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Former Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka Launches Hang Ten Systems to Bring AI to Enterprise Services
Vishal Sikka, the former chief executive of India’s Infosys, announced the founding of Hang Ten Systems on 24 June 2026. The Palo Alto‑based startup aims to use artificial intelligence to automate the core work that has traditionally been performed by large IT services firms. The company raised a seed round of $32 million, led by the Silicon Valley venture firm Mayfield and joined by Saudi Aramco’s venture arm, Aramco Ventures, as well as a group of angel investors.
Sikka’s background gives the venture a distinctive pedigree. He served as chief technology officer at SAP, where he helped build the HANA in‑memory database platform, before becoming executive vice chairman, CEO and managing director of Infosys from 2014 to 2017. During his Infosys tenure, he pushed the company toward automation and launched the Next‑Generation Integrated Artificial Intelligence (NIA) platform to reduce operational costs for clients. After leaving Infosys in August 2017, he founded VianAI, a San Francisco‑based AI services company.
Hang Ten Systems intends to target the $1 trillion enterprise services market, a figure that reflects the size of the global consulting and IT services industry. The startup’s strategy is to build an AI‑native alternative to the consulting work that has been the bread and butter of firms such as Accenture, Wipro and Infosys itself. According to TechCrunch, the company is assembling a team of former SAP, Infosys and VianAI employees who have experience selling to Fortune 500 customers.
Mayfield, founded in 1969 and headquartered on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, has a long history of early‑stage investments in technology companies. Its participation in Hang Ten’s seed round signals confidence in the company’s approach to enterprise AI. Aramco Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of Saudi Aramco, has been expanding its portfolio beyond energy into high‑tech sectors, and its investment in Hang Ten aligns with a broader push to support AI initiatives that can contribute to the kingdom’s 2050 net‑zero goals.
The timing of the launch is notable. Generative AI models released in 2023 and 2024 have begun to automate tasks that were previously performed by human consultants, prompting a wave of uncertainty in the IT services sector. Sikka’s new venture positions itself to capture that shift by offering AI‑driven solutions that can accelerate deployment of business‑critical software and operations for large enterprises.
Hang Ten’s founding team includes veterans from SAP, Infosys and VianAI, giving the company a blend of deep technical expertise and practical consulting experience. The startup’s stated mission is to help large organisations deploy and scale AI technologies across their operations, a goal that aligns with the broader industry trend toward AI‑enabled digital transformation.
While the company has not yet released a product, it has outlined a roadmap that includes building AI models tailored to enterprise use cases, integrating those models into existing software stacks, and providing consulting services to guide clients through adoption.
The $32 million seed round also reflects a broader pattern of venture capital interest in AI startups that target enterprise markets. Investors are increasingly looking for companies that can demonstrate a clear path to monetisation in the large, but fragmented, services sector.
In summary, Hang Ten Systems represents a new attempt by a former IT services CEO to re‑enter the market with an AI‑centric offering. The company’s backing by Mayfield and Aramco Ventures, its experienced founding team, and its focus on the $1 trillion enterprise services market position it as a potential challenger to the consulting giants that Sikka once competed against.
The next few months will be critical for Hang Ten as it seeks to move from seed funding to product development and early customer engagements. The company has not yet announced a launch date for its first commercial offering, but industry observers will be watching closely to see whether its AI‑native approach can gain traction in a market that is already experiencing disruption from generative AI.
Sikka’s background gives the venture a distinctive pedigree. He served as chief technology officer at SAP, where he helped build the HANA in‑memory database platform, before becoming executive vice chairman, CEO and managing director of Infosys from 2014 to 2017. During his Infosys tenure, he pushed the company toward automation and launched the Next‑Generation Integrated Artificial Intelligence (NIA) platform to reduce operational costs for clients. After leaving Infosys in August 2017, he founded VianAI, a San Francisco‑based AI services company.
Hang Ten Systems intends to target the $1 trillion enterprise services market, a figure that reflects the size of the global consulting and IT services industry. The startup’s strategy is to build an AI‑native alternative to the consulting work that has been the bread and butter of firms such as Accenture, Wipro and Infosys itself. According to TechCrunch, the company is assembling a team of former SAP, Infosys and VianAI employees who have experience selling to Fortune 500 customers.
Mayfield, founded in 1969 and headquartered on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, has a long history of early‑stage investments in technology companies. Its participation in Hang Ten’s seed round signals confidence in the company’s approach to enterprise AI. Aramco Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of Saudi Aramco, has been expanding its portfolio beyond energy into high‑tech sectors, and its investment in Hang Ten aligns with a broader push to support AI initiatives that can contribute to the kingdom’s 2050 net‑zero goals.
The timing of the launch is notable. Generative AI models released in 2023 and 2024 have begun to automate tasks that were previously performed by human consultants, prompting a wave of uncertainty in the IT services sector. Sikka’s new venture positions itself to capture that shift by offering AI‑driven solutions that can accelerate deployment of business‑critical software and operations for large enterprises.
Hang Ten’s founding team includes veterans from SAP, Infosys and VianAI, giving the company a blend of deep technical expertise and practical consulting experience. The startup’s stated mission is to help large organisations deploy and scale AI technologies across their operations, a goal that aligns with the broader industry trend toward AI‑enabled digital transformation.
While the company has not yet released a product, it has outlined a roadmap that includes building AI models tailored to enterprise use cases, integrating those models into existing software stacks, and providing consulting services to guide clients through adoption.
The $32 million seed round also reflects a broader pattern of venture capital interest in AI startups that target enterprise markets. Investors are increasingly looking for companies that can demonstrate a clear path to monetisation in the large, but fragmented, services sector.
In summary, Hang Ten Systems represents a new attempt by a former IT services CEO to re‑enter the market with an AI‑centric offering. The company’s backing by Mayfield and Aramco Ventures, its experienced founding team, and its focus on the $1 trillion enterprise services market position it as a potential challenger to the consulting giants that Sikka once competed against.
The next few months will be critical for Hang Ten as it seeks to move from seed funding to product development and early customer engagements. The company has not yet announced a launch date for its first commercial offering, but industry observers will be watching closely to see whether its AI‑native approach can gain traction in a market that is already experiencing disruption from generative AI.
