Serval, an enterprise AI company specializing in IT service management (ITSM), announced it has secured $47 million in a Series A funding round. Redpoint Ventures led the investment, with additional participation from venture firms including First Round, General Catalyst, and Box Group. The company's client base includes AI-focused entities such as Perplexity, Mercor, and Together AI.
The funding is intended to further develop and scale Serval's agentic AI models designed for automating IT service management tasks. Serval employs a distinct architecture that divides ITSM automation into two primary agent functions: one for coding internal automations and another for responding to user requests by deploying these pre-coded tools.
According to Serval CEO Jake Stauch, this dual-agent approach addresses common challenges in AI automation. Stauch stated that the system aims to reduce the perceived cost of automation, noting, \"We don't want them to feel the marginal cost of building these automations.\" He further emphasized, \"We want to make it easier to automate something forever than do it manually once.\" The first agent automates routine tasks, such as authorizing software or provisioning devices, under the oversight of IT managers.
The second agent processes user requests by invoking specific, pre-defined tools, adhering to established rules. This separation allows IT managers to set stringent permissions and usage conditions for each automation, mitigating risks associated with autonomous AI systems. Stauch highlighted the importance of preventing unauthorized actions, explaining, \"You don't want someone to go into Slack and say, hey, I want to delete all the data at the company, and the very helpful AI agent responds, 'Great, I'll delete all the data.'\" He elaborated that in such a scenario, the system would instead indicate a lack of a tool for that specific action, while still offering authorized functions like password resets.
Serval's deterministic tools are designed to incorporate complex permissions, including multi-factor authentication requirements or time-sensitive access controls. An AI agent is available to modify these rules as operational needs evolve, providing IT departments with granular control and visibility over automated processes.
