Vishal Sikka’s New Bet: Why Hang Ten Systems Just Bagged $32 Million

The former Infosys CEO is pivoting to enterprise AI with a fresh seed round aimed at replacing clunky legacy software with agentic code generation.

The enterprise software landscape has long been defined by a tedious, expensive cycle: buy, customize, integrate, test, and repeat. Dr. Vishal Sikka, a name synonymous with the evolution of Indian IT, is now betting that this entire model is obsolete. His latest venture, Hang Ten Systems, has just secured $32 million in seed funding to prove that Generative AI can do more than just write emails—it can run the core operations of a global business.

Led by Mayfield, with strategic backing from Aramco Ventures, the funding round highlights a shift in how investors are viewing the next wave of corporate tech. While the market is flooded with startups chasing consumer-facing chatbots, Sikka is positioning Hang Ten to tackle the "risk and cost" trap that most large companies fall into when trying to modernize.

The End of the "Off-the-Shelf" Era

For years, enterprises have relied on commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS), spending millions on consultants to bend these rigid tools to their specific needs. Hang Ten Systems proposes a leaner approach. By using agentic code generation, the startup aims to build and modify enterprise software continuously, cutting down the massive timeframes that usually bog down corporate digital transformations.

The startup is already testing this thesis in the field. Early partnerships with heavyweights like Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Fresenius suggest that the model is designed for complex, high-stakes environments—specifically in finance, human resources, and product development.

Why it matters

The broader trend here is the transition from "AI as a feature" to "AI as the operating system." Many enterprises have spent the last two years experimenting with AI pilots that never quite moved the needle on the bottom line. By focusing on a "re-usable skills library" and an expert bench, Sikka is attempting to solve the biggest hurdle in enterprise AI: the gap between a prototype and a production-grade system that actually works.

If Hang Ten succeeds, it won't just be another software vendor; it will be a direct challenger to the traditional IT services model. For a veteran like Sikka, who has navigated the boardrooms of SAP and Infosys, this is a clear signal that the future of enterprise tech is no longer about managing software—it’s about having software that can manage itself.