Zendesk, a leading customer service software as a service (SaaS) firm, has announced the launch of Zendesk Ventures, a global venture fund dedicated to supporting early-stage AI-first startups. These startups will focus on enhancing both customer and employee experiences. Beyond providing capital, Zendesk Ventures aims to offer expertise in customer experience (CX) and artificial intelligence (AI) while identifying strategic partnership opportunities to drive the growth of emerging companies in the sector.
“Every organisation is on a path to becoming AI-driven, and we’re eager to form partnerships with companies leading this new era. Our goal extends beyond building our own products; we’re also supporting an ecosystem of startups whose visions align with ours,” said Ben Barclay, SVP of Strategy, Corporate Development and Transformation at Zendesk. “Customer and employee service is changing rapidly because of advancements in AI. Investing in these companies does more than drive their growth, it elevates our customers’ ability to provide exceptional interactions.”
Zendesk, based in California, has already invested in several notable AI startups, including PolyAI, a developer specializing in advanced conversational voice assistants, and unitQ, an AI-powered platform for customer feedback. Its portfolio also includes Observe.AI, a conversational intelligence platform, and Zuper, a field service management software provider.
The venture fund aligns with global trends and local initiatives, such as India’s “Make AI in India” program, which fosters the growth of the AI startup ecosystem in the country. Vasudeva Rao Munnaluri, RVP India and SAARC at Zendesk, emphasized the significance of this initiative: “With the Make AI in India initiative by the Union government, the AI startup ecosystem is booming in India. Unique value propositions and immense growth potential make AI startups a great investment in India. Zendesk Ventures is focused on bringing the best technology, products, people and network together to empower AI-first startups in the country that are focused on solving meaningful business problems in the CX and EX space. We are excited for what the future holds for AI startups in India—and the place Zendesk can play in their development.”
Founded in 2007 by Mikkel Svane, Morten Primdahl, and Alexander Aghassipour, Zendesk provides a cloud-based customer support platform designed to help businesses manage customer relationships more effectively. With an office in Bengaluru, the company offers tools for customer support, ticketing, self-service options, and customer engagement. Zendesk aims to integrate AI agents, workflow automation, and human agents to create superior experiences for both customers and employees.