In this series, we get to meet the team that makes the Evisort magic happen. This week, we talked with Senior Data Scientist Nicolas Hivon. Read on to find out why Nicolas loves working at Evisort, the innovative work he and his team are doing around natural language processing and machine learning, and his predictions on how breakthroughs in AI contracting technology will lead to more personalized and individualized customer experiences.

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 1. What is your role at Evisort?

I joined the team in July 2019 and I am currently a Senior Data Scientist at Evisort. Being a part of the Data Science team, I work on developing any AI or machine learning solution that will be powering the platform, and making sure the existing AI features we built are being maintained properly.

I also help the broader Evisort team when it relates to data and helping resolve customer issues. We are a team of several data scientists but have many people on our broader team that assist in the overall AI framework.

2. What made you decide to join Evisort?

Two things come to mind:

First, I joined Evisort after I graduated with my Master’s degree in Engineering. I wanted to learn a lot and grow a lot in a role. It was a great opportunity to work at an early-stage startup and have high touch points in a lot of different areas. It was a good feeling, too, to be given more responsibilities.

Second, I liked that AI was the core of the product. It wasn’t just some buzzword. The work I would be doing would be impactful and an important item down the road. I found that to be really cool!

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3. How would you describe the Evisort team and culture?

When I joined, I was maybe the 20th employee. It almost feels like I’ve been a part of different companies as Evisort has grown over the years. It’s frankly super exciting having witnessed what the team has achieved in a small period of time! What has stayed the same, even as the company has expanded, is the constant push for innovation that Evisort cultivates and encourages, especially in the data science team. We push things forward on how to make our AI better. It is very collaborative. Even when we are working on solo projects, everyone is super accessible, and I don’t ever feel like I’m on my own. It’s also a culture of trust and ownership, we are all putting in the work, and being proud of what we deliver.

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4. What are the biggest challenges of your role?

Deciding on priorities is challenging here because there is only so much we can do in a day. There are tons of new things happening in the space and figuring out what to take on first can be a challenge. Within the broader Machine Learning field, Evisort’s Data Science team is specialized in the Natural Language Processing concentration, which focuses on how we can teach computers and algorithms to read, understand and extract information from human text. This is a super active domain with a lot of research happening and new ideas popping up frequently. It’s a privilege to work in such an active field, but you definitely need to spend time to keep up! 

On the business level, we are expanding on use cases.  We spend a lot of time with customers talking - and learning from them – about how our product can benefit different industries. Training our AI to cater to those other industries can be challenging but really interesting.

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5. What makes Evisort stand out from other places to work?

Being a data scientist, I would say that finding a place where AI is the core is very different. At Evisort, machine learning is not just a one-time project. I know that my work is valued and important. 
When you see customer reviews about the AI and how great it was, we take great pride in that.

The level of collaboration, too, is very welcoming. Everyone is busy, but if you reach out with a question or a suggestion, a team member will immediately get back to you. You never feel like you’re working alone.

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6. Where do you see contracting technology five years from now?

I’d like to think about this in two aspects: depth and breadth.

In terms of depth: technology will keep getting better. We will keep making AI more accurate. I hope we will keep seeing major breakthroughs in the Natural Language Processing AI field.

In terms of breadth: AI will empower more and more use cases. We already know that AI can make customers’ lives easier. We will see our product used more and more on things like AI assisted negotiations and contract drafting. There’s no shortage of very exciting use cases AI can help with!

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I think we will also see a push towards further deepening the level of customization of Contract Lifecycle Management solutions, which we already undertook at Evisort for our customers.  

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7. What else should interested candidates know about Evisort?

You don’t need a legal degree to apply! I’m a technologist by background. I didn’t know much about the legal space at all when I joined the company. We have amazing people that can help drive those insights.

From a tech perspective, the data science team is very AI development focused. We are taking the time to develop new AI models. By design, we are focused on the machine learning part, and I really like that this gets to be one of my top day-to-day priorities!

It’s also pretty cool seeing the direct impact of your work; AI is what powers Evisort. It’s empowering to be the center of that ecosystem, knowing that others are relying on our work.

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8. What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

I play tennis a lot and I exercise pretty often. I also love to travel. I’ve been in the United States for four and a half years now, and there are so many great places to see. I love to hike, and simply to travel and see new places. I would love to go to Latin America.

And being French, you’ll always find me at a bakery trying out all the new pastries! 

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Join the Evisort team

Our team is our most important asset. From engineering and data science, to sales, customer success, and beyond, we look to hire the very best. Interested in joining us in our mission to revolutionize how companies interact with their most important legal documents? Check out our careers page to find the role that’s right for you.