echelonAn artificial intelligence startup that automates enterprise software implementation emerged from stealth mode today with $4.75 million in seed funding led by Bain Capital VenturesThe goal is a fundamental change in the way in which firms deploy and maintain critical business systems.
The San Francisco-based company has developed AI agents specifically trained for end-to-end success ServiceNow Implementations – complex enterprise software deployments that traditionally require months of labor from offshore consulting teams and price firms thousands and thousands of dollars annually.
“The biggest barrier to digital transformation isn’t the technology – it’s the time it takes to implement it,” said Rahul Kayala, founder and CEO of Echelon, who previously worked at an AI-based IT company Moveworks. “AI agents completely remove this limitation, enabling firms to experiment, iterate, and deploy platform changes at unprecedented speed.”
The announcement indicates a possible disruption Global IT services market price $1.5 trillionwhere firms like Accenture, DeloitteAnd Capgemini have long dominated through labor-intensive consulting models, which, in keeping with Echelon, have gotten obsolete within the age of artificial intelligence.
Why ServiceNow deployments take months and price thousands and thousands
ServiceNowa cloud-based platform utilized by enterprises to administer IT services, human resources and business operations has turn into critical infrastructure for big organizations. However, implementing and customizing the platform typically requires specialized expertise that the majority firms lack internally.
The complexity arises from ServiceNow's extensive customization options. Organizations often require tons of of “Catalog items” – digital forms and worker request workflows – each requiring specific configurations, approval processes and integrations with existing systems. According to Echelon's research, these implementations often go well beyond planned timelines attributable to technical complexity and communication bottlenecks between business stakeholders and development teams.
“What starts out easy often turns into weeks of effort once the actual work begins,” the corporate noted in its report Analysis of common implementation challenges. “An easy request form is five requests in a single. We had catalog items with 50+ variables, 10 or more UI policies, all connected together. If you update one field, something else would break.”
The traditional solution is to rent offshore development teams or expensive consultants, resulting in what Echelon describes as a problematic cycle: “A matter here, a delay there, and suddenly you’re weeks behind.”
How AI agents are replacing expensive offshore consulting teams
Echelon's approach replaces human advisors with elite-trained AI agents ServiceNow Experts from top consulting firms. These agents can analyze business requirements, ask clarifying questions in real time, and mechanically generate complete ServiceNow configurations including forms, workflows, test scenarios, and documentation.
The technology represents a big advance over general-purpose AI tools. Instead of providing generic code suggestions, Echelon's agents understand ServiceNow's specific architecture, best practices, and general integration patterns. They can discover gaps in requirements and propose solutions that meet corporate governance standards.
“Instead of routing every input through five people, the business process owner uploaded their requirements directly,” Kayala explained, describing a recent customer implementation. “The AI developer analyzes it and asks follow-up questions like, 'I see a process flow with 3 branches but only 2 triggers. Should there be a 3rd?' The form of things an experienced developer would ask. With AI, these questions got here immediately.”
Early customers report huge time savings. A financial services company was undertaking a service catalog migration project that was expected to take six months accomplished in six weeks using Echelon's AI agents.
What makes Echelon’s AI different from coding assistants?
Echelon's technology addresses several technical challenges which have prevented broader adoption of AI in enterprise software implementation. Agents are trained not only on ServiceNow's technical capabilities, but additionally on the collective expertise of experienced consultants who understand complex business requirements, governance frameworks and integration patterns.
This approach differs from general purpose AI coding assistants comparable to GitHub Copilotwho provide syntax suggestions but don’t have any domain-specific expertise. Echelon agents understand ServiceNow's data models, security frameworks, and upgrade considerations – knowledge typically gained through years of consulting experience.
The company's training methodology involves world-class ServiceNow experts from consulting firms comparable to Accenture and specialized ServiceNow partner Thirdera. This embedded expertise enables AI to handle complex requirements and edge cases that may normally require the intervention of an experienced consultant.
The real challenge isn't teaching AI to jot down code, but moderately capturing the intuitive expertise that separates young developers from experienced architects. ServiceNow senior consultants instinctively know which customizations break during upgrades and the way easy requests turn into complex integration problems. This institutional knowledge creates a much more defensible moat than general-purpose coding assistants can provide.
The $1.5 trillion consulting market is facing disruption
The emergence of Echelon reflects broader trends reshaping the enterprise software market. As firms speed up their digital transformation initiatives, the normal consulting model appears increasingly inadequate for the speed and scale required.
ServiceNow itself has grown quickly and is reporting over $10.98 billion in annual revenue in 2024and $12.06 billion for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2025, as firms proceed to digitize more business processes. However, this growth has led to a persistent talent shortage, meaning the demand for qualified ServiceNow professionals – particularly those with AI skills – is significantly outstripping the provision.
The startup's approach could fundamentally change the economics of implementing enterprise software. In traditional consulting assignments, large teams often work for months, with costs increasing linearly with project complexity. In contrast, AI agents can work on multiple projects at the identical time and apply the knowledge they’ve learned across customers.
Rak Garg, the Bain Capital Ventures partner who led Echelon's funding round, sees this as part of a bigger shift toward AI-powered skilled services. “We see the identical trend with other BCV firms as well Prophet securitythat automates security processes, and Crosbythat automates legal services for startups. AI is quickly becoming the delivery layer for multiple functions.”
Scale beyond ServiceNow while maintaining business reliability
Despite initial successes, Echelon faces significant challenges in scaling its approach. For enterprise customers, reliability is more vital than speed, and all AI-generated configurations must meet strict security and compliance requirements.
“Inertia is the largest risk,” Garg admitted. “IT systems should never fail, and businesses lose 1000’s of hours of productivity each time they fail. Proving reliability at scale and constructing on repeatable results will probably be critical for Echelon.”
The company plans to expand beyond ServiceNow to other enterprise platforms including JUICE, SalesforceAnd working day – each with significant additional market opportunities. However, each platform requires the event of recent expertise and training models on platform-specific best practices.
echelon The company also faces potential competition from established consulting firms which can be developing their very own AI capabilities. However, Garg sees these firms as potential partners moderately than competitors, noting that many have already contacted Echelon about collaboration opportunities.
“They know that AI is changing their business model in real time,” he said. “Customers put tremendous pricing pressure on larger firms and ask difficult questions, and these firms can use Echelon agents to speed up their projects.”
How AI agents could redesign all skilled services
Echelon's funding and emergence from stealth represents a big milestone in the appliance of AI to skilled services. Unlike consumer AI applications that primarily increase individual productivity, enterprise AI agents like Echelon's directly replace expert staff at scale.
The company's approach – training AI systems on expert knowledge moderately than simply technical documentation – could function a model for automating other complex skilled services. Legal research, financial evaluation and technical advice all involve similar patterns of applying specialized expertise to unique client needs.
For enterprise customers, the promise goes beyond cost savings to strategic agility. Organizations that may quickly implement and alter business processes gain competitive advantage in markets where customer expectations and regulatory requirements change incessantly.
Kayala noted, “This opens up a very different approach to business agility and competitive advantage.”
The implications extend far beyond ServiceNow implementations. As AI agents master the intricacies of delivering enterprise software—some of the complex and relationship-dependent areas of skilled services—few knowledge workspaces may remain resistant to automation.
The query shouldn’t be whether AI will transform skilled services, but how quickly human expertise will be transformed into autonomous digital staff who never sleep, never leave for competition, and turn into smarter with every project they complete.
