DealMakers Ben Borodach On Raising $80 Million To Build An AI-Driven Tax Platform To Enable Users To Plan And Manage Their Taxes Throughout The Year
Nov 16, 2025
Ben Borodach, the Founder and CEO of April, an innovative AI-driven tax platform, shares his journey from a dorm-room startup to raising $80 million. He discusses his early life and the pivotal experiences at Deloitte that shaped his vision. Ben highlights April's mission to embed tax planning into financial apps, overcoming regulatory challenges, and proving their model through strategic partnerships. He also shares insights on navigating market downturns and emphasizes the importance of self-compassion and work-life balance for founders.
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Early Startup Lessons With Publish
- Ben's first startup Publish began as a college project selling dynamic website content to B2B clients.
- They raised ~$250k, struggled with enterprise scale and contracts, then exited after learning crucial startup lessons.
Detour To Consulting For Mastery
- Ben joined Deloitte to learn enterprise operations and gain access to large financial services clients.
- He became the go-to person for innovation questions and built deep domain expertise before returning to startups.
Building Big From Team8 Experience
- Ben joined Team8, helped scale its funds, and learned how to think big and build thoughtfully for large customers.
- He spun April out of Team8, which became an investor and board member supporting long-horizon product development.
