This Startup Makes Enterprise Software Work Like a Prompt
A new AI startup wants to replace traditional software menus with conversational prompts for business operations.
San Francisco: Josh Sirota founded a startup called Eragon that wants to make software work differently for companies. Instead of clicking buttons and using menus, people can just type what they want in normal words.
Eragon raised 12 million dollars to build what they call an AI operating system for businesses. The company thinks regular software with all its buttons and boxes is old-fashioned. They want everything to work by asking questions in everyday language.
Sirota used to work at big companies like Oracle and Salesforce. He says most business software will soon work through AI that understands plain English. Companies like Salesforce could become simple conversation tools instead of complex programs with many features.
The Eragon team set up shop in San Francisco near the baseball stadium. Their office has a computer setup on the dining room table with a wine bottle and books about dragons. They chose the name Eragon from a fantasy book, following other tech companies that use fantasy names.
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Sirota shows how Eragon can create new accounts automatically. When he asks the system to add a customer in plain language, it sets everything up – creates login details, makes new computer space in the cloud, and starts teaching the new user how things work. This happens all from typing a simple request.
The system can make dashboards or find ways to improve business by just asking. A person could ask “What sales deals might not happen?” and Eragon would tell them what to look for. If someone wants a chart showing sales numbers, they just ask for it and get one right away.
Some people worry about safety and mistakes with this kind of system. Sirota even uses Eragon to check bills coming into his email – it looks at each bill and decides if it should be paid automatically. A reporter almost sent a fake bill just to test if this would work.
Several big companies are already using Eragon. One insurance company boss said Eragon keeps their information safe while still using powerful AI. The important thing is that Eragon lets companies keep their data in their own computer systems and security.
Sirota thinks AI tools like Eragon will be as important as personal computers were. Just like computers came after big mainframes, these new prompt-based tools will replace old business software. Many experts believe this kind of AI agent will change how office work happens.
The company faces tough competition from huge technology firms. But Sirota believes Eragon will succeed because businesses want control over their AI and data. He hopes the company will be worth one billion dollars by year’s end.