Zendesk Commits $100M to Help Startups Build with AI, Expands VC Program
Zendesk for Startups gives founders the runway, automation, and support to scale, now with dedicated benefits for venture capital partners for the first time
At its annual Relate conference, Zendesk today announced a new $100 million, two-year commitment to help startups move faster, automate, and build world-class customer experiences into their stack from day one. The Zendesk for Startups program is built for the next generation of founders, offering access to products at no cost, along with resources and partner benefits to help them build and scale faster. For the first time, Zendesk is also extending dedicated benefits to venture capital partners across their portfolios.
“The decisions founders make early about their customer infrastructure shape everything that comes after,” said Adrian McDermott, CTO, Zendesk. “I joined Zendesk when we were a small startup, and those early decisions shaped everything that followed. We built this program with that experience in mind. AI has fundamentally changed what a small team can accomplish from day one—founders shouldn’t have to choose between moving fast and building right. With AI built in from the start, they can do both while extending their runway by removing cost as a barrier."
