Philipp Popov is one of those entrepreneurs who knows how to turn the most conservative markets in history into success stories. He was the first in Russia to launch a litigation funding model and proved that LegalTech can be a transparent and scalable business. His startups, Konkur and Zakrytie, were sold for nearly $80 million, and his scoring solutions became the foundation for a new industry. Today, Philipp sees potential in the creator economy, where he aims to build a digital infrastructure of trust and provide millions of people with new opportunities for growth.
Philipp Popov built his career as a manager and developer in the innovative financial law segment. His team was involved in creating and implementing their software solutions in the field of legal finance, making the entrepreneur an innovator in the field of litigation funding.
Since 2010, Philipp managed the company Russian Credit LLC and then founded two of his startups, KONKUR and ZAKRYTIE. For the conservative legal market, the entrepreneur wanted to create a product that would allow for the automation of litigation funding. They became scoring software that changed the approach to risk assessment in the field of litigation funding. The unique algorithm he invented assesses the probability of the case outcome, calculates the optimal investment size, and insures the client's risks.
Philipp's solution addressed the main problem faced by participants in this market. In litigation funding, it was very difficult to predict the outcome and prospects of a case. Previously, this was done manually: experts studied materials for weeks and relied primarily on their own experience. Philipp realized that the market couldn't develop without technology and developed a scoring system that assesses dozens of parameters—from case law to the defendant's financial standing and procedural risks.
The algorithm transforms subjective assessments into an objective forecast: whether it makes sense to invest in the process. Thus, scoring became the foundation of the entire litigation funding model. He gave investors a quick and transparent decision-making tool and plaintiffs access to capital that was previously closed off. "The uniqueness of the solution lies in the fact that we were the first to create a technological trust platform for the industry, which was previously based solely on lawyers' intuition," says Philipp Popov.
The basis of Philipp's software is the idea of systematizing fragmented information. The software collects data from dozens of sources—court records, financial documents, government databases, and behavioral indicators—and automatically matches them using algorithms. The point is that the decision no longer depends on the human factor: the system provides a transparent and repeatable result. The breakthrough here is in scale—a check that used to take weeks now takes minutes.
According to the entrepreneur's plan, the algorithm doesn't replace the expert but works as an amplifier. A lawyer or analyst can rely on experience and intuition, but they are physically incapable of reviewing thousands of documents and cases in a single day. The system handles this in minutes, provides probabilities, and helps assess risks, but the final decision is still made by a human. However, are there situations where a human decision is more reliable than an algorithm? Because algorithms are trained on past data and can fail if the market changes drastically. According to Philipp's observations, in such cases, a person is able to correlate different facts, consider the context, apply critical thinking, and draw on experience. Thanks to this, his decision is often more reliable than the algorithm's decision.
Philipp's team's software project changed the very logic of litigation funding. Previously, the process of assessing the prospects of a case took months and required a huge team of lawyers; now, a decision can be made in hours. This had two effects on the market: funding companies were able to significantly increase the number of cases they supported, and plaintiffs gained access to capital where it was previously unavailable. Scoring is now in demand not only in litigation funding but also in related industries: among insurance companies, banks, developers, and venture capital funds. The overall task is the same everyplace: to quickly and accurately assess the risk.
The market appreciated Philipp's visionary outlook; he sold both companies for almost $80 million. What attracted the buyer to Konkur was that Philipp and his team were the first to be able to structure and automate the litigation funding market, making it more transparent and efficient. And the Zakrytie solution interested buyers because it saved time and money, and most importantly, it made processes predictable. "Essentially, we brought to the lending market what has long been working in fintech: fast scoring, transparent terms, and an understandable product," explains Philipp Popov.
New technologies are emerging in the market that could "revolutionize" scoring in the coming years. According to Philipp, the main factor driving transformation is AI. Today, algorithms can analyze structured data, but the next breakthrough is working with unstructured sources: legal documents, correspondence, media, and behavioral patterns. The second direction highlighted by the expert is the creation of a single digital profile for a client or case that can be used across all jurisdictions and industries. According to Philipp, the third breakthrough solution is the combination of AI with blockchain technology to ensure data immutability and maximum transparency. "These decisions will transform scoring from an auxiliary tool into a global trust system," believes Philipp Popov.
According to Philipp, despite active digitalization, there are still areas and business segments that can be considered promising for modernization through technology. Strategically speaking, he sees the biggest opportunities for modernization where outdated processes still dominate—in healthcare, financial services, real estate, and education. "AI and new technologies are making what was once expensive and exclusive mass and accessible. For CEOs, this means one thing: markets that have remained "concrete" for decades are opening up to innovation. "That's where world-class companies are born," believes Philipp Popov.
Philipp always viewed entrepreneurship more broadly than just as the process of launching technologies or building business models. His approach is to build ecosystems where jobs are created and specialists can grow with the company. Today, his focus is on the creator economy and social marketplaces. Philipp is convinced that monetization shouldn't be a privilege reserved only for big influencers. Every person has skills that can be turned into a source of income, and the task is to make this process accessible, safe, and scalable.
Philipp also believes it's important to give people direct access to the market, eliminate unnecessary intermediaries, and ensure transparency in interactions. And the future belongs to platforms that make everyone's participation in the economy simple, safe, and scalable. Such decisions not only increase market efficiency but also create new jobs. "Many markets are experiencing a shortage of skilled professionals, and my task as a manager is to contribute to the creation of these jobs and attract professional staff members," says Philipp Popov.
