Key facts
- Vishal Sikka launches AI startup Hang Ten Systems
- Seed funding raised: $32 million
- Sikka is former CEO of Infosys and CTO of SAP
- One of the largest AI seed rounds by an Indian-origin founder
Vishal Sikka has launched a new artificial intelligence startup, Hang Ten Systems, backed by $32 million in seed funding, marking a significant new chapter for one of the most prominent Indian-origin technology executives in the world. Sikka, who previously served as CEO of Infosys and as Chief Technology Officer of SAP, is now turning his focus to building an AI company from scratch.
The $32 million seed round is a substantial early-stage commitment, reflecting both the intensity of investor appetite for AI ventures and the weight that Sikka's track record carries in technology circles. Details of Hang Ten Systems' specific product focus were not disclosed in the announcement, but the scale of the seed funding signals that the company is expected to operate at an ambitious level from the outset.
Sikka's departure from Infosys in 2017 was one of the most closely watched corporate episodes in Indian business history, marked by a public disagreement with co-founder N R Narayana Murthy over the company's strategic direction. In the years since, he has remained active in the AI and technology investment space, making his return to founding a company a natural progression.
For India's AI community, Hang Ten Systems is another data point in a growing list of high-profile ventures launched by Indian-origin technologists at the frontier of artificial intelligence. The announcement is likely to attract considerable interest from the startup and investor ecosystems both in India and in Silicon Valley.