Tessl raises $125M to build AI Native Software Development
Tessl, founded by the developer security entrepreneur Guy Podjarny (‘Guypo’), has raised a total of $125m to lead the AI native software development movement. The funding consists of a $100m Series A led by Index Ventures with participation from Accel, GV, and boldstart, and a previously unannounced $25m Seed round led by boldstart ventures and GV.
The round is the latest signal that AI is poised to reshape the world of work and transform how software gets built. While most AI coding tools focus on automating parts of existing workflows, Tessl is reimagining software creation from the ground up – moving from a ‘code-centric’ to a ‘spec-centric’ model that will make development radically more accessible, productive, maintainable and secure. By removing the reliance on coding, software will become highly adaptable, personalized to a user’s need, portable from platform to platform, and constantly improving with less human effort.
‘We’re creating a new paradigm where humans express what they want to build, and AI handles the implementation,’ says Guypo, Tessl founder and CEO. ‘Developers remain in control, but Tessl frees them up from writing, debugging and maintaining every line of code. The creation process becomes more about understanding customer pain points and user needs, problem-solving and system design – and the end result is better software for everyone.’
Guypo previously founded Snyk, building it into a multi-billion dollar global leader in developer-focused security. In the process, he and the company transformed the culture of development, such that finding and fixing vulnerabilities became a core developer responsibility. Prior to that, he became CTO at Akamai after it acquired his first startup, Blaze, which sped up loading times on websites. Beyond his entrepreneurial success, Guypo has also become an influential voice among developers as a blogger and podcaster.
At its core, Tessl is building a system of record for the AI native development era – an open platform that enables and accelerates the work of AI-native developers. With Tessl, developers can come together to define and build software based on specs, in close collaboration with both AI and other developers. This shift will make software creation dramatically more accessible to many more people, while also enabling much faster iteration and innovation. Just as AI is democratizing the ability to create images and text, Tessl sees the future of software development as a fluid dialogue between human creativity and insight, an ecosystem of creators and AI implementation.
‘Software ate the world. Tessl is opening up the kitchen,’ says Carlos Gonzalez-Cadenas, Partner Index Ventures. ‘We’ve known Guypo for years, and he’s one of those rare people who can sweat the details but also sees the big picture. He’s also got a great track record of catalyzing cultural change in how developers work. What he’s building with Tessl isn’t just a tool, but a movement to change how software gets made.’
Tessl opens the waitlist for its platform today and will launch in early 2025. The new funding will allow Tessl to build out the platform and accelerate hiring in AI research, engineering, product, design, and developer relations.
For more information about the announcement, visit the Tessl blog.
About Tessl
Tessl is an open software development platform that reimagines how software is created in the AI era. Founded by Guy Podjarny, creator of developer-first security platform Snyk, Tessl is headquartered in London. For more information, visit tessl.io.
Media Contact
Simon Maple, Tessl, 44 07974761027, [email protected], https://tessl.io
SOURCE Tessl
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