Funding
$52.00M
2025
Valuation
Serval closed a $47M Series A in October 2025 led by Redpoint Ventures. The round included participation from First Round Capital, General Catalyst, Box Group, Bessemer Venture Partners, Chemistry VC, Strike Capital, Sunflower Capital, and Operator Partners, along with angel investors.
The company previously raised a seed round in Q3 2024, bringing total funding to $52M. Founded in 2024 and headquartered in San Francisco. The Series A closed roughly 18 months after launch.
Product
Serval is an AI-native IT service management platform that automates help desk ticketing and routine IT tasks via two separate AI agents.
The Helper Agent serves as the front-end interface, handling employee requests through Slack DMs, email, or web forms. When an employee types "need GitHub access" in Slack, the Helper Agent parses intent, checks relevant policies, and routes the request to the appropriate workflow.
The Builder Agent runs as a back-end process, writing and editing TypeScript code that defines reusable workflows for common IT tasks such as adding users to Okta groups, provisioning software access, or managing device configurations. It can generate workflows from plain English descriptions, and technical teams can version control and customize the underlying code.
The platform supports multiple communication channels including private Slack DMs with automatic team routing, email-based help desk functionality, and screenshot analysis for visual troubleshooting. Users can drop error screenshots into chat, and the system's image recognition capabilities identify the problem and suggest or execute fixes automatically.
Serval integrates bidirectionally with existing ITSM systems like ServiceNow, Jira, and Zendesk, allowing organizations to maintain their current ticketing infrastructure while layering on AI automation. The platform also connects with identity management systems like Okta and Microsoft Entra, device management tools like Jamf for Apple devices, and HRIS systems like Workday.
Business Model
Serval operates as a B2B SaaS platform with a seat-based subscription model targeting enterprise IT departments. The company positions itself as an AI-native alternative to traditional ITSM solutions, focusing on automation rather than just ticket management.
The go-to-market approach emphasizes high-touch enterprise sales with dedicated implementation engineers and guaranteed automation outcomes. Customers typically start with a four-week guided pilot that promises to automate at least 50% of their IT tickets, creating immediate value demonstration and reducing implementation risk.
Revenue scales through both seat expansion within accounts and feature upsells. As organizations see success with IT automation, other departments like HR, Security, and Engineering often adopt the platform for their own service management needs, expanding beyond the initial IT use case.
The platform's workflow-based architecture creates switching costs as customers build custom automations and integrations. The combination of pre-built templates for common tasks and the ability to create bespoke workflows provides both quick time-to-value and long-term stickiness.
Serval's cost structure includes cloud infrastructure, AI model usage, and integration maintenance, but benefits from the scalable nature of software automation. The company's focus on enterprise customers with higher contract values helps offset the investment in dedicated customer success resources.
Competition
AI-native ITSM platforms
Direct competitors include Aisera, which offers GenIQ for multi-agent workflows and claims 75% auto-resolution rates. Moveworks, recently acquired by ServiceNow, added multilingual chat capabilities and LLM-powered ticket deflection within the incumbent platform ecosystem.
Espressive focuses on natural language processing with its Employee Language Cloud, targeting mid-market customers with simplified pricing models. These AI-first companies compete on automation rates and ease of implementation relative to traditional ITSM solutions.
Platform incumbents with AI capabilities
ServiceNow's acquisition of Moveworks creates a competitor that combines established enterprise relationships with AI-native capabilities. The integrated offering provides both workflow backend and conversational frontend within a single platform ecosystem.
BMC Helix has launched HelixGPT with agent builder functionality, targeting Fortune 1000 accounts with bundled ITSM and AIOps capabilities. Atlassian, Freshworks, and Zendesk are embedding AI capabilities into their existing platforms to retain customers and prevent migration to AI-native alternatives.
RMM and endpoint management providers
Companies like NinjaOne, SuperOps.ai, and Atera are bundling help desk functionality with endpoint automation, potentially undercutting traditional ITSM pricing. These providers target IT teams and managed service providers with integrated device management and service desk capabilities.
TAM Expansion
New products and capabilities
Serval launched AI Insights in March 2025, a module that analyzes historical ticket data to identify automation opportunities. The module expands coverage from execution into analytics and decision-support budgets, with features aimed at optimizing IT operations beyond automating existing workflows.
The platform's workflow builder capabilities can extend beyond IT into other enterprise service management areas. HR onboarding, security access reviews, and engineering operations all represent adjacent use cases where the same automation framework applies.
Deep integrations with identity governance and endpoint security tools like Jamf enable coverage of compliance and security spending. Just-in-time access provisioning with audit trails targets regulatory requirements in financial services and healthcare.
Customer base expansion
Enterprise integrations with Microsoft Entra, ServiceNow, and Workday make Serval viable within Fortune 500 environments that cannot replace existing systems. This enables larger seat counts compared to the startup and scale-up segment where the company initially focused.
Multi-language support and self-hosted deployment options allow entry into EMEA and APAC markets, particularly in regulated industries requiring data residency. Government and healthcare verticals have complex compliance requirements and large employee bases.
The platform's ability to integrate with existing ITSM systems rather than requiring rip-and-replace implementations reduces adoption barriers for large enterprises with established ServiceNow or Remedy deployments.
Cross-departmental expansion
Early customer implementations show HR, Security, and Engineering teams adopting Serval for their own service management needs after seeing IT success. This horizontal expansion within accounts can increase revenue per customer without proportional acquisition costs.
The workflow automation framework applies broadly to any department handling repetitive requests and approvals. Legal contract reviews, facilities management, and procurement processes all represent potential expansion areas within existing customer organizations.
Risks
Platform consolidation: ServiceNow's acquisition of Moveworks indicates vertical integration, with established ITSM platforms acquiring AI-native capabilities instead of customers switching to standalone solutions. This dynamic could limit Serval's addressable market if incumbents bundle competitive AI features into existing enterprise relationships.
Model commoditization: As large language models become more accessible and capable, technical moats around AI-powered ticket automation may erode. If workflow automation becomes a standard feature rather than a differentiator, competition could shift to pricing and integration breadth over AI sophistication.
Implementation complexity: Rapid deployment can be difficult, as enterprise AI automation requires significant customization and change management. If customers struggle with adoption or fail to achieve expected automation rates, it could damage Serval's reputation and slow the sales cycle for future prospects.
News
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