Spellbook hires a CMO and bans "human" AI marketing

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Key Takeaways

1Meltem Kuran-Berkowitz takes over as marketing director at Spellbook, after a stint at Deel

2She aims for $100 million in revenue and prioritizes explicitly human messaging

3Spellbook rejects AI to mimic humans, invests in a student fund, and benefits from new funding

💡Why it matters — Spellbook's strategy illustrates a differentiated approach to AI marketing in a rapidly growing legaltech sector.

Spellbook entrusts its marketing direction to Meltem Kuran-Berkowitz, former Deel executive. She promises bold campaigns that are human-centric, sets a target of $100 million in revenue, and excludes AI gimmicks that mimic conversation. The company is moving forward with new funding in a capital-boosted legaltech market.

No Celebrities, a Student Fund, and Targeted Communities

Meltem Kuran-Berkowitz dismisses celebrity sponsorships, a path taken by some startups in the sector like Harvey and Legora. Instead, she opts to engage directly in spaces where her prospects already exist, whether in private groups or newsletters, while ensuring the existing atmosphere is preserved. Over the summer, Spellbook established a $1 million fund to support law students in optimizing complex legal workflows. The new marketing head also aims to go beyond the perception of a mere redlining tool and to firmly establish the brand in contract management. She intends to make Spellbook the go-to reference in this field.

Limited Use of AI for Prospecting and Content

The announced strategy relies on explicitly human communications for outbound messages. Meltem Kuran-Berkowitz accepts AI for analyzing sales calls or producing internal materials but refuses its use as soon as it mimics human interaction. She cites unsolicited emails personalized by AI with weak proximity justifications as "creepy" and states she does not want to impose that on recipients. Internally, CEO Scott Stevenson has asked teams this month to first draft a "D+" version before using AI to polish it.

Stated Goal: $100 Million in Revenue

Meltem Kuran-Berkowitz identifies helping Spellbook reach $100 million in revenue by the end of the year as the first success indicator, prioritizing brand awareness over the proliferation of AI-generated content. She joins the company as full-time CMO after a brief stint as a freelancer. Before Spellbook, she spent five and a half years driving growth at Deel, where she oversaw the achievement of $1 billion in annual recurring revenue.

Resources for Growth: Series B and Debt for Acquisitions

The company has created financial leeway. In October 2025, it closed a $50 million Series B round, valuing Spellbook at $350 million, led by Khosla Ventures. In March, it added $40 million in debt financing, which the company says it intends to dedicate to acquiring competing firms in generative AI. Spellbook markets AI tools for drafting and analyzing legal contracts.

Legaltech: Influx of Capital and New AI Rivals

The first half of the year saw $2 billion invested in law-focused startups, according to Crunchbase. Legal AI specialists like Harvey and Legora are now competing with major players like OpenAI, while law firms and in-house legal services are adopting tools that promise to automate repetitive tasks.