Although enterprises want access to new software and AI tools, there is no risk of sending sensitive data to third-party software (SAAS) providers. TENSOR9 aims to help software companies land more companies’ customers by helping software companies deploy software directly into their customers’ technology stack.
TENSOR9 converts software vendor code into the format required to deploy it in your customer’s technical environment. Tensor9 creates a miniaturized model of the deployed software digital twin or deployed software infrastructure, allowing Tensor9 customers to monitor software behavior in their customer’s environment. TENSOR9 helps businesses deploy to all assumptions, from cloud to bare metal servers.
Tensor9 co-founder and CEO Michael Ten-Pow told TechCrunch that helping companies deploy software in their client environments by helping them to deploy software in their clients’ environments by helping them to stand out from other companies like Octopus Deploy and Nuon.
“It’s very difficult to know that you can not only throw software at the wall, but also throw software at the wall, knowing what’s going on, finding out the problem, debugging and fixing it,” said Ten-Pow (pictured above, left). “They see it running, they can debug it, they can log in and understand what the problem is and fix them.”
He said the timing is appropriate for Tensor9’s technology because of the tailwinds from the rise of AI. Companies and financial institutions want to adopt AI technology, but there is no risk of sending data to third parties.
“Enterprise search vendors might go to JP Morgan. “Hey, you can access all six parabytes of data and build an intelligent search layer on top of it, allowing internal employees to talk to company data,” says Ten-Pow.
Ten-Pow, a former AWS engineer, said the Tensor9 launch had a “long, rather winding path.” He got the idea for the company while working on another potential idea that didn’t work. He spent his time figuring out whether software vendors could find ways to facilitate SOC 2 certification, a cybersecurity compliance framework, and finding ways to allow vendors to unlock customers who need them.
It didn’t work, but he discovered from the customer’s phone that what the company really wanted was software that runs in its own technical environment. However, many software companies, especially startups, do not have the resources to offer bespoke, on-premises options for each enterprise customer.
That sentiment was the basis for Tensor9, launched by Ten-Pow in 2024. Later that year, he brought his former AW colleagues, Matthew Michie and Matthew Shanker, as co-founders.
The company has discovered early traction in a voice AI company. Since then, they have begun to expand to work in other industries, such as enterprise search, enterprise databases, and data management. The company is currently working with AI companies, including 11x, Retell AI, and Dyna AI.
Tensor9 Bootstrapped recently attracted a $4 million seed round led by Wing VC from leveling up ventures, model ventures Devang Sachdev, employees of Nvangels, Engy Group of Ex-Nvidia, and other angel investors. Ten-Pow said it wasn’t too difficult to get investors into ideas. Tensor9 had to convince investors that he was the right team for the job.
“We have a simple model, but under the cover there is a lot of complexity that makes it happen to make it happen. “I think it was one of the things that helped persuade investors to invest in us.”
The company plans to use its funds to build employment and next-generation technology so that it can work with its customers in more industries.
“There’s an evolution from (presence) to the cloud. We believe the idea of this software will live where we need it and work where we need it. This is the next step, a kind of integration of the previous on-premises and cloud ideas,” says Ten-Pow.