Fresh Takes & Updates

The most valuable thing AI can do is not to replace expertise, but to multiply it.  Black Sun Global has spent over 20  years developing a proprietary annual report benchmarking methodology that sets the standard for how listed companies understand their position relative to peers. Normain is now the engine that accelerates it.

Black Sun Global is one of the UK's leading stakeholder engagement consultancies, advising listed companies on how they report, communicate, and position themselves with stakeholders. A deep understanding of the competitive space is a crucial foundation: reading, extracting, and comparing data across hundreds of annual reports to help clients understand where they stand relative to peers.

The challenge is not just volume, but complexity. Annual reports distill 12 months of performance, programmes and strategy into a single volume running to hundreds of pages of data and narrative disclosures. Tracking themes, extracting comparable data points, and doing so consistently across a large universe of companies demands expertise, precision, and significant time. For years, this was a manual process.

“Normain is a force multiplier. It isn’t a productivity hack - it’s a controllable, rigorous, traceable AI tool that amplifies the value our reporting and communications experts can build for our clients. Normain allows us to multiply decades of human insight by the scale and speed of AI.”

Ian Roe, CEO, Black Sun Global

The competitive advantage Ian describes is built on an operational shift. Within days of onboarding, Black Sun's research analysts were working directly inside Normain, applying their proprietary methodology at a level of granular control, speed and verification the manual process simply could not support. The platform handles large PDF files without restriction, including annual reports filled with graphics, tables and charts, with no workflow compromises.

"A 35% reduction in research time per benchmark wasn't something we dared to hope for when we introduced Normain. We were wrong to doubt it! We can now extract, cross-reference, and verify data across hundreds of data points in the time it used to take to process a handful."

Nadya Kamenkovich, Black Sun Global

The "extract with sources" capability proved particularly valuable for this work, where traceability matters as much as the finding itself. For a consultancy whose reputation rests on the integrity of its analysis, being able to show precisely where every data point originates is not a nice-to-have. It is table stakes.

Multiple analysts across the Black Sun team now use Normain daily. What began as a single use case is becoming a core part of how the team delivers its research, at a quality and scale that was not previously possible.

This is what Normain was built for: not to replace expert judgement, but to give it more reach.

Running FTSE 100-scale benchmarking manually? Book a demo to see what your team could do with Normain.

Sustainability work faces several challenges, one of which is turning increasingly large volumes of fragmented and unstructured material into structured, actionable insights. We’re proud to announce that leading sustainability firm U&We has chosen  Normain’s Extractional AI to complement and boost their data management and meet increasing client demands.

U&We has partnered with Normain to support a range of sustainability tasks across their client work. Rather than changing how U&We’s experts work, Normain is used as a supporting capability, helping structure, review, and facilitate expert judgment across projects in a more consistent and scalable way. So far, U&We is still in the early stages of applying Normain across different types of tasks. As sustainability efforts become increasingly regulated, companies face a growing need for expert guidance that takes a holistic view of sustainability requirements and inherent goal conflicts. With Normain as part of their toolkit, U&We sees significant potential for using qualified consultancy efforts more efficiently

“We've always held a high bar for rigor and quality in our sustainability work. Normain is a tool that helps us scale that standard without compromising our methodology." says Peter Wrenfelt Founder & senior partner. "It's the kind of tool that you quickly start relying on”.

What makes this partnership distinctive is that Normain does not automate away the expertise. It reinforces it. U&We retains full control over judgment, interpretation, and advice, while Normain supports the underlying work that makes expert-led delivery scalable.

“U&We represents the kind of sustainability expertise the industry needs as expectations continue to rise,” says Sara Landfors, CEO of Normain. “We’re proud to partner with a team that shows how expert-led sustainability work can scale without losing quality or credibility.”

For sustainability consultancies navigating similar pressures, the collaboration illustrates how sustainability expertise can scale without compromising rigor, transparency, or trust.

We're excited to announce that Normain is now live on Product Hunt!

We spent 2025 in the field: deploying with expert teams, signing enterprise contracts, running hundreds of customer sessions. The right solution has required serious engineering: the latest models, deep design and user testing, top product talent. All while staying close to our customers and business users to deliver something radically reliable and trustworthy.

Today, we're introducing EXTRACTIONAL AI publicly: a new approach to AI built specifically for the experts. A type of purpose-built AI that doesn’t invent or smooth over complexity. For those working with high-stakes decisions, where being right matters more than sounding right.

In fields where accuracy is paramount, whether you're in fields such as audit, compliance, legal, finance or sustainability, your AI tools should deliver what's true. Normain's Extractional AI produces insights that are traceable, verifiable, and trustworthy, grounded directly in your real documents and data.

Ready to experience the difference? Now you can try Normain for free, or get 50% off your first month on any paid plan through Product Hunt.

Check it out here → https://www.producthunt.com/products/normain?launch=normain

At Normain, we believe that the real magic happens when deep expertise is paired with cutting-edge technology. The recent launch of What Boards Do Next 2026, a landmark report from AvS Advisors, is a perfect example.

This report is the first benchmark of its kind, mapping boardroom effectiveness across FTSE 350 companies. But what makes it truly stand out is not just the insights, but how they were surfaced. Behind the scenes, AvS Advisors used Normain’s extractional AI to analyze thousands of data points across hundreds of corporate governance reports. What would have taken months of manual effort became a precise, scalable research capability.

Frederik Otto at AvS Advisors and one of the report’s lead authors, put it plainly:

“The volume and quality of this benchmark would have been impossible without Normain’s AI technology. And we’re excited to bring this type of insight to market both now and in the future”

AvS Advisors has built its reputation on rigorous work in leadership advisory which includes board effectiveness and governance consulting. With this report, they are pushing the industry forward. By combining their trusted methodology with Normain’s AI, they are setting a new bar for governance insights.

The findings speak for themselves. While boards demonstrate a strong focus on strategic oversight, many underreport across other core responsibilities, notably risk oversight, ESG and sustainability, and board composition. The report suggests that UK boards remain compliance-strong but unevenly prepared for an era of sustained geopolitical, technological, and macroeconomic disruption.

Normain’s AI made it possible to categorize and quantify these trends across the entire FTSE 350, turning qualitative data into clear, actionable insights. The result is not just a one-off report, it’s repeatable thought leadership that AvS Advisors can evolve over time.

This launch reflects a broader shift in how professional services operate. Rather than replacing expertise, Normain is designed to scale it. AvS Advisors did not need to change their framework or ways of working. Their expertise remains fully intact, now delivered faster, more consistently, and with greater analytical depth.

For AvS clients, this means better diagnostics and sharper insights. For the industry, it sets a new precedent. Not only in corporate governance, but also in how knowledge-intensive services are delivered in an AI-powered world.

We are proud to be the technology platform behind it.

Download your copy of the report here.

Normain has reached a new milestone in information security.

We have successfully completed a SOC 2 Type 2 examination and received a SOC 2 Type 2 report.

This is one of the most widely recognized ways to evaluate information security controls. It’s earned through a rigorous third-party audit process that tests how well our security controls work over time in real operating conditions.

Understanding SOC 2

SOC 2 is a compliance framework created by the AICPA (the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) to assess an organization’s information security practices. It examines how well security controls protect customer data across both technical systems and day to day operations.

Becoming SOC 2 Type 2 assessed means our security controls have been examined over an extended period by an independent, AICPA-accredited auditor.

What Normain’s SOC 2 Type 2 report covers

Our SOC 2 Type 2 report focuses on the Security (Common Criteria) category. Security is the core of SOC 2 and centers on protecting systems and data against unauthorized access, misuse, and disclosure across both technical systems and everyday operations.

Here’s what the Security criteria covers:

• Control environment: We establish an organizational foundation that prioritizes integrity, accountability, and security.
  
  

• Communication and information: We document our security policies and communicate clear expectations for handling data internally and externally.
  
  

• Risk assessment: We identify, analyze, and assess security risks on an ongoing basis.
  
  

• Monitoring controls: We continuously monitor our systems and confirm that security controls operate effectively.
  
  

• Control activities: We implement processes and technologies that reduce security risk and enforce our policies.
  
  

• Logical and physical access controls: We prevent unauthorized access to data, devices, systems, and facilities.
  
  

• System operations: We maintain secure operations through monitoring, incident response readiness, and recovery planning.
  
  

• Change management: We review, test, and approve system changes before deployment to protect stability and security.
  
  

• Risk mitigation: We manage and reduce third party risk through vendor oversight and access controls.

Completing a Type 2 examination for Security shows that our core security controls are not only thoughtfully designed, but have been operating effectively throughout the audit period under real conditions.

Why this matters

In modern software, trust is everything.

A SOC 2 Type 2 report is not just a checkbox. It is one of the strongest signals a company can give about how seriously it treats security.

For you, this means:

• Your data is protected. Our protections have been tested over months and shown to operate effectively in real conditions.

  
  

• Your workflows are secure. We meet a widely accepted standard for handling sensitive data

  
  

• Your trust is verified. An independent, AICPA-accredited auditor has evaluated our controls against defined criteria.

This milestone reinforces the trust teams already place in Normain to handle sensitive, high stakes workflows.

Why we are proud

Strong security has always been non-negotiable at Normain.

This SOC 2 Type 2 report shows that our controls don’t just exist on paper, they work day in and day out under real conditions.  It also complements our ISO 27001 work and reinforces our continued dedication to protecting customer data.

Few companies earn this level of verification this early, and it’s a milestone that will matter for every customer choosing to trust us with their data.

For more on how we protect your data, visit our Trust Center: https://trust.normain.com/

Q: You could have joined many teams, what made Normain stand out?

A: For me, it came down to two things: the mission and the people.

Normain is solving a real problem experts feel every day: the inability to extract trusted, verifiable insights from messy documents. The vision of turning chaos into structured insights resonated with me immediately.

And just as important, the team felt different. Ambitious, high-caliber, extremely execution-driven and world-class. I wanted a place where I could contribute early, influence product direction, and work alongside people who care about doing things well. 

Q: How would you describe the problem Normain is solving?

A: Many expert teams rely on accurate and consistent information extraction, but conversational AI cannot deliver the precision, structure, or reliability they need. Because of this, they still spend hours validating, correcting, and re-extracting insights from messy and unstructured documents.

Normain solves this with Extractional AI, a category defining approach purpose-built for extracting insights from unstructured document chaos. It transforms messy inputs into structured insights that teams can trust and act on, even at scale.

Q: What kind of impact do you hope your work will have?

A: I want to help take Normain from early traction to becoming the default way experts extract precise, verifiable insights from complex documents.

My background is in building products that automate complex workflows, integrate with real-world systems, and move from pilot to production. I want to apply that here, shipping fast, building things right, and helping customers succeed at scale.

Q: What should someone know before joining Normain?

A: It’s early, and that’s the fun part.
Things move fast, ownership is real, and there are no “just build this ticket” kind of days. You’ll help shape product, architecture, and even how we work as a team.

The bar is incredibly high, and there’s a strong focus on building with intention: quality, security, and long-term thinking, even when we ship quickly. 

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

A: That I’m genuinely excited about where Normain is headed.
The mission is meaningful, the timing is right, and the team is incredible. It’s rare to find a place where you can build ambitious tech, have direct customer impact, and shape something that could redefine how entire industries work. I’m here because I believe in that future and want to help make it real.

This week, Normain was in Helsinki, Finland for Slush 2025.

Normain pitched in the semi-finals of Europe’s most coveted startup competition: Slush 100. Out of over 1,000 startups that applied, we were selected among the top 20. Our CEO and co-founder, Sara Landfors, pitched on the main stage in front of judges from General Catalyst, and Cherry Ventures, and an audience packed with operators and investors building serious companies.

Sara also spoke on two panels during the event. The first, hosted by McKinsey, featured Henrik Landgren, Co-founder and CPTO at Gilion and Lukas Saari, Co-founder and CEO at Tandem Health. The panel was moderated by Sandra Hernvall, Associate Partner at McKinsey.

The second panel, titled Tales of Silicon Valhalla: From a two-time unicorn founder to bold builders, was a deep dive into what it takes to build a startup. Alongside Charles Maddock of Strawberry Browser, Willard Ahdritz 2-time unicorn founder, and Mattias Miksche, one of Sweden's most powerful angel investors, Sara spoke about building a team that’s radically transparent but also relentlessly driven. At Normain, we’re not optimizing for comfort, we’re optimizing for output and learning. That resonated with a lot of the founders and operators in the room.

Slush is a place where people building real products come to pressure-test ideas, sharpen stories, and connect with others doing the same. We left even more energized.

Thanks to the Slush team for creating the environment. We’ll be back next year!

The Precision Manifesto: Defining Extractional AI

Every professional knows this pain: drowning in files, chasing signal through noise, and carrying the pressure to deliver bullet-proof outputs.

It’s not glamorous, but it’s the backbone of real expertise, especially for consultants whose reputations depend on delivering rigorous, tailored insights. Human-led advice to clients always rests on structured analysis drawn from unstructured, messy file chaos.

Two years ago, we were finally promised a revolution for this grunt work.

We were told that AI would automate the hard and tedious stuff: digging through documents, extracting insights, structuring deliverables.

And in many ways, that promise was real.

Conversational AI like ChatGPT and Copilot delivered magically for ideation, rewording, and summarisation. The new tools redefined what was possible and became indispensable almost overnight.

But when deadlines hit and real insights needed to be extracted across 300 pages of client data, a silent truth stared us in the face: Conversational AI isn’t built for that.

Let’s be clear: conversational AI hasn’t failed. It was simply never designed for this kind of work.

And when you look closely, there are four dimensions where conversational AI inevitably breaks down:

• Unreliable: Looks right, often isn’t.
  
  

• Unpredictable: Same prompt, different answers.
  
  

• Unverifiable: No sources, no trust.
  
  

• Unrepeatable: Every output is a one-off.

In short, it feels like using a paintbrush when you actually need a sharpened pencil.

To fix this, we don’t need more clever chatbots or generalized agents. 

We need an entirely new class of AI. One built to do the work we’re actually trying to automate.

Introducing Extractional AI

Today, Normain is introducing Extractional AI.

A form of artificial intelligence that produces structured insights based on unstructured input data. It is designed to be reliable, predictable, verifiable, and repeatable, using specialized AI engines, purpose-built interfaces, and human-in-the-loop design to support high-stakes, judgment-heavy workflows.

It is built for experts who need to verify every output. For risk teams that can’t afford hallucinations. For compliance analysts who need every control grounded in real citations.

It’s AI that respects the stakes for work that firms bill for, and that experts are hired to do.

Some pioneering teams are are already piloting extractional AI today, with reported 50–80% time savings across tax, risk, compliance, governance, M&A, audit, and sustainability. But more importantly, these teams can unlock a new level of quality and depth in their deliverables, fuelling the next wave of expert work.

The philosophy behind Extractional AI

A new class of AI demands a new philosophy. We’re not launching a messaging tweak, but a fundamental rethinking of how AI should support expert work.

1. Purpose-built AI engine
   The AI engine of Extractional AI must perform high-precision data extraction and apply hallucination-proof analysis. It must have human-like abilities to interpret structure and patterns of any input format that can be considered "unstructured".
   
   

2. Specialized UI built for precision
   Extractional AI must feature an opinionated interface that constrains prompting, optimizes human-in- the-loop workflows, and ensures consistent, high-quality outputs.
   
   

3. Human-first by design
   Extractional AI should be built to amplify, not replace, expert insight. It should deliver a seamless verification experience, recognizing that the most transformative AI empowers humans, not the other way around.

Extractional AI works in three steps

Extractional AI should be incredibly simple to understand. Here’s how it works in three steps.

1. Upload your documents: Word, Excel, PDF, web links, your entire knowledge base, whatever.

2. Define what insights you need: your structure, your logic, your analysis, your format.

3. Extract and verify: with citations, certainty scores, and human-in-the-loop refinement.

   
   

Experience a new type of AI

Extractional AI isn’t just more accurate. It’s the first AI you can actually trust with client-facing work.

Imagine every expert spending their time where it actually matters: driving change with clients and stakeholders, because insights extraction is taken care of.

Every deliverable traceable. Every insight defensible.

Rather than being an operational efficiency lever, Extractional AI is a paradigm shift. 

When insights extraction is no longer a bottleneck, a radically different future opens up: one where expert teams move beyond the drudgery of digging and formatting, and instead focus entirely on what makes them invaluable: understanding complex stakeholder realities and driving change through tailored, high-impact insights.

Human expertise and interaction becomes the premium layer, not buried under grunt work, but elevated by it. For the first time, AI takes its rightful role: in service of experts, not replacing them. 

This is the new operating model, and those who adopt it first will define the next era of professional services.

Book a live walkthrough of Normain and see the future of  work for yourself.