Thomas Samuelson launched BRON Investor Network in 2022 to provide solutions that would help companies connect directly with investors. In 2024, Samuelson sought to upgrade the tech stack for BRON, which ultimately led to a merger between the startup and a platform developed by his engineer partners.
The result of that merger is Reap. Co-founded by Samuelson, Matt Costa, and Gustavo Chiechelski, the new startup is aiming to change the way that publicly traded companies engage with their investors. Reap provides an automatic, AI-powered investor relations assistant that automates IR accurately and efficiently.
“We offer a tool that allows investors at any time of the day and in [many] languages to access companies’ content,” Samuelson said. “To ask relevant, simple, or sophisticated questions, and get answers immediately.”
Unlike generic APIs that pull information from the open internet, Reap builds AI agents from the ground up, customizing them for each individual company. Reap carefully curates and structures company-specific information—such as news clippings, financial statements, FAQs, and website content. This data is securely siloed and fed directly into the models, reducing the risk of hallucinations (still a common issue in AI) and ensuring that the agents deliver accurate, context-aware responses.
Incorporating an AI agent not only helps companies efficiently answer shareholder questions, saving both time and money, but also provides valuable insights through data collection and analysis. By compiling and categorizing inquiries, the tool reveals what investors are most concerned about and highlights opportunities for improvement.
Reap’s unique approach
Reap takes a multi-channel approach, enabling companies to deploy the AI tool wherever it’s needed—whether as an icon on their website, within the Reap mobile app, through Outlook, or embedded in WhatsApp or SMS. The tool is also available in over 60 languages, making it accessible to a global investor base.
Samuelson emphasized that Reap’s AI is very different from a traditional chatbot, which is typically limited to scripted responses. Reap’s AI is capable of handling complex investor inquiries, provided the company has addressed the topics at hand in the past.
Samuelson explained that the startup’s AI agents can help both large and small companies. Case in point, Reap has one client in Brazil that has over one million shareholders and is unable to handle all of the individual inquiries on its own. With Reap’s AI agent, this client can accurately address those inquiries without having to field every single question individually, which is effectively impossible.
For smaller companies that may be focused on the margins, Reap’s AI makes it possible to cut out a middle man or hire less, leading to cut costs without sacrificing effectiveness in answering questions.
“You can hire two or three more IR people and have them pick up the phone and call people”, Samuelson said, “Or you can incorporate AI, and have the AI become your engine for investor engagement”.
Samuelson also pointed to a trend in investor demographics: Many young people are beginning to start investing. These young people are using trading apps all over the world, and the younger generation is used to acquiring information instantly.
“We’re trying to get [companies] into the digital world or even beyond the digital world because their current and future investors aren’t going to go to their website [and look for the information] or talk to their broker,” Samuelson said, “They want instant information, and they want it now; that’s what AI offers.”
QUICK BITS
Startup: Reap
Co-Founders: Thomas Samuelson, Matt Costa, Gustavo Chiechelski
Founded: 2024
Team size: 3
Location: Durham
Website: www.reapapp.io
Funding: Bootstrapped
Reap works on a subscription model and gives large discounts to companies that pay upfront annually, meaning that the startup’s cash flow is strong.
Reap is aiming high, having already begun working with clients in seven countries and with plans to expand to over 50 within the next five years. Samuelson said they have a first-mover advantage in their space and are targeting about 50% market share over time.
