Next Gen Builders When AI Meets Legal feat. Eleanor Lightbody, CEO of Luminance
Is it possible to build and scale AI tooling for one of the world’s most risk-averse industries while instilling trust in your users? Today on Next Gen Builders, Francois Ajenstat explores just how to do it with Eleanor Lightbody, CEO of Luminance, the pioneer in Legal-Grade™ AI for enterprise.
With 700+ customers in 70+ countries, Eleanor shares how Luminance evolved from early machine learning back in 2015 to where it is today, employing sophisticated AI agents that automate contract review, negotiation, and compliance workflows. Throughout their conversation, Francois and Eleanor highlight different strategies for building user trust. Some are complex: using multiple models at once to check one another’s work and reduce hallucinations. Some are simple: if your models can’t deliver an answer with confidence, let the human know so they can verify.
You’ll also hear Eleanor discuss how her team uses AI across the business, why speed is a competitive advantage, and what it means to lead a global company outside Silicon Valley.
Whether you’re building AI in a high-stakes domain or leading transformation in a legacy industry, this episode offers practical insights on trust, innovation, and scaling with purpose.
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Guest Bio
Eleanor is CEO of Luminance. Formerly a Director at cyber-AI leader Darktrace, she established and scaled Darktrace’s operations in Africa before serving as Global Head of the Darktrace Industrial Division. Eleanor has a wealth of experience in growing technology businesses, having driven Luminance’s global expansion and led the company’s $75 million Series C funding round in 2025. Named in Management Today’s “35 Women Under 35,” Eleanor is also the winner of Law.com’s prestigious ‘Innovation Trailblazer Award.’ She also serves on Luminance’s Board of Directors.
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Guest Quote
“I always ask: why can’t AI do this first? Then we figure out what the human should do. The speed advantage is massive. Not just for delivery, but for getting the feedback loop faster, and that is gonna set you up for success. Speed has always been important, but in this new era that everyone’s operating in, I would say it’s probably one of the most important things.” – Eleanor Lightbody
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Time Stamps
00:00 Episode Start
01:23 What is Luminance?
02:34 Why specialized AI is primed for legal teams
07:20 The largest roadblocks to widespread adoption
09:52 How do you measure success?
11:56 Building confidence across your organization
14:50 Staying ahead of the curve
18:06 Eleanor's journey to Luminance
22:12 Optimize for learning
24:07 Leading globally
26:56 Advice for aspiring CEOs
31:15 Eleanor's "Oh Sh*t Moment"
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