Arbolus
Arbolus is an expert network headquartered in London, UK and Barcelona, Spain. Two former AlphaSights managers joined forces to start Arbolus under the name CiQ Group in 2018. The company rebranded as Arbolus in 2019, which is today the client-facing name. It initially ran an "DIY Marketplace" model, where experts and clients would self-select each other. Over time, the firm shifted to a regular custom recruiting expert network model.
Arbolus is one of the handful of firms outright stating they use AI and machine learning in their work. Much of this technology is common across all larger expert networks. That said, various networks emphasize it more than others in their marketing. These include NewtonX, CleverX, Prosapient, Techspert.io and Atheneum.
Arbolus did ~£12-15m in revenues in 2022, judging by working capital stated in their annual accounts.
Arbolus service offering
In 2023, the product offering contains:
Expert interviews
A video survey tool, to collect short video replies from multiple experts.
A video Q&A/survey feed
The company initially offered two other services (and still do, to some legacy accounts):
Expert network services (recruiting experts for calls and projects)
DIY tools for clients to recruit and manage their own networks of experts
A platform for keeping records and transcripts of past expert interactions (reminiscent of the Inex One Knowledge Platform)
Arbolus milestones
2018 - Arbous was founded in London, UK as CiQ Group.
In 2019, CiQ rebranded its service as Arbolus.
Early 2020, Arbolus acquired Waterside, an upstart expert network firm launched the same year. The Waterside founder left the same year and eventually launched the competing expert network Sanibel Group.
Mid-2020, announced the company goal to do 1 million advisory relationships between clients and experts by end-2021. The company set a bold ambition, which led into the subsequent fundraising.
2021 - Arbolus raised $6m from Fuel Ventures and Plug and Play Ventures on a tech pitch, hiring a CTO the following month. The company has been growing its offices in Barcelona, Spain, keeping a smaller team in London.
2022 - Arbolus raised $15m from Element Ventures with debt funding from Silicon Valley Bank. The funding announcement said the company's revenues had tripled in the last year, and doubled the team size to 100.
