From pitching to pilot: Cleardox joins the Fuse by A&O Shearman and participates in A&O Shearman’s GEMCon 2025 in London

Inside Fuse: How A&O Shearman drives legal innovation

Fuse, A&O Shearman’s collaborative tech innovation hub, was founded in 2017 by A&O Shearman partner and head of Fuse, Shruti Ajitsaria, with the vision to build an entrepreneurial culture and position A&O Shearman as one of the most advanced law firms in the world.

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What began with smaller startups applying has since evolved into a highly competitive program for start-ups, scale-ups and mature companies with proven products. Each year, participants are selected through an intensive process, including five-minute pitches and fast-paced evaluations, to identify the most innovative legal tech solutions.

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Fuse provides a launchpad into the legal industry, giving lawyers the opportunity to pilot emerging technologies, integrate them into their daily work, and share valuable feedback that shapes the future of legal innovation.

The selection process behind Fuse

The selection process is highly competitive:

• Application stage: In 2025, more than 270 companies applied to join Fuse.
• Selection days: From these, 31 companies were invited to present their products and services across a three-day evaluation.
• Final cohort: Out of those 31, only 11 were chosen to join Fuse in 2025. Cleardox was selected and has just launched a pilot with A&O Shearman.

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A&O Shearman’s GEMCon: Fuse’s global stage in London 2025

As part of its mission to showcase the Fuse cohort and strengthen innovation across the legal sector, Fuse hosts dedicated sessions for A&O Shearman’s GEMCon, a three-day conference in London.

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The purpose of GEMCon is to bring together A&O Shearman partners and global law firms from more than 100 different countries with the goal of delivering more for their clients through insight, innovation and collaboration.

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In this way, GEMCon serves as a gateway to global legal networks, giving the selected companies from Fuse a unique opportunity to present their solutions on an international stage, while offering global partners valuable insights into the latest legal innovations.

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‍Cleardox enters Fuse and GEMCon with innovative redaction

After applying three times, Cleardox was finally accepted into Fuse in 2025, proving that the third time might just be the charm, as the saying goes. Cleardox participated with their intelligent redaction solution that automates the anonymization process end-to-end, enabling lawyers to work faster, safer, and more efficiently.

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Joining Fuse also meant that Cleardox had the opportunity to present at A&O Shearman’s GEMCon in September 2025 in Fuse. The sessions were packed with pitches from this year’s cohort, networking opportunities with international partners, and engaging discussions about the future of legal innovation.

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During the sessions, Cleardox’s CEO, Oliver Fjellvang, participated in a panel discussion where he shared insights about the journey into Fuse and his expectations for the collaboration.

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Highlights from Oliver Fjellvang’s GEMCon panel interview

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Cleardox applied to Fuse three times before being accepted?

That’s right. I first heard about the program while working at Poul Schmith. Like A&O Shearman, Poul Schmith has a strong reputation and excellent standing in the market. 

My interest was sparked through my work with Legal Tech in Denmark, where we looked closely at how international firms approached innovation.

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What kept you coming back, and what did you learn from the process?

We always knew it was a high-quality program. The opportunity to collaborate with one of the most prestigious firms in the world gives enormous credibility and it’s a powerful marketing asset. At the same time, working with a global firm enables us to adapt our solution across jurisdictions and reach product-market fit internationally.

We also learned that structure is critical in any innovation process, particularly when it comes to onboarding and customer success.

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What were your initial expectations of working with a law firm like ours, and how did those evolve once you joined Fuse?

Initially, I expected a more conservative environment. Instead, I found a relaxed yet highly professional atmosphere. The process is extremely structured: after pitching, each company is paired with a partner and a business development lead. Opportunities flow constantly, making it almost impossible to be proactive yourself.

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Cleardox is about to begin its pilot with Fuse and A&O Shearman. What do you hope to learn or validate?

First and foremost, whether our redaction software  delivers the value we expect: saving lawyers time, increasing security, and improving user experience. Beyond compliance with data protection rules or the AI Act, our mission is to protect human rights and people’s security.

It may sound idealistic, but that’s what drives us — and if we can also make document redaction engaging along the way, even better.

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The journey ahead: Kicking off pilot in Belfast with A&O Shearman

The Cleardox team are excited to have kicked off a pilot with A&O Shearman in Belfast. 

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The pilot marks the beginning of a new chapter as part of the collaboration, where Cleardox and Fuse will work together to demonstrate the value of Cleardox’ solution, strengthen collaborations, and contribute to shaping the future of legal tech innovation.

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Stay connected with Cleardox and Fuse

Follow A&O Shearman and Cleardox on LinkedIn for updates throughout the Fuse journey and the Belfast pilot. You are also welcome to contact Cleardox directly for a live demo of Cleardox and enjoy a 14-day free trial.

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