Novaworks, an AI-native human capital management operating system built on the ServiceNow platform, has launched alongside an $8 million seed funding round led by Stalwart Ventures, with participation from ServiceNow Ventures and Bell Ventures. The company is introducing what it describes as the first agentic operating system for total workforce management, designed to help enterprises modernize how they manage employees, contractors, and AI agents.
The funding reflects growing investor interest in enterprise platforms designed with AI at their core rather than added on later. Novaworks plans to use the capital to accelerate product development, expand its team, and grow its customer base.
The platform is designed to unify people, systems, and AI agents into a single operating model, embedding AI directly into enterprise workflows. By doing so, Novaworks aims to simplify the management of a modern workforce and improve operational efficiency and the employee experience at scale.
Novaworks was co-founded by Kelley Steven-Waiss and Eswar Vandanapu, who previously built Hitch Works, an AI HR technology company acquired by ServiceNow in 2022. The leadership team also includes Chief Product Officer Melanie Lougee, a veteran in HR technology with prior roles at Workday, ServiceNow, Gartner, Oracle, and PeopleSoft.
The company is positioning itself as a next-generation alternative to legacy HR systems, arguing that these systems were designed for a static workforce and are ill-suited to today’s dynamic environment, which includes AI-driven agents alongside human workers.
KEY QUOTES:
“Legacy HCM systems were built for a static workforce that no longer exists. With the shift to agentic AI, there is an opportunity to leverage emerging technology to define a new operating model for organization-s in how they deploy and manage their total workforce, including employees, contractors, and agents. We are confident that our partnerships with these early-stage investors will fuel our go-to-market success.”
Kelley Steven-Waiss, Co-Founder and CEO, Novaworks
“Novaworks is rethinking that foundation with an AI-native platform designed for the modern workforce. We were excited to lead this investment behind a team with such deep domain expertise and a track record of building and scaling successful platforms. We believe they are uniquely positioned to define total workforce management for the AI era.”
David Mann, Executive Managing Director, Stalwart Ventures
“The future of work will depend on intelligent workflows that connect people, systems, and AI. Novaworks is building a compelling AI-native operating system on ServiceNow to help organizations manage that complexity, and our investment will support the company as it helps organizations navigate the shift to agentic workforce management.”
Victor Chang, VP of Ventures, ServiceNow
“Novaworks brings together experienced leadership, scalable technology, and a clear vision for modernizing total workforce management through AI. Bell Ventures is pleased to invest in Novaworks, aligned with our objective to support a growing ecosystem of companies harnessing the power of AI for enterprise solutions.”
Martin Cossette, Head of Bell Ventures
