# Softmax Data

> Boutique AI engineering firm (est. 2019). We take AI from pilot to production for PE-backed and mid-market companies — AI agents, document AI, workflow automation, data foundations, and custom model fine-tuning. 150+ production AI systems shipped. $72M+ in measured business value created.

## What we do

Softmax Data is a senior AI engineering team that designs, builds, and deploys custom AI. We build and ship production systems with guardrails, monitoring, audit trails, and human-in-the-loop review — not POCs or slide decks.

## Services

### Document AI
Automate classification, extraction, and verification on messy PDFs with computer vision and multimodal models.
https://softmaxdata.com/services/document-ai

### AI Agents
Task-specific agents that analyze multi-source data with citations, audit logs, and guardrails.
https://softmaxdata.com/services/ai-agents

### Workflow Automation
Production workflows with human approval, audit logs, and monitoring.
https://softmaxdata.com/services/workflow-automation

### Data Foundations
Lakehouse pipelines with data quality, governance, and observability (Databricks).
https://softmaxdata.com/services/data-foundations

### Custom Models & Fine-Tuning
Fine-tune LLMs and build custom ML models with data preparation, training, and evaluation.
https://softmaxdata.com/services/custom-models

## Open Source

### Engram — Context Database for AI Agents
Brain-inspired, portable context database for AI agents. Open-source (MIT license). GitHub: https://github.com/softmaxdata/engram, Website: https://engram.so

## Proof (top 5 success stories)

- LauraMac: 40 min → 38 sec processing; 95% precision; 80% cost reduction. https://softmaxdata.com/success-stories/lauramac
- Rocket Mortgage Canada: <2 min per package; 90% less manual effort. https://softmaxdata.com/success-stories/rocket-mortgage
- Clio: 417% qualified opportunities; $6M new ARR. https://softmaxdata.com/success-stories/clio
- Absolute Results: 54% close rate; 210K+ vehicle sales. https://softmaxdata.com/success-stories/absolute-results
- Flywheel: 60 hrs/week saved; 95.8% less time per report. https://softmaxdata.com/success-stories/flywheel

## Learn

### AI as a Business Function (AIBF) — Definitive Guide
The practice of treating AI as a dedicated operational discipline with its own leadership, budget, KPIs, and accountability — not a side project inside engineering.
https://softmaxdata.com/learn/ai-as-a-business-function

### AI as a PE Operating Advantage
How PE funds can create a fund-level AI operating capability that compounds across the portfolio — AI operating partners, central AI hubs, and portfolio-wide value creation.
https://softmaxdata.com/learn/ai-for-private-equity

### AI Technical Debt — How to Diagnose and Fix It
Why AI technical debt compounds faster than traditional software debt. The four types (data, model, prompt, organizational), a debt audit framework, and a step-by-step burndown playbook.
https://softmaxdata.com/learn/ai-technical-debt

### AI Concepts
Plain-English guides to AI agents, RAG, MCP, workflow automation, fine-tuning, document AI, and more.
https://softmaxdata.com/learn

### CTO Whitepaper: The Incumbent's Advantage
A CTO's playbook for winning the AI era. 8 chapters on turning legacy systems into an AI moat.
https://softmaxdata.com/whitepaper/cto

## Blog

Published at https://softmaxdata.com/blog — new posts every 2 days.

Topics: arXiv paper deep dives, AI agents & agentic patterns, LLM fine-tuning & RL, Document AI & OCR, RAG, AI infrastructure, agentic frameworks, AI strategy, prompt engineering.

### Recent posts
- OpenClaw's Agentic Orchestrate Deep Dive (Mar 2026): https://softmaxdata.com/blog/openclaws-agentic-orchestrate-deep-dive/
- Harness Engineering (Mar 2026): https://softmaxdata.com/blog/harness-engineering/
- From PPO to GRPO to DAPO: Understanding RL for LLMs (Mar 2026): https://softmaxdata.com/blog/from-ppo-to-grpo-to-dapo-understanding-rl-for-llms-and-every-training-parameter-explained/
- We Open-Sourced Engram: A Brain-Inspired Context Database for AI Agents (Mar 2026): https://softmaxdata.com/blog/we-open-sourced-engram-a-brain-inspired-context-database-for-ai-agents/

## Start here

- Book a discovery call: https://softmaxdata.com/contact
- Services overview: https://softmaxdata.com/services
- Success stories: https://softmaxdata.com/success-stories
- FAQ: https://softmaxdata.com/faq
- Document extraction demo: https://softmaxdata.com/demo/document-ai
- AI opportunity assessment: https://softmaxdata.com/demo/ai-assessment

## Contact

Jia Chen, Founder & CEO
Email: marketing@softmaxdata.com
Website: https://softmaxdata.com
Blog: https://softmaxdata.com/blog