We’re excited to announce our investment in Deduction, a novel AI tax service for consumers, for their $2.8M pre-seed round!
Deduction is launching Taylor, CPAI - the AI tax accountant operating alongside a human CPA team to deliver rapid and accurate returns to users, for a fraction of the price.
Deduction is led by successful serial founders Sai Dhanak and Jonathan Kieliszak, who have previously launched companies acquired by global brands, led teams in fintech and aerospace, and helped scale a company from early-stage to IPO.
Unlike existing AI tax tools - typically built for firms - Deduction is designed for everyday taxpayers, who now face a dwindling supply of CPAs.
Serving the Next Generation of Tax Payers
Consumers pay $1,000 - $10,000 for their tax returns, yet face long waits and slow responses - which will worsen as 3 in 4 CPAs approach retirement age.
Users can communicate with Taylor, CPAI just like a human accountant - by call, text, chat, or email - with no app or questionnaire required.
Taylor, CPAI, has already completed filings for tech employees, creators, and sole proprietors as part of Deduction’s early deployment ahead of the 2026 tax season.
Semyon Dukach, Founding Partner at One Way Ventures, shared, “One of our partners at the firm - the most detail oriented - recently filed his taxes seamlessly with Deduction, and it even pointed out a small error in his process.
"I can only imagine how Deduction will improve consumers’ tax experience at scale.”
The Tax Firm of the Future Connects AI & Humans
Consumers today have to manage portals, sort PDFs, fill out lengthy questionnaires, and wait weeks for responses.
Taylor automates the most tedious parts of tax prep including document collection, client communication, proactive planning, and return generation.
Taylor is also available year-round to provide immediate advice on financial decisions, even outside of tax season.
Every high-impact decision and final filing is reviewed by a licensed CPA, ensuring AI speed with professional accuracy and trust.
A Strong Team of Builders
Deduction has positioned itself solidly as a human-AI firm, not just another AI assistant, that consumers can trust with their financial responsibilities.
Sai grew up in the UK, where taxes are largely automated, was struck by the complexity of filing in the US, while Kieliszak, hailing from a family of CPAs, saw how burnout and low technology adoption were limiting the profession.
Their team includes engineering, marketing, and CPA talent from Square, Robinhood, Strike, Gusto, and other fintech leaders.
One Way Ventures and Creator Ventures led this pre-seed with participation from Alpine VC and Intuition.
We’re excited to support the Deduction team and Taylor, CPAI as they build the tax firm of the future!
See for yourself at deduction.com
