Hang Ten Systems, a new enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) startup founded by former Infosys CEO Dr. Vishal Sikka, has raised $32 million in a seed funding round. The Palo Alto-based company aims to help large businesses move beyond AI experiments and use the technology to achieve real business results at scale.
The funding round was led by venture capital firm Mayfield. Other investors include Aramco Ventures, the investment arm of Saudi Aramco, and a group of Silicon Valley angel investors. The startup has also added Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang to its board of directors, bringing additional industry experience and leadership.
The funding announcement comes at a time when companies across the world are exploring AI opportunities. While many organizations have started testing AI tools, only a few have successfully integrated them into their operations. Hang Ten Systems wants to solve this problem by helping enterprises adopt AI in a practical and secure way.
Helping Enterprises Turn AI Into Real Business Results
According to Vishal Sikka, there is a major gap between companies that are benefiting from AI and those that are still struggling to use it effectively. While some businesses are completing tasks in minutes that once took years, many others remain stuck in the early stages of AI adoption.
Hang Ten Systems was created to close this gap. The company focuses on enterprise software used in areas such as finance, human resources, product development, and large-scale business transformation projects.
Its platform uses agentic AI-powered code generation, reusable software capabilities, and engineering expertise to modernize old enterprise systems. By doing so, businesses can improve efficiency, reduce development time, and speed up digital transformation efforts.
Sikka believes the AI revolution is changing the technology industry at an unprecedented pace. He has shared examples of how AI can complete software development work much faster than traditional methods. In one case, he said AI helped recreate a system in less than an hour that had previously taken hundreds of engineers more than two years to build.
He also believes this shift could challenge the traditional IT services model, especially companies that depend heavily on large teams and headcount-based billing. As AI improves productivity, businesses may increasingly focus on results rather than the number of people working on a project.
The Story Behind the Name Hang Ten
The company’s name comes from the surfing term “hang ten,” a move where a surfer walks to the front of the board and hangs all ten toes over the nose while riding a wave.
Sikka uses this surfing example to explain his vision for artificial intelligence. He describes AI as a massive new wave that businesses should learn to ride successfully instead of simply trying to keep up with it.
According to him, organizations that fully embrace AI will gain a strong advantage in innovation, speed, and productivity. The company’s goal is not only to help businesses use AI tools but also to help them rethink how software is built and managed in an AI-first world.
The startup’s strong investor support also reflects Sikka’s long-standing connections in the technology industry. The investment from Mayfield was led by Navin Chaddha, a longtime friend of Sikka from Stanford University. Jerry Yang’s addition to the board further strengthens the company’s leadership team.
Early Customers and Growth Plans
Although Hang Ten Systems is a newly launched startup, it has already started working with major global companies. Its early customers include German healthcare company Fresenius and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, which is part of Siemens Energy.
These partnerships show the company’s focus on helping large enterprises use AI to improve operations and accelerate digital transformation. The strategic investment from Aramco Ventures could also open opportunities in the energy and industrial sectors.
The company plans to use the newly raised funds to expand its engineering team and increase deployments with enterprise customers around the world. Sikka is building the startup with a group of longtime collaborators and is actively hiring professionals who want to solve complex business challenges using AI.
As businesses continue searching for practical ways to use artificial intelligence, Hang Ten Systems is positioning itself as a company that can deliver measurable results. With strong financial backing, experienced leadership, and early enterprise customers already on board, the startup is entering a fast-growing market with ambitious plans.
The launch of Hang Ten Systems also highlights how experienced technology leaders are betting on AI as the next major driver of business innovation. As enterprise AI adoption continues to grow, the company will be looking to help organizations turn AI potential into real-world impact.