21 Oct SlataDoc: Translating Justice with AI

When you first meet Mei Liou, founder of SlataDoc, you sense the depth of experience and resilience behind her calm confidence. A Liberian-born Taiwanese South African, Mei’s story weaves together displacement, determination, and a two-decade career in impact investment, all leading to a startup that aims to make the law more accessible and equitable through technology.

SlataDoc officially launched this month and is already turning heads in the legal tech space. The company’s AI-powered platform streamlines how lawyers translate legal documents, saving time, reducing costs, and improving accuracy, all while advancing Mei’s lifelong mission of inclusion and access to justice.

We caught up with Mei to hear more about her journey and what’s next for SlataDoc.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself – your background and how SlataDoc came to be.

“So much in my background has led me to build SlataDoc,” says Mei. “As a Liberian-born Taiwanese South African, I’ve always had to navigate language barriers. When my family fled the Liberian civil war and started over in South Africa, I saw firsthand the hardships my parents faced to give me opportunities.

“I went on to have a successful 20-year career in asset management, 14 of those at Futuregrowth, focusing on impact investment and doing deals that made a difference in people’s lives. All of these experiences culminated in my drive to tackle the problem of access to justice and reduce inequalities between developed and less developed countries and communities.

“But it was the death of my husband, Rian, nine years ago that spurred me to leave my corporate job and step into startup life.”

Q: What does SlataDoc do?

“At SlataDoc, we’re solving the legal translation problem. We provide quality AI translations to lawyers in the format they want and from within their native work environment.”

Q: Who are you building for right now, and what kinds of partners or introductions would be most helpful?

“Our product caters to law firms and in-house legal teams, but we’re especially looking to partner with legal tech companies that want to offer legal translation to their customers without building a Microsoft Word add-in themselves.”

Q: What problem are you solving for lawyers and legal teams?

“For law firms and legal teams, we provide a great first draft of legal translations side-by-side so they can immediately focus on what matters: legal review. No more paying $40 per page, waiting days for translations, or wasting hours fixing numbering and formatting.”

Q: What drives your work — impact, access to justice, inclusion?

“My background and life experiences all point to one thing: creating access and equity. SlataDoc not only solves a real business problem but also has the potential to promote access to justice, inclusion, and reduce inequality between developed and less developed communities.”

Q: How do you see SlataDoc growing within the Innovation City ecosystem?

“I’ve only been at Innovation City for a couple of weeks and I already love the space, the events, and the people. I’m excited to see where I can contribute and put my skills and know-how to good use. Feel free to say hello — I’d love to connect!”

Quickfire Round:

• Favourite place to work from: “That’s fishing for compliments! But it truly is Innovation City in Cape Town — and in Boston, it’s Venture Lane.”
• Secret superpower: “Being able to perfectly peel a litchi.”
• Next big milestone: “We just had our official launch! Next up: filling our 3-seat pilot partnership program.”

How to reach Mei: 📩 [email protected] 🌐 www.slatadoc.ai