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TechAI workplace assistant Harmony raises $34M seed round led by Lightspeed; founders previously sold Epsagon to Cisco for $500M
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Harmony, an AI startup founded by Nitzan Shapira and Ran Ribenzaft, raised a $34 million seed round led by Lightspeed. The founders previously sold their cloud software monitoring company Epsagon to Cisco for $500 million in 2021. Harmony operates inside Slack and Microsoft Teams to automate workplace requests such as onboarding, software access, and password resets, integrating with over 100 applications. Customers include n8n, eToro, Cyera, and Kith. Other investors in the round include Hitachi Ventures, Fin Capital, Mercer Ventures, and Operator Partners. The startup plans to use the funds to grow its engineering, product, and sales teams. Harmony currently has 60 employees, with most based in Israel and the rest in New York. The article also includes a redacted version of the pitch deck used to raise the funds.
Source report
Two founders who previously sold their first startup to Cisco for $500 million have secured $34 million in seed funding for their new venture.
Company Overview
CEO Nitzan Shapira and CTO Ran Ribenzaft launched Harmony last year. The startup uses artificial intelligence to handle workplace requests directly within Slack and Microsoft Teams. Unlike simple Q&A bots, Harmony can execute tasks such as:
- Onboarding new employees
- Managing software access
- Resetting passwords
The goal is to help employees avoid navigating internal systems or waiting for support from IT or HR departments.
Product Capabilities
Harmony integrates with more than 100 applications and tailors responses based on an employee's role and permissions. Companies can also require human approval before the AI takes any action.
Customers
Harmony's customer base includes:
- n8n (workflow automation)
- eToro (investing app)
- Cyera (security startup)
- Kith (fashion retailer)
Funding Details
Lightspeed led the $34 million seed round. The venture capital firm also backed Shapira and Ribenzaft's first startup, Epsagon, a cloud software monitoring company acquired by Cisco in 2021.
Additional participants in the round include:
- Hitachi Ventures
- Fin Capital
- Mercer Ventures
- Operator Partners
Shapira told Business Insider that while this seed round is larger than most, it is not uncommon for second-time founders. The funding provides Harmony with enough capital to scale quickly without needing to return to investors in the near term.
Growth Plans
Harmony plans to use the funds to expand its engineering, product, and sales teams. The company currently employs 60 people, with roughly two-thirds based in Israel and the remainder in New York.
Founder's Vision
Shapira stated that this time, he aims to build a much larger company rather than pursue another early acquisition.
Note: The pitch deck Harmony used to raise its $34 million seed round has been redacted for public sharing.
Source
All Content from Business InsiderWestern
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Founders who sold startup to Cisco raise $34 million for AI workplace assistant Harmony