Manufacturers spend over $350B annually on compliance — roughly 12% of the sector's value-add to GDP. Without the right certifications and constant regulatory vigilance, products can't launch, markets stay closed, and revenue is lost. Yet while finance, HR, and supply-chain operations all moved to structured software over the past two decades, compliance stayed stitched together from PDFs, spreadsheets, and email.
Certivo — a Pioneer Square Labs spinout built in partnership with Fortive — was founded to close that gap with an AI-native Compliance System of Record: one that runs continuously in the background rather than through periodic, manual reporting cycles.
The Product — CORA
An AI compliance assistant that operates 24/7 rather than on reporting cycles.
CORA parses bills of materials, validates documents, and monitors regulatory change across REACH, RoHS, PFAS, TSCA, Prop 65, and more.
Automates certificate collection, supplier engagement, and global regulatory tracking — eliminating 80–90% of manual work.
Delivers enterprise-grade compliance at roughly one-tenth the cost of traditional methods.
The Capital & Backing
Assemble strategic investors who validate both the category and the go-to-market.
Raised a $4M seed round (Feb 2026) led by Suffolk Technologies, with Pioneer Square Ventures and other investors.
Backed at spinout by Fortive (Fortune 500) and the AI Studio Fund — a PSL/Mayfield partnership.
Capital directed at product, AI/engineering expansion, and go-to-market across manufacturing and the built world.
The Category
Define and lead a new market: AI-native compliance automation.
Positioned Certivo as the first AI-native Compliance System of Record — a new category, not a better point tool.
Built the narrative around continuous, proactive compliance as durable competitive advantage.
Focused initial wedge on manufacturers and the built world, where regulatory complexity is accelerating.
Closed a $4M seed round in February 2026, led by Suffolk Technologies with Pioneer Square Ventures.
Launched CORA, the AI compliance assistant at the core of the platform.
Established the AI-native compliance automation category, with national press coverage (GeekWire, Tech Startups, Pulse 2.0, Seattle DJC).
Built the founding team and operating cadence for a 0-to-1 enterprise software company.
A sitting AI CEO brings real-time, hands-on AI and regulatory expertise into the boardroom — the single most-requested director skill of 2026. Certivo also means current fluency in supply-chain compliance and the regulatory landscape (PFAS, REACH, RoHS, sustainability), an increasingly material risk area for audit and technology committees.