8090, a Redwood City, California-based AI-native software development platform, has raised $135M in Series A funding led by Salesforce Ventures. The company operates Software Factory, an AI-native SDLC control plane that unites human teams and AI agents with living documentation, full visibility, and audit trails for regulated industries. The capital will fund hiring and infrastructure investments.
AI Governance Demand Accelerates
The timing comes amid rapid growth in AI coding tools targeting enterprises. Cursor raised $2.3B+ in its Series D in November 2025, while Cognition AI secured $2.1B. Factory AI closed a $150M Series C. 8090's documentation-first approach addresses the gap in compliance-heavy sectors where black-box AI falls short.
Compliance Requirements Expose Traceability Gaps
Regulated enterprises in healthcare, insurance, life sciences, and government face strict audit demands. Current AI tools generate code without mapping back to business requirements, creating compliance risks. 8090 targets this with Requirements to Blueprints to code workflows that maintain traceability.
Documentation-First SDLC Platform
Software Factory enforces bidirectional traceability from plain-English requirements through technical blueprints to generated code. It supports multi-player collaboration, drift detection, and integration with third-party agents without lock-in. Unlike Cursor or Devin, which optimize for speed and autonomy, 8090 prioritizes oversight for regulated use cases.
Salesforce Lead Signals Enterprise Focus
Salesforce Ventures led the round, joined by WNDR, Craft Ventures, The Production Board, LAUNCH, and angels including Nikesh Arora and Adam D'Angelo. The investor mix reflects conviction in governed AI development platforms. Chamath Palihapitiya returned as full-time CEO, citing the AI moment as comparable to early social media.
Enterprise AI Market Expands Rapidly
The generative AI in SDLC market is projected to grow from $845M in 2026 to $9.5B by 2034. Broader AI software platforms are expected to reach $98.26B by 2030. Competitors like Retool ($165M total) and GitHub Copilot focus on different segments, leaving room for 8090's regulated-industry wedge.
Chamath Returns to Operating Role
Founder Chamath Palihapitiya, former Facebook executive, stepped back into a full-time CEO position for the first time since 2011. His network and visibility bring attention to the company's focus on alignment engineering and enterprise governance.
Capital Fuels Hiring and Infrastructure
Funds will support headcount growth in the Bay Area and Toronto plus compute investments. The company is actively hiring engineers and expanding product features like multi-repository support.