Our origin story
What is a Cothon?
We take our name from Carthage's ancient harbor - the strongest in the world. Built to protect ships and enable trade when safe access to the Mediterranean was critical to nations and cultures, it mirrors our mission today. Like that historic harbor, Cothon creates a safe space where global development organizations can navigate AI with confidence. We provide the infrastructure and oversight to harness LLMs' potential while protecting against emerging risks.
The team behind Cothon
Cothon was born from lived experience in global development and humanitarian operations. Our founders, Max and Will, have led climate finance, data systems, and crisis response programs around the world — and they saw firsthand both the promise and peril of AI in high-stakes environments. Their mission: create a platform that lets organizations harness AI responsibly, with transparency and trust built in from the start.
Max McGrath-Horn, Founder & CEO
Max brings 15 years of global development finance expertise and a track record of scaling innovative solutions across the development sector. As climate finance lead at Chemonics International, he built and managed a pioneering nature-based carbon facility, bringing together investors, technical partners, and communities at scale.
As a Climate Finance Officer at the United Nations, he oversaw a $350M project portfolio across Asia and the Pacific Islands. Max also spent time at the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E), where he accelerated technology commercialization for breakthrough climate concepts. He holds a Masters Degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, where he studied development finance and international business relations.
Will Culhane, Founder & Systems Architect
Will is a data systems architect and AI practitioner with 15 years of experience leading humanitarian operations across fragile contexts across the Middle East, Africa, and Central America. At the United Nations he led operational research and managed the Displacement Tracking Matrix - a large data program producing mission-critical intelligence for UN systems. He has architected AI systems inside the UN to strengthen decision-making in complex emergencies and brings deep expertise in data governance and information security.
Will has extensive field experience conducting emergency assessments during major crises, including the Somalia drought and Libyan civil war. He holds a Master's Degree from Sciences Po's Paris School of International Affairs in International Development and a professional certificate from MIT in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
