WHY MERLIN

We Built One Generation of Discovery. Then We Got the Chance to Build the Next.

Merlin was founded by people who have spent more than three decades changing how professionals work with complex information. We built one of the earliest cloud discovery platforms and helped introduce Continuous Active Learning. After Catalyst Repository Systems was acquired in 2019, we had the chance to start over, bringing everything we learned to build what’s next.

Now, with AI capable of understanding information and cloud technology capable of applying that intelligence across millions of documents, we’re building a new generation of discovery for the most complex matters in the world.

Bring Us a Matter
Three decades of discovery innovationAn ascending path from Cloud Discovery through Continuous Active Learning and GenAI to AI-Integrated Discovery. CloudDiscovery CAL GenAI AI-IntegratedDiscovery

A BIGGER OPPORTUNITY

The Opportunity We Had Been Waiting For

For decades, discovery technology helped professionals find documents faster. But people still had to read them, review them, connect the facts, identify the important people and events, understand what happened, develop strategy and decide what to do next.

Two things changed.

  • AI could begin to understand information,
    not just retrieve it.

  • Cloud computing could apply that intelligence across millions of documents.

That opened the door to discovery technology that can help professionals find, understand and act on information across an entire matter.

THEN

Find documents faster.

  • Develop keywords
  • Get search hits
  • Refine searches
  • Read documents
  • Connect the facts
  • Develop strategy
NOW

Find, understand
and act on information.

  • Ask questions
  • Get answers in seconds
  • Understand the bigger picture
  • Identify key people and events
  • Develop strategy and arguments
  • Move the matter forward

OUR TRACK RECORD

Three Decades of Building What Comes Next

Merlin did not begin with generative AI; the team has been rethinking discovery every time new technology changed what was possible.

Scroll horizontally to explore the full timeline →

  1. 1997Connected
    Litigation
    Teams
  2. 1998Connected
    Counsel
  3. 1999Smithsonian
    Recognition
  4. 2000Cloud
    Discovery
  5. 2007Multilingual
    Discovery
  6. 2012Continuous
    Active Learning
    (CAL)
  7. 2013Industry
    Recognition
  8. 2015TAR for
    Smart People
  9. 2019Catalyst
    Acquired
  10. 2021Alchemy
    Begins
  11. 2023Early GenAI
    for Discovery
  12. 2024Recognized
    for Innovation
  13. 2025Hybrid
    AI Search
  14. 2025AI Services +
    Multi-
    Matter
  15. 2025Review
    Partner
  16. 2026Review
    Partner
  17. TodayAI-Integrated
    Discovery
  1. Intranet
  2. Extranet
  3. Cloud
  4. CAL
  5. GenAI
  6. Hybrid Search
  7. AI Review
  8. AI-Integrated Discovery
John Tredennick, founder and CEO of Merlin

FOUNDER STORY

From Trial Lawyer to Technology Builder

John Tredennick, Founder and CEO

I spent twenty years as a trial lawyer and partner at a national law firm. I lived the problem Merlin is trying to solve. I then spent the next two decades building technology for that market, including founding, growing and later selling Catalyst Repository Systems.

But I wasn’t ready to call it a day. I was convinced legal technology was about to get really exciting.

What is different now is AI. For the first time, machines can read, analyze, connect, understand and use the information inside documents. And cloud computing gives us the scale to do that across millions of documents.

That is why we built Merlin.

  • 20 Years
    as a Trial Lawyer

    Corner-office litigation partner at a national law firm.

  • Founder of Catalyst

    Built into a global discovery platform offering the first CAL engine.

  • Discovery Pioneer

    Named a Top-Six Ediscovery Trailblazer by The American Lawyer.

  • Author

    TAR for Smart People and GenAI for Smart Discovery Professionals and six other legal technology books.

THE TEAM

The Team Behind the Vision

Merlin brings together leaders in technology, data science, security and discovery operations who have spent their careers solving the challenges of complex investigations and litigation.

Technology

Engineers who have spent decades building secure, scalable discovery platforms.

Data Science

Information retrieval, machine learning and AI experts focused on finding and understanding important information.

Security & Cloud

Cloud and cybersecurity specialists designing environments for sensitive, high-stakes matters.

Discovery Operations

Professionals who understand what it takes to manage complex document workflows in the real world.

Maheswaran Muthu

Maheswaran Muthu

Chief Technology Officer

Software Development

Dr. William Webber

Dr. William Webber

Chief Data Scientist

Data Science

Daniel Cybulski

Daniel Cybulski

Chief Security Officer

Security & Cloud Architecture

Kendra Smith

Kendra Smith

Chief Operating Officer

Operations

Lew Visscher

Lew Visscher

Chief Financial Officer

Finance & Growth

WHAT EXPERIENCE ENABLES

Experience Matters. So Does What You Do With It.

We’re proud of what this team has built before. But Merlin is not about recreating the past. We are using what we learned to build something better.

AI at the center.

Using the latest models to understand and analyze your documents.

Secure, Cloud Smart architecture.

Built for sensitive matters with single-tenant security.

A new model for document review.

Combining AI, search and machine learning to dramatically reduce human review.

AI services that turn difficult records into usable information.

Transcript, medical and other challenging records turned into usable information.

Built for what
is possible now.

Applying our experience to solve today’s challenges and unlock what’s next.

SEE WHAT COMES NEXT

Bring Us a Matter.

Bring us a difficult matter and let us show you what Merlin can do.

Bring Us a Matter Explore Security & Architecture