New client communications tool includes AI-powered compliance checks

As an advisor, would you trust artificial intelligence to run compliance checks on your client communications before they're sent?

A new AI-powered startup founded by some familiar industry veterans hopes the answer is yes.

Hamachi.ai launched in closed beta on Oct. 1 and is self-funded by co-founders Eric Clarke, founder and former CEO of Orion; Brian McLaughlin, co-founder and former CEO of Redtail Technology; Mike Wilson, former president of AdvisoryWorld; and Mustapha Baassiri, former chief operating officer of Advizr. (At various times, Orion acquired Redtail Technology, AdvisoryWorld and Advizr. Clarke and McLaughlin were also among the investors in former Nitrogen CEO Aaron Klein's new AI-driven meeting assistant company, Contio.)

The startup aims to drastically reduce the time it takes to deliver messages that are not only speedy but also compliant. In addition to the hours every week advisors spend on communications, Wilson said the company saw a widening gap between the volume of strategic insights asset managers are producing and the ability to deliver those insights to clients in a timely, personalized and compliant way.

"Advisors often spend hours responding to investor inquiries, rewriting product updates and research notes, while asset managers struggle to scale distribution and ensure their expertise reaches the end investor," he said. "Hamachi was built to close that gap, making communication faster, smarter and more consumable, while strengthening the bond between asset managers, advisors and investors."

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Wilson said Hamachi was designed to integrate natively with the systems advisors already use, including Microsoft Outlook, Gmail and APIs into CRMs and workflows. He said they partner closely with Microsoft and Google for direct API-level integrations.

A base version of Hamachi is free for advisors and their end clients. The platform is sponsored by asset managers, who pay to make their insights, research and strategies available through Hamachi's AI-powered communication tools, said Wilson.

READ MORE: Using AI to write that client email? Think twice.

For broker-dealers and RIAs that want to build their own custom chatbots, distribute firm-specific insights or unlock advanced compliance and governance features, premium pricing applies, he said.

"This tiered model ensures that the core platform remains accessible at no cost to advisors, while firms and sponsors can invest in expanded functionality and compliance capabilities that meet their specific needs," he said.

How deep can AI-powered compliance go?

Compliance is built directly into Hamachi's workflow, said Wilson. Every AI-generated draft is automatically checked against SEC and FINRA rules in real time, with flagged language highlighted before it reaches the client, he said.

"Advisors no longer need to wait days for compliance review before responding to clients," said Wilson. "Firms gain assurance that every communication is checked against the same regulatory framework, updated as rules evolve."

Instead of bypassing compliance, Wilson said Hamachi makes it an in-line safeguard.

"Firms stay compliant without slowing down communication," he said.

The compliance angle is interesting timing-wise, given the SEC's heightened scrutiny around AI claims, said William Trout, director of securities and investments at technology data firm Datos Insights.

Hamachi is positioning compliance as an embedded feature rather than the primary value proposition, essentially framing it as a safety layer that enables the core productivity benefit of reduced hours per week spent on communications, he said. As for the specifics of the solution, Trout said the positioning is "smart but limited."

"In-line flagging of potential SEC and FINRA risks is helpful for obvious issues — testimonials, performance claims and unsuitable recommendations," said Trout.

However, Trout said the real compliance challenges in advisor communications are more nuanced, including context-dependent suitability, fair dealing obligations under the SEC's Regulation Best Interest rule and ensuring communications align with the specific disclosures in each client's advisory agreement.

"It's unclear how deep their compliance engine goes beyond surface-level content screening," he said.

Competition in AI communications and compliance

The most direct competitor to Hamachi would be Saifr from Fidelity Labs, which focuses on marketing compliance review, with SaifrReview, and API-based scanning, with SaifrScan, primarily for prepublication content, said Trout.

Pulse360, Jump and similar AI notetakers occupy adjacent territory, he said, in that these tools focus on structured documentation, compliance reinforcement and workflow triggering, with features like scheduled transcript deletion for broker-dealer compliance.

"While industry-specific solutions like Jump and Zocks tend to lead in advisor satisfaction over generic tools, they are primarily post-meeting documentation tools, not proactive communication drafting tools," he said.

Wilson agreed that there are AI tools that draft emails or help with marketing, but most are general-purpose and not built for the unique regulatory, distribution and personalization challenges of wealth management.

He said what makes Hamachi different is that it's purpose-built for advisors and asset managers.

"We're not just another email assistant, we're building the communication layer for wealth management," he said.