tariffs during the Trump administration on the entire U.S. economy, producing detailed flow diagrams that illustrate interactions between sectors along with quantitative and qualitative insights.

This tool addresses a common limitation of previous LLMs: understanding cause and effect rather than just correlations. It builds a cause-and-effect graph to reason through economic questions, offering a fresh perspective for financial analysts.

Precision and Format Flexibility

Beyond generating research reports, Samaya’s AI can output results in formats widely used by financial professionals, including PowerPoint decks and Excel spreadsheets.

The company’s proprietary “lattice of experts architecture” uses multiple smaller language models working together, each handling part of a task and cross-checking outputs. This design lowers the risk of hallucination—the generation of incorrect information—making it more reliable for financial decision-making.

Investor Confidence in Industry-Specific AI

NEA partner Tiffany Luck emphasizes the importance of AI tools built for specific industries, especially in finance where accuracy is critical. She notes that 90% accuracy is insufficient and praises Samaya for delivering higher precision that benefits both junior analysts and senior leaders.

Eric Schmidt added that Samaya is redefining how AI partners with financial services, underlining the growing demand for specialized AI solutions in this sector.

Competitive Landscape

• Morgan Stanley is also leveraging OpenAI’s models internally.
• JPMorgan maintains a dedicated AI research team developing in-house tools.
• Bloomberg is building AI models tailored to financial data and services.
• Other startups like Model ML, V7 Labs, and Rogo compete in AI for financial research.

For finance professionals interested in AI tools and training that cater to their industry, exploring specialized AI courses and resources can provide practical benefits. Check out curated AI courses focused on finance applications to stay ahead with relevant skills.