Gambit, a new tax strategy firm built for individuals and families navigating increasingly complex financial lives, today announced its official launch. Founded in summer 2025, Gambit brings a strategy-first, technology-enabled approach to tax planning and is designed to replace opaque, reactive tax prep with clarity, proactivity, and long-term partnership.
The U.S. tax code comprises 6,781 pages, and the full slate of relevant case law now exceeds 70,000 pages. While the rules apply to everyone, the benefits of strategic interpretation have historically been reserved for those with specialist teams. Gambit was created to change that.
“For years, taxes felt like a black box,” said Brian Thomas, co-founder of Gambit. “I inherited my parents’ tax preparer and assumed everything was being done correctly, until I learned it wasn’t. One simple structural change, switching my small business to an S-Corp, saved me over $10,000 a year. That moment made it clear how much opportunity people miss simply because no one is proactively looking out for them.”
From Compliance to Strategy
Traditional tax preparation has long been optimized for speed and volume: get as many returns done as possible, as quickly as possible. According to Gambit’s founders, that model leaves little room for context, planning, or meaningful client engagement, especially as financial lives become more layered.
“Context matters,” Thomas said. “Most tax preparers are juggling hundreds of clients and spending their time inside email threads and tax software. What’s missing is the time to really listen, understand what’s changing in a client’s life, and explore strategies before it’s too late. People don’t want to become tax experts themselves; they want a proactive partner who flags opportunities as soon as they’re eligible.”
Every client engagement begins with strategy, not forms. The firm uses technology to efficiently gather and organize information, enabling its tax professionals to focus on analysis, creativity, and clear communication, and to identify opportunities early and revisit them as circumstances evolve.
A Human Experience, Powered by Technology
For Tal Brown, Gambit’s co-founder, the idea for the company was shaped by firsthand frustration. As a newcomer to the U.S., navigating the tax system was stressful, confusing, and costly.
“My first US tax experiences in the U.S. were long, depressing projects, and they still resulted in fines north of $20,000 due to poor communication and bad advice about entity structuring and foreign income complications,” Brown said. “It is clear the process is broken. Gambit is an opportunity to turn taxes into a transparent, no-stress experience built on trust, tight execution, and respect for the client’s time.”
Brown brings deep experience building data- and AI-driven platforms across health, enterprise software, and cybersecurity. He previously founded Zone7.ai, an AI platform used by elite professional sports organizations, including the NFL, NBA, and Premier League, and spent over a decade in the AI and data space, including leading AI product management at Salesforce.
“We know that taxes are complex, nuanced, and inherently stressful—and we believe that our clients will benefit by always having a human involved,” Brown added. “People want their taxes done by a confident, knowledgeable, and kind human being. Our vision is to deliver that human experience with empathy and care, while empowering our experts with technology so they can be the most productive and thoughtful professionals in the industry.”
Built for the Way People Earn Today
The timing of Gambit’s launch reflects broader shifts in how people work and earn. More Americans now generate income outside of traditional W-2 employment through business ownership, rental properties, equity compensation, side ventures, and digital assets. At the same time, the tax profession faces a growing shortage as more Enrolled Agents and CPAs retire than enter the field.
Gambit sees this moment as an inflection point.
“The role of the tax preparer is changing, thanks to advances in AI. Compliance and form-filling will increasingly become automated. But AI is also creating a trust gap, with people increasingly wondering what is real and whether answers are trustworthy,” said Thomas. “You want a partner that recognizes that taxes aren’t just about money; they are rife with strong emotions. Working with Gambit gives you a human face that will look you in the eye, take the time to explain the nuances, and, ultimately, have your back when the stakes are real.”
Backed by Leading Investors
Gambit is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, and has raised $4.3 million in funding from Resolute Ventures, Village Global, and a group of experienced tax industry operators and advisors. The capital will support the growth of Gambit’s tax professional team and continued investment in a service model built on responsiveness, clarity, and trust.
A Long-Term Vision for Clients—and Tax Professionals
Looking ahead, Gambit aims to build a national brand known not just for outcomes but also for how it treats people on both sides of the relationship.
“We want Gambit to be a place where tax professionals do intellectually stimulating work in an environment that’s collaborative and sustainable,” Thomas said. “For our clients, we want to build a practice that removes the negativity of fear and stress and instills confidence and clarity. We’re confident this combination will help us earn our way to becoming long-term partners with all our clients.”
About Gambit
Founded in 2025, Gambit is a tax strategy firm built for individuals and families navigating financial growth and complexity. By combining deep tax expertise, proactive planning, and a strategy-first, relationship-driven platform, Gambit delivers a transparent, human-centered tax strategy that helps clients keep more of what they earn, today and over the long term.
For more information, visit www.gambit.tax