Conifer
Local-first least cost routing system to reduce 80%+ token spend
About Conifer
Conifer is one app that connects you to every AI model (local and cloud) and automatically routes each request to the cheapest model that accomplishes your goal. Most requests run free on your own hardware, so teams cut their AI bill by ~80% while replacing a dozen provider contracts with one interface and one invoice. For sensitive material like financials or user data, a secure mode pins everything on-device with no external API calls.
Company details
Funding
Last stage
Seed
Investors
Founders
Charles Muehlberger
Founder at Conifer. Engineering researcher at Princeton, accelerating multi-modal inference on edge devices and designing physics simulation software for coupled laser reservoirs and machine learning with physical neural networks. Previously built custom edge AI devices for RF-based brain injury modeling at DoW, and helped engineer the world record holding fastest electric speedboat at PES.
LinkedIn
Michael Jeffords
Co-founder at Conifer (YC S26). Previously co-founded The HeartCheck Foundation, scaling free hypertension screenings to 20+ barbershops and over 10,000 individuals. Former clinical researcher at Dell Med Institute of Vascular Surgery and UTHSC.
LinkedInWhat happens next.
No applications, no recruiter spam. Just the intro.
Confirm the fit
A few questions to make sure this role is the right shape for you. Two minutes.
I pitch you to the company
I write the intro, send it to the founder, and handle the back-and-forth.
A meeting lands on your calendar
If they’re a yes, I book the chat. You show up — that’s the whole job-hunt.