The investment world turned its eyes to Harness as the company, led by Jyoti Bansal, secured a significant $240 million Series E funding round from Goldman Sachs. This development struck a chord with me not only as an advocate for strategic innovation but also as a female entrepreneur focused on helping others navigate startup challenges.
What’s the Story Behind Harness?
Harness operates in the AI DevOps space, focusing specifically on automating the delivery process after code is written. Consider the complexities of testing, deployment, compliance, and security risks, areas that consume most engineering hours. Harness aims to simplify and manage these pain points using its AI-driven platform.
Harness's valuation now stands at $5.5 billion. This upward trajectory feels familiar, recalling how Bansal previously built and sold AppDynamics for $3.7 billion. It’s a story that resonates with me, especially because I’ve carved a niche with startups that encourage women in STEM. Harness competes with giants like GitLab and CircleCI but uses AI layers such as its Software Delivery Knowledge Graph and orchestration engine to stand out.
Deep Insights for Entrepreneurs
Here are lessons I picked from this investment deal that can help founders, particularly women in Europe, make sense of fast-changing markets:
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Know the Market Gap: Harness created a platform targeting bottlenecks in “after-code” processes. Many startups focus only on flashy features but overlook operational pain points. As an entrepreneur, ask yourself: What part of your customer's workflow adds stress, cost, and time? Solve for that.
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Valuation Growth is Tied to Scaling with Demand: Harness's valuation jumped significantly compared to previous funding, and this wasn’t mere luck. It reflects the rising demand for its technology in increasingly AI-driven workflows. Focus on scalable strategies that align with trends rather than solely chasing initial funding rounds.
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Big Names Can Open Doors: Goldman Sachs' involvement immediately boosts Harness's reputation, making potential clients and partners more likely to engage. While bootstrapping generates independence, knowing when to bring powerful allies on board is equally important.
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Room for Women in STEM and Tech: Still, female-led ventures remain greatly underfunded. Harness inspires the kind of collaboration that allows founders like me, and perhaps you, to focus on science-backed ideas with potential for societal impact.
Mistakes You Should Avoid
From my experiences in both incubator settings and building businesses, these startup errors stand out:
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Overcomplicating the Product: If your users need tutorials to understand your offer, you’ll lose them before you start. Harness focuses on simplicity while solving crucial delivery issues.
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Skipping Validation: The desire to launch often overrides critical feedback gathering. Harness didn’t rush into development without sweeping market checks.
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Neglecting Employee Benefit Programs: Harness announced intentions for a tender offer supporting long-term staff loyalty. Your employees aren’t just a workforce; they’re potential ambassadors for your startup’s mission.
Simple Guide to Startup Growth
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, here’s a clear sequence to follow as a founder:
- Define Your Vision in One Sentence: Harness automates software delivery flows. What’s your single sentence?
- Identify Pain Points Directly from Customers: Interview them repeatedly. Save the assumptions.
- Focus on Early Wins: Instead of imagining the billion-dollar valuation, aim for your first client milestone. Harness initially found enterprise anchors like national banks.
- Learn Funding Mechanics: There’s a wealth of knowledge in courses from sources such as Venture Deals or incubator programs. Don’t underestimate the fine details.
What Does This Mean for European Women Founders?
As someone overseeing a non-profit encouraging girls to embrace STEM, Harness teaches us that underrepresented groups can be frontrunners in areas traditionally dominated by large corporations. Jyoti Bansal co-led an enterprise that now makes headlines globally. Every woman from startup and coding worlds in Europe can learn to aim equally high.
Women in startups face barriers of access, cultural expectations, and underfunding challenges. But Harness shows there’s merit in focusing narrowly on solutions rather than spreading out as generalists.
Takeaways from Harness’s Growth
The business didn’t just grow, it grew strategically at the intersection of technology, team structure, and scalability. Harness will likely deepen customer relationships by targeting operational speed bumps, which others ignored.
Goldman Sachs backing should signal female entrepreneurs to ask important funding-related questions: Why don’t more venture deals focus on societal impact alongside valuation goals?
Conclusion Notes
Harness’s journey is proof that a focused and well-funded strategy leads to success even in competitive environments with big names involved. As a female entrepreneur working across jurisdictions, my key takeaway from this rise is that startups built on unique yet functional solutions to real-world problems will earn their place on global stages. Use stories like these as motivation not just to survive, thrive.
FAQ
1. What is Harness, and what does it do?
Harness is an AI-driven DevOps platform focused on automating software delivery processes such as testing, deployment, compliance, and security reviews. It aims to eliminate bottlenecks in the “after-code” phase of software engineering. Learn more about Harness
2. Who are Harness's primary competitors?
Harness competes with industry leaders such as GitLab, CircleCI, LaunchDarkly, and CloudBees by targeting post-development automation with unique AI capabilities. Discover Harness's competitive landscape
3. How much funding did Harness raise in its Series E round?
Harness secured $240 million in Series E funding, valuing the company at $5.5 billion. Read about Harness’s Series E round
4. Who led the latest funding round for Harness?
The Series E round was led by Goldman Sachs, with additional participation from IVP, Menlo Ventures, and Unusual Ventures. Learn about Goldman Sachs’s involvement
5. What sets Harness apart from its competitors?
Harness uses AI-native layers like its Enterprise-grade Orchestration Engine and Software Delivery Knowledge Graph to streamline the software delivery lifecycle, enhancing automation and efficiency. Explore Harness's unique features
6. What role does AI play in Harness’s platform?
Harness employs AI agents to automate repetitive delivery tasks, creating a seamless and intelligent automated workflow for software testing, compliance, and deployment. Discover more about Harness AI
7. How does Harness plan to use its new funding?
Harness intends to accelerate R&D, expand its global operations, and enhance its AI-powered software delivery platform. Learn about Harness’s scaling plans
8. Who founded Harness?
Harness was co-founded by Jyoti Bansal, who previously built AppDynamics and sold it to Cisco for $3.7 billion, and Rishi Singh. Learn about Jyoti Bansal’s journey
9. How has Harness grown since its founding?
Harness has achieved a $5.5 billion valuation, grown its customer base, and focused on creating AI-powered solutions for software delivery. Explore Harness’s trajectory
10. Why is Harness’s growth significant for the software industry?
Harness is tackling the overlooked complexities of the “after-code” phase in software development, promoting innovation and efficiency in a competitive market. Understand Harness’s industry impact
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
