Vala Monthly Investor Update | June 2026

Hey everyone,

Since incorporating Vala in February 2025, we've been focused on validating a simple thesis: AI alone isn't enough to modernize how veterans access the benefits they've earned. The real opportunity is rebuilding the workflows that attorneys, claims agents, and Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) rely on every day.

The market response has been stronger than we expected.

Over the past year we've grown from six beta customers to 30 paying firms and our first county VSO, expanded into government pilots, and continued shipping product at a pace that's dramatically changed the platform since our first public demonstrations.

Perhaps the biggest surprise has been how much larger the opportunity appears today than when we started. What began as AI-assisted claims preparation is increasingly evolving into an end-to-end workflow platform for the veterans benefits ecosystem.

Below is a recap of where things stand today, what we've learned, and where we're headed next.

We've continued seeing strong demand from organizations looking to increase claims throughput without adding headcount.

Since launching commercially in January, we've grown to 30 paying firms and recently began onboarding Lorain County. Through that implementation, we've already identified adjacent workflow opportunities around financial assistance and transportation benefits, reinforcing that the operational challenges extend well beyond disability claims alone.

We're also seeing a growing number of larger organizations evaluate Vala as an alternative to building custom software or hiring dev shops. These conversations have expanded beyond traditional SaaS subscriptions into larger implementation and deployment opportunities, reinforcing the value of a purpose-built platform over bespoke development.

Perhaps the biggest surprise has been how quickly the opportunity has expanded beyond our original attorney and claims agent ICP. While they remain our core wedge into the market, county, state, and nonprofit VSOs are increasingly validating a much broader platform opportunity across the veterans benefits ecosystem.

We've continued shipping at a rapid pace, often releasing multiple improvements each day.

When we first exhibited at the National Organization of Veterans' Advocates (NOVA) conference in September 2025, the largest annual conference for VA-accredited attorneys and claims agents, we launched our beta before what we'd consider a complete MVP. That early validation helped us quickly identify where the biggest workflow bottlenecks existed.

Perhaps the biggest product learning has been around workflow.

We originally believed Vala would primarily serve as the intelligence layer alongside existing CRMs. Instead, customer feedback has consistently pointed us toward something much bigger: organizations don't want another disconnected AI tool. They want an end-to-end operating system purpose-built for modern VA benefits workflows.

That realization is now shaping the next phase of the platform. Alongside AI-assisted claims preparation, we've expanded into client management, document collection, built-in e-signatures, workflow automation, and are now investing heavily in a modern VA-specific CRM designed to complement existing systems today while providing a path toward a complete end-to-end workflow over time.

We've continued making meaningful progress toward supporting larger enterprise and government organizations.

We're currently onboarding Lorain County while preparing for a planned State of Colorado pilot. Together, these engagements validate that the same workflow challenges extend beyond law firms into government organizations serving veterans at scale.

We've also continued progressing toward deeper integration with the VA, including receiving approval from VA Lighthouse, the VA's API access program, while advancing through additional approval processes. In parallel, we partnered with a sole-source incumbent supporting a VA Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) opportunity focused on ambient technology.

Beyond customer traction, we're investing in long-term enterprise readiness through SOC 2 certification (targeting October) and our first provisional patent covering core elements of our document processing and workflow automation architecture.

One conviction continues to strengthen through these efforts: while VA API access remains strategically important, organizations consistently care more about improving workflow and increasing throughput than where data originates. We increasingly believe owning the workflow is the larger opportunity.

Three themes have become increasingly clear over the past several months.

Building the right product isn't enough. Building the right business model matters too.

One lesson we've learned is that product fit isn't always the primary barrier to adoption. For many attorneys and claims agents operating on contingency fee models, cash flow and payment timing can be just as important as the product itself. We're beginning to introduce more flexible payment options that better align with how these firms operate, reducing upfront friction while preserving long-term customer success.

Customer feedback is shaping the company as much as the product.

When we launched, we believed Vala would primarily be an AI-assisted claims preparation platform. Customer conversations have consistently expanded that vision, pushing us toward a broader workflow platform that better reflects how organizations actually serve veterans.

Execution and commercialization must scale together.

We've been pleased with the pace of product development over the past year, but we've also learned that product velocity alone isn't enough. Revenue growth, fundraising, and hiring all need to keep pace so we can continue attracting exceptional teammates while delivering for customers.

As always, we'd appreciate introductions to: